Hand drawn mechanical schematic playing cards of the early 20th century

Amanda sez, "This is a collection of pictures of the playing cards hand-drawn by NYC subway engineer William Barclay Parsons, who died in 1932. The playing cards are beautifully illustrated with schematics and diagrams and sketches of pulleys, cranks, levers, and so on."

Parsons, William Barclay (Thanks, Amanda!)

[#1 posted by MayorMike, April 15, 2009 1:11 PM]

Somebody plastic coat these ASAP!

[#2 posted by monstrinho_do_biscoito, April 16, 2009 2:24 AM]

meh, i can draw better than that. at least i can draw a circle at a angle.

[#3 posted by bjacques, April 17, 2009 2:58 AM]

WANT!!!

[#4 posted by Anonymous, April 22, 2009 1:41 PM]

These cards are probably much older, by about 200 years. They were likely collected, but not actually drawn, by William Barclay Parsons. There are two sets in the Digital Gallery (Engineering and Mechanics). The Playing cards: Mechanics set is dated ca. 1702, but the Engineering set is not dated.

In the Sports and Games chapter of the Guide to the Research Collections of the New York Public Library (Chicago: American Library Association, 1975, pp. 199-202) written by Sam P. Williams, there is also a reference to 'two sets of playing cards engraved with engineering and mechanical instruments made in early eighteenth-century London' held by the Parsons collection.

-Joe
Developer (and former librarian)
Digital Experience Group, NYPL