History

The engraver and cartographer John Spilsbury, of London, is believed to have produced the first jigsaw puzzle around 1760, using a marquetry saw. Early jigsaws, known as dissections, were produced by mounting maps on sheets of hardwood and cutting along national boundaries, creating a puzzle useful for the teaching of geography. Such "dissected maps", were used to teach the children of King George III and Queen Charlotte by royal governess Lady Charlotte Finch.

The name "jigsaw" came to be associated with the puzzle around 1880 when fretsaws became the tool of choice for cutting the shapes. Since fretsaws are distinct from jigsaws, the name appears to be a misnomer. Cardboard jigsaw puzzles appeared during the late 1800s, but were slow to replace the wooden jigsaw due to the manufacturer's belief that cardboard puzzles would be perceived as being of low quality, and the fact that profit margins on wooden jigsaws were larger.

Jigsaw puzzles soared in popularity during the great depression, as they provided a cheap, long-lasting, recyclable form of entertainment. It was around this time that jigsaws evolved to become more complex and more appealing to adults. They were also given away in product promotions, and used in advertising, with customers completing an image of the product being promoted. Sales of wooden jigsaw puzzles fell after World War II as improved wages led to price increases, while at the same time improvements in manufacturing processes made cardboard jigsaws more attractive.
-source Wikipedia

About unitpuzzles.com

This official U-NIT Puzzles website and the information contained within is a compilation of memories, input from family and documentation in our possession and is presented with the intention to provide historical information. In the interest of compiling as much information about U-NIT puzzles we invite any puzzle aficionado, historian or collector to contact us with any information, photos or statistics you would like to share. Thank you for visiting!

Puzzling Websites

There are many collectors of puzzles of all kinds including wooden jigsaw puzzles. One thing you will discover in the links below is that there are many modern day puzzle makers still creating beautiful and sometimes extraordinarily creative puzzles.

• Wikipedia - Jigsaw Puzzles
• Association of Game and Puzzle Collectors
• The American Jigsaw Puzzle Society
• Puzzle History
• Bob Armstrong's Old Jigsaw Puzzles
• Conrad Armstrong's Artistic Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles
• MGC's Custom Made Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles & Fine Art Gallery
• Par Puzzles
• Susan Marcell's Collection of wooden jigsaw
• My Firkin Antiques & Collectibles
• Stave Puzzles
• Liberty Puzzles
• ELMS Puzzles
• Artifact Puzzles
• Puzzle House
• Platinum Puzzles
• Bogarts Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles
• Thingamajigsaw
• Vintage Machinary
• Old Wood Working Machines