The Game of French History
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1844
The Game of French History is an educational card game published in England in 1844 by C. & T. L. Paternoster. The set comprises cards measuring 7.9 cm in height by 11 cm in width, accompanied by a letterpress booklet containing rules and a key, all housed in a card slip case bearing two engraved labels.
The cards are produced from printed coloured card using letterpress techniques. The game consists of 72 cards printed on pink, green, or white stock according to the royal house represented. Each card features a concise summary detailing the historical events during the reign of a French king, punctuated by text gaps that players are required to complete. The accompanying booklet provides the answers to these prompts.
A handwritten ink inscription records that the game belonged to Barbara F. B. Coventry at age twelve, who later married John Gaspard Fadshaw.
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
Designed for any number of players, the educational game tests knowledge of French history using cards with fill-in-the-blank summaries of the reigns of French monarchs.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Printed coloured card, letterpress
- Dimensions
- Height: 7.9 cm; Width: 11 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- C. & T. L. Paternoster
- Place recorded
- England
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 French History
- Museum object number
- E.803&:1 to 6, 25, 26, 74-1945
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.