The Multiplication Table in Rhyme, Part 1

Physical description

Design: hand coloured lithographs and letterpress

Place of Origin

England, Great Britain (published)

Date

ca. 1850 (published)

Artist/maker

John Betts (publisher)

Materials and Techniques

Hand coloured card

Dimensions

Length: 16.5 cm box, Width: 10.2 cm box, Height: 3.8 cm box

Object history note

Arithmetic and music could be taught using cards. It is difficult not to wonder, however, if children really found these games as exciting, amusing or fun as their publishers claimed. Most, but not all, are very pictorial and perhaps parents preferred to buy these card games rather than games which were non educational.
The aim is to collect the two halves - eg. on card shows children in a carriage with 5 TIMES 7/ WE'RE GOING SUCH and the second card has a pony with ARE 35./ A PLEASANT DRIVE. Not exactly a good sentence!
John Betts was at the address from 1845 to 1874.

Games & Puzzles, CGG, 1991

Historical context note

Rewards: ?
Forfeits: ?
No. of Players: any
Equipment required: 96 cards, each showing one half of an illustration and one half of a caption
wooden box with sliding lid which has a lithographed pictorial label

Descriptive line

Boxed educational game, The Multiplication Table in Rhyme, published in England by John Betts about 1850

Categories

Children & Childhood; Games; Education & Learning

Collection code

MoC