Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by JigsawPuzzleGuru
It is safe to say that most people have tried at least one jigsaw puzzle in their lifetime. At this point, most people even take the existence of the jigsaw puzzle for granted. However, the history of jigsaw puzzles is an interesting journey. This article helps to piece together the history of the jigsaw puzzle from the inside out. (Of course, this isn’t a great jigsaw puzzle strategy, but it is a good way to explain its history!)
Table of Contents
The First Piece
The origins of the jigsaw puzzle get credited to John Spilsbury. In 1767, Spilsbury, an engraver and mapmaker, wanted to help the local schoolchildren practice geography. So, he transferred one of his master maps onto wood and cut it around the countries.
After Spilsbury gave it to the local school, and ever since that time, the jigsaw puzzle has fit perfectly into the growing genre of educational toys.
Outlining the Jigsaw Puzzle Legacy
After Spilsbury gave the initial jigsaw puzzle to a school, many other mapmakers and engravers did the same thing, and it didn’t take long for different types of jigsaws to get created.
Since the jigsaw puzzle works the mind while focusing it on a particular size and location delineation, it is a wonderful tool for both education and play.
Between 1900 and 1908, the puzzle industry started to come up with puzzle designs for adults. Throughout this period, the school of thought changed for adults: What the adults once regarded as a strictly childish plaything became an adult hobby.
It even came to the point where people were skipping meals to finish puzzles, as adults realized that they were a challenge of the highest caliber.
Due to the capabilities of puzzle-making at the time, puzzle makers cut pieces directly on color lines. There were no transition pieces, meaning if you didn’t know what the puzzle was supposed to look like, it could take you a while to figure out that the color scheme for the piece was wrong.
Yet, this challenge only made puzzling more fun.
Filling in the Last Two and a Half Centuries
Throughout the last 260 years, jigsaw puzzles have evolved into a serious hobby for all ages in addition to education, play, and relaxation.
Now, puzzle enthusiasts can find nearly any type of jigsaw puzzle to fit their hobby. There are puzzles of maps, of course, but there are also puzzles with gorgeous pictures of animals, landscapes, historic structures, and even superheroes.
Puzzling has become such an accomplishment for some people that they save their puzzles and display them in their homes.
In summation, the jigsaw puzzle has an intriguing history that starts with a love of learning and continues to challenge the minds of puzzle enthusiasts to this day.