Helene Valentine Athene Loring
This card design patent appeared in the April 2022 issue of "Card Culture" magazine from the 52 Plus Joker Play Card Collector Club. It was a patent for a patriotic deck by a lady from Chicago. Part of the article said "In 1920, Chicago resident Helene Valentine Athene Loring patented her idea for a deck of Military-themed fortune-telling playing cards. Yet, her personal life remains somewhat of a mystery."
"Personal life remains somewhat a mystery" sounded like a challenge to me. Surely I could solve this mystery. Challenge accepted.
Helene, better known as Helen, or Helen V., first pops up in Chicago in 1913. She filed a patent in March that was accepted in February 1914. It was for a new hinge, to be used mainly for a woman's dressing case. Her Chicago patent attorney was John Robert Higgins Potts. His draftsman was Christopher E. Wessel. They would appear on all her patents.
Helen then patented this same idea in France and Germany.
After this idea was patented she filed for more in 1914. This time it was for two dressing case ideas. It took two years to be accepted for a patent.
And then she follows this idea with a new shoulder brace design. After it is patented in 1916 she has it patented in England, France, Germany and Australia.
In the 1915 Chicago City Directory she appears as living at 4347 Oakenwald in South Chicago near Lake Michigan. Living with her is a Dorothy Loring that appears to be a sister.
In 1916 Helen has an idea that appears in a newspaper column across the country. The article is called "Strange Facts of Science From Many Lands". She proposes a man's cap with a pocket under the flap to hide valuables from would be thieves.
In 1918 she starts off with a new nail buffer idea for women. This one will take five years to be accepted as a new idea by the patent office.
Then in July she sends 3 new playing card designs to the patent office. The patent for the first two state they are card designs and not a card game. They only take 3 months to be accepted.
But, the patent for a new suit for playing cards does state it is for a card game.
Interestingly the month before Helen files her design James Gaffney of Seattle filed a similar design. You can read about his deck by clicking on the button below..,,
By 1919 Helen is now actively involved in the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief which was formed in 1915 as a humanitarian response to the Armenian genocide and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. As World War I developed, the group began to offer food and shelter to displaced people in Syria, Persia (now Iran), and Greece. The American Committee for Relief in the Near East’s posters often used the image of a child, or a young woman, to appeal to passers-by.
Throughout the war, Americans also donated to relief campaigns for Belgian and French children, and the image of hungry young people and frightened mothers came to symbolize the plight of civilians caught up in the war. In all, Americans donated $117 million to the organization’s Near East relief efforts between 1915 and 1930.
Helen worked for Mrs. George J Aste in fundraising booths in downtown department stores. Mrs. Aste was an avid fundraiser for Chicago organizations. Her husband was a well known doctor in the county psychopathic hospitals.
Helen makes the newspapers again in January 1919 when she is robbed of her purse on the way home from a fundraiser in January. The robber only got her cold cream and some relief buttons. Helen had $51 ($847 today) she had collected in a box under her right arm he failed to grab. Her home address is given as 4557 Oakenwald Avenue, just 2 blocks down the street from her 1915 address.
That month she also copyrighted a song called "Patriotic Emblems". But, she also returns to her playing card idea. In December she adds another playing card patent,
In 1919 Helen had taken her playing card idea to the Standard Playing Card in Chicago to be produced. On the box it actually has her address; 4557 Oakenwald Avenue. The same address when she was robbed.
The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards lists this deck as;
NS7 Military Fortune Tellers
H. V. Loring, Chicago, IL. 1918.
The new suit signs feature Doves and Bells in the blue suits and Stars and Hearts in the red suits. Soldiers, Nurses and Sailors replace the kings, queens and jacks, and Aviatrixes the aces.
Standard Playing Card Company 56 cards
Notice that the chorus of Helen's patriotic song appears on the box.
In 1920 Helen is not living on Oakenwald Avenue. I could not find her anywhere in Chicago. But there is a Loring listed 2 houses away. His name is shown as Loring, L. Austin according to the census taker. Finally a possible clue to Helen. Unfortunately, after several hours of researching it turned out to be a mistake. The name was actually meant to be Loring L. Austin and should have been listed as Austin, Loring L..
In 1923 Helen reappears in Chicago living at 4927 Lake Park Avenue (Now covered by the Kenwood high school football field) just a few blocks from her former address on Oakenwald. Her possible sister Dorothy is listed as a saleslady at Jennie Cotton's Women’s Wear Company. Strangely Helen has no occupation listed. And this is the last time I find Helen or Dorothy anywhere in the world.
In 1923 Helen reappears in Chicago living at 4927 Lake Park Avenue (Now covered by the Kenwood high school football field) just a few blocks from her former address on Oakenwald. Her possible sister Dorothy is listed as a saleslady at Jennie Cotton's Women’s Wear Company. Strangely Helen has no occupation listed. And this is the last time I find Helen or Dorothy anywhere in the world.
There were well known Lorings in Chicago before Helene appeared there. Helen Dyer Loring had a well know school for girls there for years. She had two daughters that taught there. The history of this Loring family is found in a very voluminous Loring family history book. Unfortunately, neither our Helen/Helene or Dorothy appears in the book. But a very interesting thing is the school was at 4600 Ellis Avenue. That was only 5 blocks from Helen's Oakenwald address.