The Wall Street Entertainer
C. E. (Charles Edward) Carryl
His American Encyclopedia of Playing Cards entry mention appears as such: T4 TIFFANY HARLEQUIN PLAYING CARDS, Tiffany & Company, NY, 1879. This delightful deck, designed by C. E. Carryl is, without question, the most skillful and artistic of the American transformation decks. The pip cards have clever witticisms and the court cards are modified in a humorous manner.
If you Google C. E. Carryl you will get pretty much the same information that has been repeated in literary publications for over a hundred years:
Charles Edward Caryl (December 30, 1841 – July 3, 1920) was an American children's literature author. Born in New York, Carryl became a second-generation successful businessman and a stockbroker, who for 34 years starting in 1874 held a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1869 he married Mary Wetmore. In 1882 Charles E. Carryl published his first work “The Stock Exchange Primer”. In 1884 he published the children's fantasy “Davy and the Goblin” or, “What Followed Reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", serialized in the magazine St Nicholas. His work includes the children's nonsense poem “The Walloping Window Blind”, published in 1885, in a verse style similar to Lewis Carroll’s.
His American Encyclopedia of Playing Cards entry mention appears as such: T4 TIFFANY HARLEQUIN PLAYING CARDS, Tiffany & Company, NY, 1879. This delightful deck, designed by C. E. Carryl is, without question, the most skillful and artistic of the American transformation decks. The pip cards have clever witticisms and the court cards are modified in a humorous manner.
If you Google C. E. Carryl you will get pretty much the same information that has been repeated in literary publications for over a hundred years:
Charles Edward Caryl (December 30, 1841 – July 3, 1920) was an American children's literature author. Born in New York, Carryl became a second-generation successful businessman and a stockbroker, who for 34 years starting in 1874 held a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1869 he married Mary Wetmore. In 1882 Charles E. Carryl published his first work “The Stock Exchange Primer”. In 1884 he published the children's fantasy “Davy and the Goblin” or, “What Followed Reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", serialized in the magazine St Nicholas. His work includes the children's nonsense poem “The Walloping Window Blind”, published in 1885, in a verse style similar to Lewis Carroll’s.
None of his biographies ever mention his designing of playing cards. Is this the correct person? Yes it is. Digging deeper I found the clues in old, and forgotten, books and magazines.
In 1860 Charles’s father, Nathan, passed away. He had been a successful security and commodity broker in New York City. Charles was a nineteen year old living at home so he soon after got a job as a clerk/secretary at a business on William street in the financial district. By 1868 he has worked his way up to a clerk at the Stock Exchange. Then in 1869 he marries Mary Russell Wetmore and moves in with her family for a short time. Mary’s father, Apollos Russell Wetmore, is a prosperous and well known hardware merchant and philanthropist. By 1872 Charles is now a Banker on Wall Street and shortly after gains a seat on the Stock Exchange.
My biggest find was an article in a Vasser Women’s College magazine of December 1879. Trustee Rezin A. Wight, a lawyer from New York City, made a gift to the Seniors’ Parlor Room. It was a deck of Harlequin cards made by Tiffany. In a letter to the Seniors he stated that two years ago (1877), as a Christmas gift, a friend had given him the original hand drawn deck. He said he persuaded that friend to take them to Tiffany to make and sell. Obviously this is C. E. Carryl, but to be sure I had to find the connection to Mr. Wight. And I did. In 1877 Carryl is the Treasurer of the Ontario Southern Railroad that ran between the towns of Sodus and Stanley, New York. The Director of that company was Resin A Wight.
In 1860 Charles’s father, Nathan, passed away. He had been a successful security and commodity broker in New York City. Charles was a nineteen year old living at home so he soon after got a job as a clerk/secretary at a business on William street in the financial district. By 1868 he has worked his way up to a clerk at the Stock Exchange. Then in 1869 he marries Mary Russell Wetmore and moves in with her family for a short time. Mary’s father, Apollos Russell Wetmore, is a prosperous and well known hardware merchant and philanthropist. By 1872 Charles is now a Banker on Wall Street and shortly after gains a seat on the Stock Exchange.
My biggest find was an article in a Vasser Women’s College magazine of December 1879. Trustee Rezin A. Wight, a lawyer from New York City, made a gift to the Seniors’ Parlor Room. It was a deck of Harlequin cards made by Tiffany. In a letter to the Seniors he stated that two years ago (1877), as a Christmas gift, a friend had given him the original hand drawn deck. He said he persuaded that friend to take them to Tiffany to make and sell. Obviously this is C. E. Carryl, but to be sure I had to find the connection to Mr. Wight. And I did. In 1877 Carryl is the Treasurer of the Ontario Southern Railroad that ran between the towns of Sodus and Stanley, New York. The Director of that company was Resin A Wight.
Rezin Augustus Wight
Mr. Wight was never married and died at age 53 in 1890. Everything went to his eighty year old widowed mother. I wonder what became of that original deck?
If Charles was inspired to design a deck by Christmas of ‘77 he must have started shortly after the appearance of F. H. Lowerre’s deck in August. And who produced the deck for Tiffany? A question about that appeared in an 1890 American Stationer magazine article. A reader from Philadelphia asked where he could find the Harlequin deck from Tiffany. The answer was to contact Andrew Dougherty and request a deck. It stated that he produced them exclusively for Tiffany. Also at this time Dougherty was already making the Murphy Varnish (Hochman T5) transformation deck. In addition the Kinney Tobacco Company had insert cards (Hochman T6) that were copies of the Carryl deck. Was Dougherty making those also?
How popular were Charles’s cards at the time? Here is one opinion……
The New York Independent Weekly Newspaper
May 18, 1882
The ingenious and droll “Harlequin playing cards” of Mr. Charles E Carryl still make mirth for those who possess them. The “Stock Exchange Primer”, likewise from Mr. Carryl’s pen, has mightily entertained the “Bulls and Bears”, as well as the outside human menagerie, during the past fortnight.
How popular were Charles’s cards at the time? Here is one opinion……
The New York Independent Weekly Newspaper
May 18, 1882
The ingenious and droll “Harlequin playing cards” of Mr. Charles E Carryl still make mirth for those who possess them. The “Stock Exchange Primer”, likewise from Mr. Carryl’s pen, has mightily entertained the “Bulls and Bears”, as well as the outside human menagerie, during the past fortnight.
Mr. Carryl had now stopped designing playing cards and started writing.
Our Continent
An Illustrated Literary Weekly
June 14, 1882
Mr Charles E Carryl, who made a success some time ago with his Harlequin playing cards, has made another in a little volume called “The Stock Exchange Primer” which is having a very large circulation on Wall Street. It is a satire on well-known Wall Street figures, and very well drawn illustrations, and a laugh is heard everywhere it goes.
This privately printed book, of four hundred copies, was very popular on Wall Street. The Anderson Auction Gallery (later part of Sothebys) listed it as a sought after rare book in their auction of 1908. Even though it is a satire, this fact has changed over time and is constantly referred to as his “serious book”.
Inspired by reading “Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland” to his children, he continued writing and illustrating. This time it was children’s stories. In 1884 he penned “Davy and the Goblin” that was serialized in the popular monthly children's magazine St Nicholas. The following year it was his hugely popular children's nonsense poem “The Walloping Window Blind”. In 1891 his novel, “The Admiral's Caravan”, was also serialized in St Nicholas.
Our Continent
An Illustrated Literary Weekly
June 14, 1882
Mr Charles E Carryl, who made a success some time ago with his Harlequin playing cards, has made another in a little volume called “The Stock Exchange Primer” which is having a very large circulation on Wall Street. It is a satire on well-known Wall Street figures, and very well drawn illustrations, and a laugh is heard everywhere it goes.
This privately printed book, of four hundred copies, was very popular on Wall Street. The Anderson Auction Gallery (later part of Sothebys) listed it as a sought after rare book in their auction of 1908. Even though it is a satire, this fact has changed over time and is constantly referred to as his “serious book”.
Inspired by reading “Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland” to his children, he continued writing and illustrating. This time it was children’s stories. In 1884 he penned “Davy and the Goblin” that was serialized in the popular monthly children's magazine St Nicholas. The following year it was his hugely popular children's nonsense poem “The Walloping Window Blind”. In 1891 his novel, “The Admiral's Caravan”, was also serialized in St Nicholas.
Occasionally he would also publish a humorous poem like this one....
Robinson Crusoe
The night was thick and heavy
When the Piccadilly Daisy
Carried down the crew and captain in the sea;
And I think the water drowned’em
For they never, never found’em,
And I know they did n’t come ashore with me
His writing also inspired his son, Guy Wetmore Carryl, to become a poet and humorist. Unfortunately, at thirty-one, Guy died during the height of his career. After fighting a fire in his home he passed away from health complications.
Robinson Crusoe
The night was thick and heavy
When the Piccadilly Daisy
Carried down the crew and captain in the sea;
And I think the water drowned’em
For they never, never found’em,
And I know they did n’t come ashore with me
His writing also inspired his son, Guy Wetmore Carryl, to become a poet and humorist. Unfortunately, at thirty-one, Guy died during the height of his career. After fighting a fire in his home he passed away from health complications.