Yale Center for British Art

Title:

The fashionable Chinese puzzle.

Alternate Title(s):

Chinese puzzle

Published / Created:

[England?] : [publisher not identified], [between 1840 and 1850?]

Physical Description:

4 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm

Holdings:

Rare Books and Manuscripts
GV1507.T3 F37 1840 Flat
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund

Copyright Status:

Classification:

Three-Dimensional Artifacts

Notes:

Cover title.

Booklet consists of 50 numbered geometrical shapes for the user to construct from the 7 puzzle pieces. Solutions are given to the first 12 puzzles.

The wooden box, containing 7 wooden puzzle pieces, has sliding lid with printed label: The Chinese puzzle.

A volume with this title and cover illustration was first published by J. & E. Wallis in 1817. It included 323 tangram problems. "After the Tangram craze of 1817-1818, about twenty years passed before additional Tangram books were published. In the period 1840-1850, small booklets containing 50 to 100 problems were frequently sold with boxed Tangram pieces as a set. The Tangram books by A. & S. Joseph Myers, John Passmore and most others copied all of their problems from the earlier books ..."--Slocum. The present publication appears to belong to this later period.

Slocum, J. Tangram book, p. 70-74

BAC: British Art Center copy bound in publisher's original printed paper wrappers. Puzzle in original wooden box, with printed label on box-top.

Subject Terms:

Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century. | Amusements -- Great Britain -- 19th century.

Form/Genre:

Puzzles. | Tangrams. | Games -- Great Britain. | Recreations -- Great Britain. | Lithographs -- 1840-1850.

Contributors:

J. & E. Wallis.