The Library of Congress Prints and Photos blog today features an 1890 game called Rambles Through Our Country – An Instructive Geographical Game for the Young. While it’s nice just to marvel at the chromolithograph printing of this colorful game, this item has research value for genealogists working on records from the United States in 1890.
There are probably no earth-shattering revelations here, but the images and the way in which Americans viewed individual states in 1890 makes interesting reading, as well as providing context for your research.
Lara Szpszak writes, “The goal of the game is to help players become familiar with American geography and the treasures the United States has to offer. A player spins the “teetotum” and places their counter on the matching number on the map. Each number then corresponds to a location and description in the accompanying booklet. Fortunately, the booklet is available online from the Internet Archives!” Just click the image below to get started.
Chromolithograph published by Schaefer & Weisenbach, Litho., copyrighted 1890. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.03272
To learn more, visit these links:
- A LC previous blog post on board games
- Find more images from a sample of prints and photographic items of the United States during this period, 1880-1890
- Take advantage of the Library’s map collections
- See how the physical game, Rambles Through Our Country, was housed in a box with all its pieces, online at the New York Historical Society.
Leave a Reply