RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820

RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820

£275.00
£275.00
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RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
  • RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820
RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820

RARE 19th Century Tangram Puzzle Whitewood Tunbridge Ware A Worthing Gift C 1820

£275.00
£275.00

Item Description

This extremely rare TINY little boxed puzzle was produced in Georgian England, circa 1820. The sliding lid of the box features a faux rosewood effect finish with a central oval green printed label to the centre reading ‘A Worthing Gift.’

Tangram puzzles date back centuries and were Chinese in origin. The idea was to use the 7 wooden shapes to make up as many designs as possible. The first Tangram puzzle book was introduced to the USA in around 1811, this set of a craze (think Rubik's Cube and Sudoku). This craze then spread across Great Britain and Europe. The Tunbridge Wells craftsmen were used to producing tiny, good quality boxes from wood - making these puzzles would be an easy, lucrative proposition for them, which could be sold in every tourist destination by just changing the top paper label to the sliding lid.

The mild, equitable climate, gentle seas and wind sheltering hills made the small hamlet of Worthing in West Essex, England increase in popularity. In the mid 1700s it started to expand in to a seaside town destination. Visitors came to enjoy the quieter, flatter beaches and slower pace of life than other bordering resorts. However, the town's future changed in the year 1798 when King George III's daughter Princess Amelia came to take the waters to cure her bad knee. More Royal visitors attended her from nearby Brighton. The town now had Royal appeal with Queen Caroline visits, the Duke of Cumberland, the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. More, and more celebrities including Henry Dundas, Lord of the Admiralty visited giving the town's popularity a major boost. In fact an esplanade was built along the sea front between 1819 and 1821 so that those Georgian visitors could take the sea air in style while strolling and posing in all of their finery.

This is an extremely rare little item; it is remarkable this little puzzle has survived 200 years! This is the perfect piece for the early toy collector or Tunbridge Ware collector.

Measuring: Width 1 7/8 inch (5 cm) by height ¾ inch (2 cm).

Condition: Excellent. Lightest surface wear commensurate with age.

Item id:15445

Delivery & Shipping

UK Delivery: £9.75 - We ship all items carefully packaged via Royal Mail.

USA Delivery: £40 - Is our standard price for any item(s) that can be shipped in one parcel - We ship all items carefully packaged via Royal Mail who hand over to USPS once in the USA. For multi order purchases where the items are large and cannot fit in one parcel, we may need to invoice you separately to cover the increased postage costs. Please drop us an email/message for more information.

For any shipping queries before purchasing, please contact us via the 'contact us' page.

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