While the depiction of the Old Maid varies depending on the deck, it is nearly always a grandma-like figure. The image of the Old Maid on specialty decks moved from the Victorian bike rider to the troublesome caricatures of Silly Old Cat Woman and Knitting Fanatic over the twentieth century. While this may look totally normal now, it was offensive to suffocating Victorian decorum.
An 1890 deck, for instance, depicts an older woman wearing trousers and bike riding. Special decks of Old Maid were developed as early as the late 1800s, with inappropriate images of the titled figure on them. Historically, the game’s Old Maid has been portrayed as a negative person (the player who has the Old Maid loses the game after all).
Though the game’s original roots are uncertain, one probable explanation is that it is derived from ancient British drinking games. The card game Old Maid first appeared in the late 1800s. The term was initially used in England in the 18th century. A childless and unmarried spinster woman is referred to as an “Old Maid.” As a result, the Queen is the only card that remains unpaired.
