The Game of Brer Rabbit
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1910
"The Game of Brer Rabbit" is a boxed card game published in England around 1910 by an unknown maker. The pack comprises fifty-two playing cards arranged into thirteen sets of four, alongside an included rule card. The cards are housed in their original card box, which measures 10.5 centimetres in length, 7.3 centimetres in width, and 2.2 centimetres in depth.
The cards are made of card printed in simple colours using chromolithography, with letterpress text placed directly beneath each illustration. Each card displays a narrative picture accompanied by a corresponding quotation, while the reverse sides are plain buff yellow. The lid of the box features a pasted illustration displaying the manufacturer's title along with imagery and text, and notes that the pictures were used by permission of the publisher of "Books for the Bairns".
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Brer Rabbit originated as the hero of African American folk tales and fables from the Southern United States, collected by Joel Chandler Harris and first published in 1880 under the character Uncle Remus. The stories typically involve Brer Rabbit outwitting adversaries such as Brer Fox and Brer Bear. In the card game, players turn up cards into rows; when a card matches another player's exposed card, the player who first calls out "BRER RABBIT" and repeats the printed quotation captures the cards to complete sets.
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- The Game of Brer Rabbit
- Museum object number
- B.250:1-55-1996
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.