Puzzle
1920s (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Puzzles of all types were produced in abundance during the 1920s when they proved particularly popular. This example is a version of a positional puzzle where squares have to be moved around within a confined area and put into order. Numerical and alphabetical ones are the most common of this type but there were also examples that used pictures and people. These hark back to the nineteenth century fascination with misfit cards where one could put people or characters together from a sequence of picture cards, or make up one's own versions by mixing up the cards.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Punched metal |
| Brief description | Metal positional puzzle made in France for Hamley Brothers Ltd in the 1920s |
| Physical description | Silvery metal positional puzzle in the shape of a matchbook. The back is incised with bands of parallel lines and the front with geometric square shapes in a step pattern. On the front within an oval is the name Hamley Bros Ltd London in capital letters. The lid is clipped shut at the bottom edge and when opened reveals a shallow interior divided into sixteen plain metal squares. Fifteen of these are filled with metal pieces numbered 1-15. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs A Casey |
| Object history | The puzzle has been passed down through the donor's family. Her mother was born in France in 1920 and brought up in England. She spent her summers with her mother's family in France and so the puzzle could have been acquired in either country. |
| Summary | Puzzles of all types were produced in abundance during the 1920s when they proved particularly popular. This example is a version of a positional puzzle where squares have to be moved around within a confined area and put into order. Numerical and alphabetical ones are the most common of this type but there were also examples that used pictures and people. These hark back to the nineteenth century fascination with misfit cards where one could put people or characters together from a sequence of picture cards, or make up one's own versions by mixing up the cards. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.261-2012 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 31, 2013 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
