Some people collect because of the enthusiasm that an article and its derivatives arouse in them. From numismatics, postcards, stickers, models or cameras to an endless number of fields. In 2023 Holy Cards generated a need that transcended avid collectors or followers of Easter. And a similar phenomenon began to take shape a few months ago: a unique deck of cards of illustrious Sevillanas that, we anticipate, you will want to have in your possession.
The person responsible for creating this special anthology is Juanpe Biedma, a pharmacist from Seville who lives in Gijón and is a fan of illustration. It is a deck of cards with a selection of 45 women “who I consider to have been crucial to the history of Seville. Well silenced or forgotten or without having been given a deserved recognition in life.
The idea of making a compilation of women and extolling their historical contribution was not conceived until the end of the summer of 2024.
A lengthy process of documentation, evaluation and screening of profiles, “deciding on different professions or women who had been silenced or persecuted or who had suffered some grievance in the past”.
What sevillanas does this deck of cards include?
The collection includes the writer Cecilia Böhl de Faber, who was forced to sign her name as Fernán Caballero, the celebrated sculptor Luisa Roldán, Estrellita Castro, Guiomar or Olga Carmona, among many others.
As for their appearance, the letters have an illustration of each woman. Biedma made sketches based on photographs, paintings or historical drawings so that, in the result, they would be “merely recognizable”.
One of the great difficulties of the creation process was the complexity of finding visual references of the most ancient personalities.
On the back of the card there is a brief description of the life, work and contribution of each one of them as well as some curious information, awards or recognitions to them in some square or street of the city.
The details are meticulously taken care of. The typography, emulating the letters of the Sevillian street directory The reverse side, like a small commemorative plaque, vegetal elements and a very Sevillian motif: oranges and orange blossom.
Juanpe Biedma does not rule out incorporating many other Sevillian women in a second deck with more contemporary professions, saetas singers or television personalities.
How to get Juanpe Biedma’s cards
Collecting is not a rarity and it is logical to ask how to acquire this little jewel.
Juanpe Biedma urges those interested and interested to have a little patience, as this is an improvised and personal project that he manages from his Instagram profile.
It is through his account where you can contact him and consult price and approximate delivery times.
“All of them have behind them a story of overcoming, of courage, of courage, of putting their grain of sand for the enjoyment of all Seville, of transcending into eternity,” he highlights in his profile.
Biedma materializes in this initiative, a gesture of love for craftsmanship, also a significant commitment to preserve and enhance the legacy of these women.