Face card

After the American innovation of corner-indices, the idea of "pictured" cards from tarot trumps was used to replace all 52 cards from the standard deck with pictures, art, or photography in some souvenir packs featuring a wide variety of subjects (animals, scenery, cartoons, pin-ups, vehicles, etc.)

By contrast, German-suited packs typically depict an officer or overlord, known as the Ober, and a sergeant or peasant known as the Unter.

[4] It is possible that the Topkapı deck, a custom made luxury item used for display, does not represent the cards played by commoners.

The marshals correspond to the Ober and Unter ranks in modern-day German and Swiss playing cards.

[6] In Italy and Spain, the Unter and Ober were replaced by the standing Knave and the mounted Knight before 1390, perhaps to make them more visually distinguishable.

The Cary-Yale deck had the most court cards with six ranks: king, queen, knight, mounted lady, knave, and damsel or maid for a total of 24.

It is unlikely that the Cary-Yale deck was designed for a game in mind as it was an expensive wedding gift and was probably never played.

Modern kabufuda is able to utilize a double-headed design influenced by western cards since the ban is no longer in effect.

Half the deck is called yomifuda ("reading cards") and often feature a portrait of the poet who wrote it.

[8] The pack developed into having an ace and four court cards (Shah (شاه, King), Bibi (بی‌بی, Lady), Serbaz (سرباز, Soldier), and Lakat (لکات, Dancer)) per suit.

Some patterns resisted the innovation, most notably Spanish-suited decks where full figured courts remain dominant.

A 'picture card' that is not a 'face card.'
Persian Ganjifeh courts with an ace
King, Ober, and Under of Acorns from a Swiss deck (1880)
Modern Kabufuda Jack
Emperor Tenji on a yomifuda
As-Nas cards
Face cards from the Tarot Nouveau