Not currently on display at the V&A

View of the Building in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition, 1851

Dissected Puzzle
1851 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Dissected puzzles were the forerunners of jigsaws. They were very simply made by placing a picture on a piece of wood and cutting it into shapes. Some pieces might interlock, but most of the puzzle was just pushed into place. This meant that it would not stay in one piece very easily. To solve this, the outer edges of some puzzles, like this example, had long interlocking pieces that would hold the whole puzzle together.

The Great Exhibition of 1851 provided the inspiration for many games and puzzles. This one is unusual in that the picture on the puzzle is different to the one on its box. The subject matter is the same, but the publisher is different.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleView of the Building in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition, 1851 (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Hand-coloured aquatint on wood
Brief description
Hand coloured dissected puzzle with a view of the Great Exhibition building published in England by C Berger in 1851
Physical description
Design: aquatint, hand coloured; lid has a varnished coloured engraving as the label
Dimensions
  • Height: 20.5cm
  • Width: 51.4cm
  • Box height: 21.5cm
  • Box width: 18.5cm
  • Box depth: 5cm
Object history
The puzzle, although the same view as the lid, is by a different person and is a different picture. It gives the details in English and French at the bottom
Historical context
No. of Players: any
Production
Engraving on box lid published by C.& E Layton, Fleet Street
Summary
Dissected puzzles were the forerunners of jigsaws. They were very simply made by placing a picture on a piece of wood and cutting it into shapes. Some pieces might interlock, but most of the puzzle was just pushed into place. This meant that it would not stay in one piece very easily. To solve this, the outer edges of some puzzles, like this example, had long interlocking pieces that would hold the whole puzzle together.

The Great Exhibition of 1851 provided the inspiration for many games and puzzles. This one is unusual in that the picture on the puzzle is different to the one on its box. The subject matter is the same, but the publisher is different.
Collection
Accession number
E.997-1936

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Record createdMarch 5, 2000
Record URL
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