Victorine Le Normand Book from the Liberary of Congress

ETA: Corrected I thought this was Marie Ann, so I remove my personal thoughts. I have left the below intact.

I was very fortunate to get a copy of Victorine Le Normand Book from the Liberary of Congress.

I've had this for a long time, I completely forgot I had it.

This book has all her methods of reading cards

I will post up a some pictures from the book.

Copy the images, view in your photo program, zoom in to read.

If you want the whole book, I can send it to you a scanned copy. pm me you email addy.

I will a couple post to attach pictures

Post 2 Fortune telling by cards continued and The Italian Method

Here is Fortune telling by cards continued for the above method and here is the Italian Method

post 3 The Italian method continued and The English Method

here is the italian method continued and the English Method

post 4 21 card Method

here is her 21 card method

Hi La Force,

"Victorine Le Normand" was apparently one of several pseudonyms for Robert Smith, who lived from 1795 to 1892 and wrote books on astrology and other occult matters, mostly using the name Raphael. See:

http://www.skyscript.co.uk/raphael.html

The Mme. Lenormand whom our 36-card deck is named after is Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand.

Your book does look like a fascinating compendium of 19th century playing-card methods, though, thanks for posting those pages!

Lee said:

Hi La Force,

"Victorine Le Normand" was apparently one of several pseudonyms for Robert Smith, who lived from 1795 to 1892 and wrote books on astrology and other occult matters, mostly using the name Raphael. See:

http://www.skyscript.co.uk/raphael.html

The Mme. Lenormand whom our 36-card deck is named after is Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand.

Your book does look like a fascinating compendium of 19th century playing-card methods, though, thanks for posting those pages!

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Thanks for correcting me, I will correct my main post. see sorry this what the stroke has done to me I have loss of memory, I forget many things, I can't believe I forgot Marie Anne Adelaide name, wow. that's bad. I apologize.

your welcome, I am glad that this thread will still be of some good use.

ETA: thanks for the link reading it now.

La Force

Don't worry, it's an easy mistake to make.

Lee said:

Don't worry, it's an easy mistake to make.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm sitting here with tears running down my face, cause of loss of memory. saying to myself "I forgot her name, I forgot her name". what will I forget next. it's disheartening.

I read this in the link you posted Lee

In 1822 Smith and Graham collaborated on writing The Philosophical Merlin "the translation of a script formerly in the possession of Napoleon Bonaparte". It was dedicated to the "Famous and Renowned Mademoiselle Le Normand". Mlle Le Normand was a famous Parisian Tarot reader, but there is no record of her having any connection with Smith.

Click to expand...

There may have been a link and maybe this book I have might be the connection, read page 3 that I have posted in main post. here I'll re attach it.

This to me raises some interest. maybe you could explain. The Fortune Telling by Cards spread is the French version. There are some other interesting spreads in the book as well. so where did he get these spreads and from whom? The to take the name Victorine Le Normand....?????? Now doesn't page 3 sound Like Marie Ann Lenormand. "The Emperor Napoleon" ??????

ETA: I have just attached the Title page take a look

what your take

I have several problems with the idea that Mlle. Lenormand was somehow connected with or involved in the book you have.

1) Smith got her name wrong, if he was referring to Mlle. Lenormand.

2) Smith got her marital status wrong (she was a Madamoiselle, not a Madame), if he was referring to Mlle. Lenormand.

3) The article on the Skyscript article (Skyscript is a very reputable site) says there's no record of any connection between Smith and Mlle. Lenormand.

4) In the page you posted, "Victorine" refers to Napoleon as her "patron," who consults her for advice. But from what I've read about Mlle. Lenormand, it was his wife, the Empress Josephine, who was Mlle. Lenormand's client, while Napoleon disapproved of her.

My own guess is that Smith tried to exploit Mlle. Lenormand's name by dedicating one book to her and using her name (with a different first name) as a pseudonym to write another.

Just because he wrote a book containing playing card methods doesn't mean that he had to have gotten them from Mlle. Lenormand. I'm sure there were other books he might have gotten them from, as well as people he knew who might have read cards.

However, I'm not a historian, so I could certainly be wrong.