Lenormand Fortune-telling Cards

The French clairvoyant Marie A. Lenormand opened under the nom de plume “Sibylle de la rue de Tournan” an office for fortune-telling in Paris in 1793. By her own account, during the period of political upheaval between the French Revolution and the July Monarchy she gave counsel to influential figures in the highest political
and social circles. Lenormand had a broad command of fortune-telling practices – from cracking eggs, onomancy, to palm reading – but she was soon associated predominantly with card reading. The deck named after her was not published until after her death. The tinted etchings on the 36 cards show a thematic array of figures and subjects such as a knight, a ship, an anchor, a sun, a heart, and a house, each of which is ascribed a certain meaning. The cards were supposed to be laid out in five rows and interpreted intuitively, giving rise to ‘jocular conversation’ in a sociable gathering.