While times are tough, will we see an upsurge in interest in jigsaw puzzles?

During both the bank panic and business depression of 1907 and the early years of the Great Depression (1932–33), the U.S. was caught up in a jigsaw puzzle craze. So says the book I’m reading, The Jigsaw Puzzle: Piecing Together a History, by Anne D. Williams. Jigsaw puzzles were both inexpensive and absorbing entertainment. Not only did many families work puzzles together but large-scale puzzles became popular entertainment for guests in high society.

Puzzles used to be finely cut in wood. For a while there, puzzle cutting was a lucrative cottage industry. For a modest investment, a young woman (it was mostly women) or family could own a scroll saw and obtain supplies to cut puzzles at home. They sold for about one cent per piece.

People who couldn’t afford to go out to movies and restaurants or buy books and toys could find hours of challenging diversion in working puzzles while also keeping their minds off their troubles. When finished, they’d have a wonderful sense of accomplishment and could also enjoy the sight of an exotic landscape or glamorous scene that was beyond their reach.

Cheap as they were, they were still a luxury to many, and so puzzle-buying groups formed and people shared their purchases. There were also many lending libraries that charged a very small fee. In Maine, milkmen delivered puzzles to eager customers along with dairy products.

When die-cut cardboard puzzles came along, they became a pastime most families could afford.

Is now the time for another wave of enthusiasm for jigsaw puzzles? There are still plenty of manufacturers out there, both of cardboard and luxury wooden puzzles for all ages and interests. Is there any sign yet of a new craze forming? Do you know anyone who’s taken up puzzles lately (besides me)? Have you noticed more displays in stores? Nobody can watch TV all the time.