By Jeff Burns
Have
you ever wondered about the history of jigsaw puzzles? Me neither until recently. A retired teacher who substitutes at my
school recently stopped me in the hall and said, “I have a strange
question. My husband collects Great
Depression Era jigsaw puzzles and is looking to reduce the collection. We wondered if you would like some for your
classroom?” She obviously knew who to
ask. After all, I have written a
Histocrat blog and presented professional learning sessions titled “History
Teacher or Hoarder?”, and my classroom shelves are full of various objects
collected over the years.
I
said sure, and she started telling me the jigsaw story. While jigsaw puzzles were invented as
educational tools in the mid-1700s, they reached new heights of popularity
during the Great Depression. When the
housing market collapsed, some enterprising entrepreneurs in the building
supply company came up with the idea of printing images on their surplus board,
cutting it, and selling it. For 25 or 50
cents, a family could enjoy hours and hours of entertainment to take their
minds off of their economic hardships. The images were often escapist,
beautiful – sometimes magical - scenes
of cozy cottages or natural wonders that families wouldn’t necessarily see in
their neighborhoods, allowing them to see the world. Some of the pictures are very patriotic,
pieces of Americana. Many of the boxes
provide no picture at all, just a one-word description like “home”, meaning you
didn’t know what it was going to be until you were done. Puzzles also were given away as advertising
premiums.
To
make a long story short, she delivered several dozen puzzles to my room a few
days later. My plan is to use some with
small groups as we discuss the Depression.
Students can think about and discuss the imagery: why was this image chosen? How did it reflect the Great Depression? Why did it appeal to the customer who bought
it originally? What was the role of the jigsaw puzzle in family life during the
Depression? Compare and contrast to
family entertainment in other eras and today?
Want
to read more? Here’s a great introduction to the history of Jigsaws.
