 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
This beautifully aged mahogany box contains a map puzzle and the handwritten label is dated May 7th, 1783.
Early English Jigsaw puzzles appeal to me. Owning a puzzle that is over one hundred or over two hundred years old is a special responsibility. I worry that I might irrevocably damage these puzzles by improper handling or storage. Except for simple cleaning, all restoration work that I do on these puzzles is 100% reversible. If some future owner was offended by a replacement piece, they could simply throw it away, the puzzle will then be in the same condition as when I received it. These puzzles are kept in a covered cabinet to keep them out of the light and to slow changes to temperature and humidity.
I had a hard time deciding how to organize and present these puzzles. I finally decided to present them on separate pages by manufacturer. It is a trade-off between lots of small images (and lots of mouse-clicks) and pages that take too long to load.
The source of information on all of the English puzzles in the following links is: 10% came from visual inspection, 90% came from Linda Hannas' book. See the library for information. Darton, Wallis, Betts, Barfoot and Spooner comprised a good portion of the puzzles manufactured during the first one hundred years following John Spilsbury's invention of "dissections".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
