The History Of Puzzles

As early as 1760, this popular and beneficial form of entertainment appeared almost simultaneously in France and Britain. Glue a picture to cardboard and cut it into small irregular pieces. Initially the pictures were educational, either accompanied by short texts suitable for young people to read, or to teach history or geography to the emerging bourgeoisie.

In 1762, during the reign of Louis XV in France, a salesman named Dima began to sell map puzzles with small success. This kind of map puzzle, which requires rearranging the pieces, is a very elegant recreation. That same year, in London, a printer named John Spearsbury came up with a similar idea, inventing the enduring puzzle. With the utmost ingenuity, he glued a map of England to the back of a thin dining table, then cut the map precisely into small pieces along the edges of the counties. The idea could lead to huge fortunes, but poor Spearsbury didn't get it, he lived to be 29 years old and didn't see the huge success of jigsaw puzzles. The real significance of his success was that he opened two important markets for his inventions: the burgeoning middle-class consumers hungry for knowledge and status, and the harsh British schools of his time.

Spearsbury lived in a time when the ability to read maps was a symbol of a gentleman. The jigsaw craze has been pushed to its peak by the Grand Touring event, a gigantic event detailing an entire Europe. From this perspective, jigsaw puzzles are the use of puzzle pieces to seriously study the geography of the whole of Europe - countries, principalities, counties, cities, towns, rivers and so on. Knowing maps back then was as proud as having your own homepage now.

Of course, not everyone is adamant about puzzles. Contrarians and social critics alike mock the rich for being boring enough to do nothing but spread a pile of cardboard scraps on the table. More than a decade later, puzzle makers began to incorporate historical themes into their puzzles. In 1787, an Englishman named William Dutton made a jigsaw puzzle of portraits of the kings of England, from William the Conqueror to George III. Education and memory are also part of the entertainment, because to successfully arrange all the pieces, you must know the correct order of these kings. However, at that time, jigsaw puzzles were only a game of rich people, and they were not yet popular. Hand-painting, hand-coloring, hand-cutting make puzzles very expensive, equivalent to a month's salary for an average worker.

1789 saw the French Revolution usher in modern Europe, and saw the birth of the modern puzzle in the hands of John Wallis. This imaginative Briton invented brightly colored landscape puzzles. New puzzles require more focus and patience to put together. The new puzzle heralds the end of the era of exquisitely crafted, but expensive, Spearsbury puzzles. Wallis' reproduction techniques soon made his new puzzle a model for a developing trade based on his original printing plate.

By the early 19th century, new industrial techniques for mass production gave puzzles a definite form. Previously bulky and bulky puzzles consisted of smooth-edged arrangements of pieces that could be pulled apart by the slightest vibration. Around 1840, German and French puzzle makers cut puzzle pieces with interlocking snapping machines, a form familiar to modern puzzle fans. They replaced hardwood veneers with softwoods, plywood and cardboard, reducing costs considerably. Finally, the low-priced puzzles were accepted by consumers of all walks of life, and soon set off a puzzle frenzy among children, adults and the elderly.

Puzzles quickly became a well-established, mass-market entertainment product that consumers could buy anywhere. Puzzles are used at this time not only for education and entertainment, but also for commercials and political propaganda. The First World War (1914-1918) is a good example. Inexpensive jigsaw puzzles featuring brave warriors desperately fighting for king and country, were popular on both sides of the war and sold well. Jigsaw puzzles have become a way to get closer to people's inner world, into their homes, and to spread information. Puzzles and newspapers, radio, and soon the first generation of television became a simple and direct form of mass media. Should people be encouraged to travel by train? Many puzzles showing majestic trains and happy tourists appeared. Every new invention and trend—steamboats, planes, automobiles, and the latest and most daring women's swimsuits—has appeared on the puzzle.

After the world economic crisis in 1929, the Great Depression that swept North America was the peak period of the unfailing popularity of jigsaw puzzles. Head down to the nearest newsstand for just 25 cents for a 300-piece puzzle, and you can forget about your hard life and indulge in dreams of piecing together a happy day. The rich and famous are also indulging in this frenzy. In New York, two out-of-work salesmen, John Henry and Frank Ware, made a fortune with original Spearsbury puzzle designs. What is their secret? High-quality reproduction of excellent splints. Henry and Ware soon established ties with the Astors, the Vanderbilts, Bing Crosby and Marilyn Monroe, and business was booming.