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A short history of the 36-card deck

The deck’s name and its earlier game tradition are separate parts of its history.

From a game to a named deck

Pack of 36 German fortune telling cards of 'Le Normand' type, in a cardboard container. Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand (1772 - 1843) was a French professional fortune-teller. The 36-card Lenormand deck is named after her, and is modelled on a deck of cards published in circa 1799 as part of Das Spiel der Hoffnung (The Game of Hope), a game of chance designed by Johann Kaspar Hechtel of Nuremberg.

Images and interpretations

The illustrated cards in this index are a modern edition. They are not photographs of an early historical deck. The image edition and the interpretation version are treated as separate parts of the reference.