In 1000 pieces! The History of Puzzles

Puzzles have been a part of many people's lives for a very long time. The exhibition In 1000 pieces ! The History of Puzzles, offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of these challenging, solving games played by people of all ages.

The origin of puzzles dates back to 1760 when the English cartographer and engraver John Spilsbury had the idea of ​​cutting out maps illustrating different countries of the world to allow learning geography in a fun way. The word "puzzle" which generally designates an enigma or a brain teaser then entered into usage and the first puzzles were made with a thin wooden board on which an image is painted.

From the 20th century, an evolution is observed in the sense that the elements of the puzzle which, until then were juxtaposed, are now nestable. In addition, production is becoming industrialized, so that production costs are falling. From then on, mass production began and allowed the puzzle to be distributed on a large scale.

This exhibition, whose theme is perfectly suited to the holiday season, presents some thirty puzzles from different periods, from the end of the 19th century to the second half of the 20th century, exclusively from the Museum's collections.