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AUGUSTA — The Kennebec Historial Society will explore “Jigsaw Puzzles, A Short History,” at its June presentation.
Presenter Anne Williams, will cover the earliest puzzles and some 19th century examples. Her discussion of post-1900 puzzles will focus on Maine puzzle makers.
The event is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted.
The presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 20, at the Maine State Library, which is a cosponsor. The library is at 230 State St.
Jigsaw puzzles originated in Europe in the mid-1700s in the form of “dissected maps” to teach geography to young children. American production began around 1815 for children’s puzzles, and almost one hundred years later for puzzles that would interest adults. During the early 1930s there was a year-long craze for jigsaw puzzles. Large and small companies, including many in Maine, worked at that time to satisfy the huge demand for hand-cut wooden puzzles. After World War II, die-cut cardboard puzzles replaced the more expensive wooden ones.
Today only a handful of companies continue to make hand-cut wooden puzzles, one example being Elms Puzzles of Harrison, Maine.
Williams has been fascinated by jigsaw puzzles since early childhood and has collected seriously since the late 1970s. While teaching at Bates College and the University of Pennsylvania, she authored two books, several exhibition catalogs, and many articles on jigsaw puzzle history. In 2014, the Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y., acquired 7,500 of her puzzles and related research materials for its permanent collection.
