Print, promotional jigsaw puzzle, issued by furniture manufacturers H. Morris & Co, Glasgow, 1950s.

This 80-piece jigsaw puzzle shows a 1950s domestic interior of a dining room with a table set for the first course. Two women in the picture are wearing two-piece dresses of the period, one in maroon and the other white with a black printed pattern. They are having a drink of sherry? before dinner.

The wooden furniture in the room is in the 1950s style, all in two contrasting woods and veneered. The table is set for four people and has cut glass plates and wine glasses. There are four round backed dining chairs, one against the wall, with brown, red and beige striped upholstered seats. There is also sideboard, on which stands a table lamp with yellow lampshade decorated with a red and white star motif and some pieces of crystal glass.

The walls are decorated with two different patterned wallpapers, one diamonds and the other checked in blue/grey colour scheme. There are two framed prints on the walls, one abstract and the other a Japanese scene. The French windows have curtains patterned with squares of different colours, or outlined, dotted and striped, in blue, red, pink, mauve and yellow. The carpet is dark blue-grey and in the bottom right corner is part of a dark red rug with abstract African style pattern in black.

One piece of the jigsaw is missing. This is a right-hand edge-piece, and would show part of the dark blue-grey carpet. The jigsaw comes in an envelope (E.550:1-2005).

Given by Stella Lancashire

Sent to clients as Christmas? promotional gift.

See Morris, Neil. Shavings for breakfast. 1987 for a history of the firm. Page [167] shows a similar dining room.

This jigsaw showing a 1950s dining room may have been a promotional gift sent to clients by furniture manufacturers H. Morris & Co. of Glasgow. The company manufactured wood furniture and supplied them to a range of different clients besides the domestic market, including ocean liners, hotels, cinemas and apartment complexes. They exhibited at the Festival of Britain in 1951.

The company furnished a number of large hotels during their 1920s, 30s and 50s refurbishments, including Gleneagles Hotel and the Mayfair, Grosvenor House and Strand Palace Hotels in London. As well as standard furniture the company also developed the Wurlitzer jukebox, and provided specialist furnishings for cinemas and first class interior panelling and furniture for a number of liners for Canadian Pacific Steamship and Cunard White Star ocean liner companies, famous names being the Queen Mary (1934), Queen Elizabeth (1938) and QE2 (1967).

E.550:2-2005