Card game, Happy Families of the Nations, box with 44 cards and instructions pamphlet, printed by Pepys Games, Great Britain, ca. 1950s.

Happy Families of the Nations card game, consisting of cardboard box with lid missing, with pink background with white and pink silhouette of the world, and illustrations in pink, burgundy and white of a girl in traditional Dutch costume and boy in traditional Indian costume. The other side has a full colour playing card attached, featuring the title and illustrations of a man in traditional German costume, woman and boy in traditional Dutch costume and a girl in tractional Indian costume. The 44 cards consist of full colour illustrations of families (Mr, Mrs, Miss and Master) in traditional costumes representing different nations. The countries represented are: Sweden, India, Arabia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Holland, France, Austria, Eskimo and Japan. The card backs are printed with a silhouette of a globe in burgundy and white. There is also an eight page pamphlet printed in burgundy on white, with instructions for playing.

Happy Families is one of the most popular card games ever invented. Originally designed by the Jacques company in 1851 with caricature illustrations by John Tenniel, it has been produced by numerous publishers ever since. This version, from the Pepys company, dates from the 1950s. Although the illustrations have moved away from linking stereotypes of facial features with professions, this pack instead uses the traditional dress of different countries, with a remit to educate children about the different cultures of the world.

Pepys were a British card game manufacturer between 1938 and 1978, whose hallmark was the high quality of the artwork they produced. They made many variations on themes, on only a few differing children's card games.

B.298-2010