Opens July 13
Explore the history of jigsaw puzzles—from their origins as sawn-apart maps in the 1700s through the modern day—at Jigsaw Puzzles: Order from Chaos, located across from the Sesame Street exhibit on the museum’s first floor.
The display features hand-cut and mass-produced cardboard and wooden jigsaw puzzles partly drawn from the former collection of Anne D. Williams; hand-made puzzles from the Puzzle Parley exchange, in which puzzle cutters make many identical puzzles to share with the other cutters; and other interesting and unusual puzzles from the museum’s collection:
- Learn how traditional jigsaw puzzles were hand-cut in the 1930s and 1940s and view a Parker Pastime jigsaw puzzle example.
- See how technology changed the puzzle creation process and examine a coping saw, toy jigsaw, and scroll saw.
- Learn about the first Puzzle Parley—an event for puzzle cutters to socialize and share their work—and see some puzzles donated to The Strong.
- See more modern puzzles, such as Star Wars: Trapped in the Trash Compactor (1977), Sponge Bob Square Pants (2004), and Niagara Falls (2006).
Jigsaw Puzzles: Order from Chaos remains on view through December 2.