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# 25
Half a playing card for a full day work.
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The
first of May is Labour Day, celebrated in many countries all over the world.
Why? On May 1, 1884 was the proclamation of the demand for eight-hour workday in
the United States of America. Two years later, on May 1, 1886 there was a
general strike which eventually wins the eight-hour workday in the U.S.. These
events are today commemorated as May Day or Labour Day.
In the
early 19th century labourers had very few rights. They were much depending on
the good will and decency of their bosses, people of higher standard who used to
look down on their employees. There was no social security and a worker who
-under the bad circumstances- became ill or got injured simply lost his job. The
Industrial Revolution in the second half of the 19th century was a disaster for
many workers whose jobs were taken over by newly invented machines, powered by
the most important invention of this era: electricity.
Playing card maker unknown, France. Collection Gejus van Diggele |
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Labourers who worked for landowners and
farmers were paid by the day but they did not actually receive their money until
the harvest was sold in the autumn. Around 1813 French landowner M. Mila gave
one of these promissory notes written on half playing cards to his labourers for
every day they worked. The farmhands often slept in barns and stables without
any privacy. Nevertheless, they had to keep their notes safely hidden away or
they would not get paid.
A few years ago a lot of these cards were found,
probably in the estate where M. Mila lived. According to their quality, all are
fairly clean, these cards have not been given out. Part of the playing cards is
not even cut yet. The printing is done in two styles so I presume at least two
runs were printed. Unfortunately I have no information about the size of the
estate and how many people have worked there. I do not know of other promissory
notes of this kind printed on playing cards.
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