Neues Bilder‑Domino – Lothar Meggendorfer (Card Game)
Overview:
A rare late 19th-century card-based picture game created by Lothar Meggendorfer—a renowned German illustrator and early paper-engineer—published by Otto Maier of Ravensburg in the 1890s. The set originally comprised 47 illustrated domino-style cards housed in its original box; 46 of these remain, with card #24 standing absent. The game is in excellent condition overall, with minor wear to the box.
Collector’s Corner
Lothar Meggendorfer (1847–1925) earned a pioneering reputation in the world of movable books and paper-engineering. He is credited with over 150 books featuring moving parts, astonishingly intricate mechanisms, and finely executed chromolithography. His 1878 release, Lebende Bilder (Living Pictures), is widely acknowledged as one of the first examples of movable picture booksHe also published more than 700 illustrated books and games, such as the Neues Bilder‑Domino, a playful extension of his pictorial storytelling in card-game form.
The Neues Bilder‑Domino, printed by Otto Maier, a prolific German publisher active from 1883 onward, belongs to a small—but collectible—category of Meggendorfer’s work: paper-engineered games . Otto Maier’s publishing house, later synonymous with Ravensburger, produced over 800 games and books prior to 1914 and was noted for visually engaging educational materials in
This domino game features pairs of chromolithographed images depicting humorous or narrative scenes—a format that appealed to both children and collectors. Today, original examples of Meggendorfer’s games—especially in their original boxes—are rare and sought after by collectors of early mechanical literature and game history.
References:
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VintagePopupBooks listing of Neues Bilder‑Domino by Lothar Meggendorfer
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John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller catalog, listing Meggendorfer’s Neues Bilder‑Domino with Otto Maier imprint
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Wikipedia biography of Lothar Meggendorfer
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Wikipedia entry on Ravensburger (Otto Maier publisher origins)