Ten of Stars, Civil War Union Playing Card (Type Two), 1863 steel calipers A charmer of a cat

A charmer of a cat and little painting whatever the case

but this is the earliest wooden parquetry set I have come across

I spotted this in a case at Brimfield in July

If ever there were a thing to call a token of love

Ten of Stars, Civil War Union Playing Card (Type Two), 1863 steel calipers A charmer of a catI've been thinking a lot about American history especially of late. I am currently in the middle of Ken Burns' series The American Revolution, which has had me better understanding how much the revolutionary period was as much a series of civil wars in this country as it was a war against England, and also about how inevitable The Civil War itself seems in retrospect, with tensions over slavery, and between regions, there from the very beginning.