The Good Old Game of Corner Grocery
Classification:
Date:
ca. 1887
Medium:
Cardboard, paper
Dimensions:
box: 1 x 6 7/8 x 5 3/8 in. ( 2.5 x 17.5 x 13.7 cm )
Description:
Card game consisting of 38 cards, with 6 different illustrations (delivery cart, storefront, inside of store, basket of groceries, children standing in front of counter manned by storekeeper, and woman and child in front of cashier's window) with name, amount, and price of food printed underneath; 107 round cardboard tokens, pink on reverse, with values printed on obverse in cardboard box covered in paper with maroon vine and blue flowers; 93 slips of brown and white paper, with values written in pencil; instruction booklet; in cardboard box covered in red paper with cover illustration (in various colors) of storekeeper behind counter and 3 men sitting around pot-bellied stove.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.2
Marks:
printed: sample captions on cards: "1 POUND/OOLONG TEA/50 CENTS"; "1 PACKAGE/MACARONI/15 CENTS"; "1 PACKAGE/GELATINE/15 CENTS"
printed: sample phrases on pink game pieces: "10/CENTS"; "1/CENT"; "25/CENTS"; written in pencil on makeshift game pieces: "$1.
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1887
eMuseum Object ID:
25839
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
Game of the Telegraph Boy or Merit Rewarded
Classification:
Highlight:
Not promoted
Date:
ca. 1888
Medium:
Wood, cardboard, metal, paper
Dimensions:
board (open): 16.3 x 17 cm (6 3/8 x 6 11/16 in.)
Description:
Board game consisting of square board (folded in two), cardboard base with metal spinner in lower right corner, and metal figure (in blue uniform, running) mounted on round base; board with octagonal red playing area with yellow path with arrows leading to center, marked "PRESIDENT"; boxes marked with instructions and each position, as player progresses to top; on box, cover illustration divided into three sections: telegraph machine with paper spilling out of basket, boy in blue uniform running out of office, and boy presenting envelope to man seated at desk.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.23
Marks:
lithographed: on lid: "GAME/OF THE/TELEGRAPH/BOY/OR/MERIT/REWARDED"
lithographed: on lid, bottom left corner: "Copyrighted 1888 by MCLOUGHLIN BRO'S/NEW YORK"
printed: on board, top: "GAME OF THE TELEGRAPH BOY"
printed: on board, bottom: "copyrighted-18
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1888
eMuseum Object ID:
25798
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
The Amusing Game of Innocence Abroad
Classification:
Date:
ca. 1888
Medium:
Cardboard, paper
Dimensions:
board (open): 18 3/4 x 19 in. (47.6 x 48.3 cm)
Description:
Gameboard (folded in two) covered in red lacquered paper, with illustration consisting of map in various colors and set of boxes at top left with various items, prices, and instructions before starting on trip; map extends from depot at top of board to city depot at bottom right corner, with town at top; houses and geographical features drawn.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.8
Marks:
lithographed: on board, top: "Innocence/Abroad"
lithographed: on board, lower left corner: "Published by/PARKER BROS./Salem, Mass."
lithographed: on board, bottom: "COPYRIGHTED 1888. [inside cartouche]"
embossed: on label on outside of board: "The Amus
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1888
eMuseum Object ID:
25794
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
Game of Steeplechase
Classification:
Date:
1880-1920
Medium:
Wood, cardboard, paper, metal
Dimensions:
box: 1 1/2 x 17 x 8 3/4 in. ( 3.8 x 43.2 x 22.2 cm )
Description:
Board game consisting of board, spinner with numbers marked, and four wooden game pieces, painted blue, turquoise, and red; square board (folded in two) with race-course indicated by spiral bordered by red fence, on green pastoral background with spaces indicated by lines and elaborate grandstand at center; cardboard box with cover illustration of four riders in pack, jumping their horses over hedge, in front of background of fields and trees; sides of box decorated with repeating scenes of riders jumping horses over obstacles in pastoral landscape.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.21
Marks:
lithographed: on box lid, top: "GAME OF STEEPLE CHASE"
lithographed: on box lid, bottom left corner: "4902/MADE IN U.S.A."
lithographed: on box lid, bottom right corner: "MILTON BRADLEY CO. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. U.S.A."
printed: on inside of box lid: "490
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1920
eMuseum Object ID:
25793
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
Peter Coddle's Trip
Classification:
Date:
ca. 1905
Medium:
Cardboard, paper
Dimensions:
box: 1 x 7 5/8 x 6 1/4 in. ( 2.5 x 19.4 x 15.9 cm )
Description:
Cardboard box covered in red paper (with red tape at corners), with cover illustration of man with white hair and beard kneeling over track in front of moving trolley car; man dressed in brown jacket, white shirt, red tie, and yellow pants, with straw hat, grasping green umbrella; blue carpetbag at bottom right corner; gold frame with green flowers; inside, 190 slips of orange, red, brown, gray, and yellow cardboard with short phrases printed on one side; orange booklet.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.12
Marks:
printed: sample phrases on cards: "A railway timetable."; "A cork-screw."; "Yankee Doodle."; "A string of onions."
lithographed: on cover, top: "PETER/CODDLE'S/TRIP."
lithographed: on cover, bottom right corner, on carpetbag: "P.C."
lithographed: on co
Gallery Label:
The game of "Peter Coddle" in all its various editions was the most popular reading game of the 1880s and 1890s. The game was based around the story of a country boy's misadventures in New York City. Parker Brothers and the other major game manufacturers produced many variations, all neatly packaged in attractive boxes that were usually much larger than their contents required.
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1905
eMuseum Object ID:
25748
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
Game of Dr. Busby
Classification:
Date:
1900-1930
Medium:
Cardboard, paper
Dimensions:
box: 1 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/8 in. ( 2.5 x 13 x 10.5 cm )
Description:
Card game consisting of 20 playing cards in cardboard box; cardboard box covered in dark red paper with cover illustration of man in orange hat and green trench coat, standing behind raised counter and holding silvery jug out to crowd of people, with red banner flying above; each playing card with a cartoon-like picture and caption (in various colors); each "family" has an identifying motif marked on the upper left corner of the card: melon, bull's horn, fish, mortar and pestle, and corn.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.6
Marks:
lithographed: on box lid, top: "GAME OF/DR. BUSBY/PLAY CUCKOO FOR FUN"
lithographed: on box lid, bottom: "PUBLISHED BY J.H. SINGER, N.Y."
printed: captions at the bottom of each card: e.g. "CAESAR MELON, Dr. Busby's Coachman."; "BULLY BOY, The Butcher's
Gallery Label:
The Game of Dr. Busby, an American version of the English Happy Families, was first devised by Anne W. Abbott, daughter of a clergyman in Beverly, MA and issued by the W.S.B. Ives Company of Salem, MA, in the 1840s. (See Publications)
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1930
eMuseum Object ID:
25746
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
The Improved Game of Fish Pond
Classification:
Date:
ca. 1890
Medium:
Wood, cardboard, metal, paper
Dimensions:
box: 2 3/8 x 18 1/2 x 12 5/8 in. ( 6 x 47 x 32.1 cm )
Description:
Wooden box covered in dark blue paper, with illustration on cover consisting of group of 3 men, 1 woman, and 2 children in sailing boat with white sail on wavy sea, holding fishing lines, with fish leaping out of sea, other boats to each side, and view of far shore; bottom of box decorated with scene of pond containing lily pads, frogs, and other reptiles, with 54 slits cut out in rows; 34 cardboard fish of various colors, with metal grommets to be caught by, and with their names printed on one side ("BASS", "SHAD") and numbers on the other; 4 wooden poles with string threaded through holes at end, with metal hooks at end of line; instructions printed on inside of cover.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.7
Marks:
lithographed: on cover: "THE/IMPROVED/GAME/OF/FISH/POND"
printed: on inside of cover: "NEW AND IMPROVED/FISH POND GAME/FROM 2 TO 6 PERSONS CAN PLAY/IMPLEMENTS: The Fish Pond, Six Poles, and Fifty-Four Fish./Numbered in Multiples of 3, as-3, 6, 9, 12, & c
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1890
eMuseum Object ID:
25702
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
Dominoes (28)
Classification:
Date:
1900-1920
Medium:
Wood
Dimensions:
box: 1 1/8 x 6 5/8 x 2 1/8 in. ( 2.9 x 16.8 x 5.4 cm )
Description:
28 wooden dominoes with dots printed on one side and advertisement printed on other; in wooden box with sliding lid, with advertisement printed on lid.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.5
Marks:
printed: on box lid: "PRESENTED BY/ROCHESTER SHOE STORE,/109 MAIN STREET, BRADFORD, PA."
printed: on dominoes, reverse: "ROCHESTER/SHOE STORE,/109 Main St.,/BRADFORD, PA."
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1920
eMuseum Object ID:
25701
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
Post Office Game
Classification:
Date:
ca. 1897
Medium:
Cardboard, paper
Dimensions:
board (open): 16 1/4 x 26 1/4 in. (41.3 x 66.7 cm)
Description:
Cardboard gameboard (folded in two) with outside covered in pink and cream colored paper with floral and paisley pattern; on playing surface, map of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn docks, extending from South Ferry to 23rd Street, from 6th Avenue to 1st Avenue; bird's eye view of buildings, ships, parks, etc.; playing spaces marked by circles along streets, with street names and places such as the aquarium, Fulton St. Ferry, subtreasury, and the 5th Ave. Hotel marked inside.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.16
Marks:
lithographed: on board, lower left corner: "PATENT APPLIED FOR. COPYRIGHT 1897 BY PARKER BROS., SALEM, MASS., U.S.A."
lithographed: on board: "POST OFFICE/GAME"
Gallery Label:
The Post Office Game conveys the dense cityscape and urban bustle of lower Manhattan, with players traveling along a gameboard reproducing the city's streets from the island's southern tip to 23rd Street.
Bibliography:
Hofer, Margaret K. "The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board & Table Games." New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1897
eMuseum Object ID:
25699
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
A New Dissected Map of the United States
Classification:
Highlight:
Not promoted
Date:
ca. 1887
Medium:
Wood, cardboard, paper
Dimensions:
box: 2 x 12 1/8 x 8 1/4 in. ( 5.1 x 30.8 x 21 cm )
Description:
Wooden box covered in blue paper with gold scrolled pattern; cardboard inside; cover illustration in various colors of woman seated on rock in pastoral setting, holding an open atlas on her lap; with representation of Native American standing next to her; woman dressed in white gown with blue drapery, other figure with feather headdress, bear claw necklace, and moccasins, holding bow; quiver of arrows lying on ground.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Object Number:
1992.12.3
Date Begin:
0
Date End:
1887
eMuseum Object ID:
25659
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.













