Mr Pickwick on the Ice

A scene from Chapter 30 of Dickens' well-known novel "The Pickwick Papers" where Mr Pickwick and his companions go skating on a nearby area of water which has frozen over. This puzzle depicts one of a number of illustrations of this event by various artists. Later on the ice sheet breaks under the weight of Mr Pickwick who falls through into the freezing water and has to be rescued! This happening has been the subject of other humorous illustrations.

The puzzle comes in a deep red box with the publisher's name and a Folkestone address. It has been cut from solid mahogany, is interlocking and has nearly a dozen shaped pieces which is considered to indicate it is a rebranded Zig-Zag product commissioned by Parsons in the mid 1910's.

Zig-Zag similarly sold puzzles to other retailers for instance Combridge's in Birmingham who list one with the same title in their 1916 catalogue.



Artist: Unknown
Date: 1910's
Brand: F.J. Parsons
Material: ¼" thick solid mahogany
Nationality: British
Pieces: 350
Size: 14¾" x 12"
Theme: Dickensian
Title: Mr Pickwick on the Ice