Puzzle

Object number2016.29.6 a-j

Date1950-1959

OriginChicago, IL

MediumWood; Paper; Ink; Fabric; Wax pencil

Credit LineGift of Polk State Center

DescriptionFarm scene form board puzzle consisting of puzzle board, seven puzzle pieces, and original box.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (a-h together): 9 × 11.188 × 0.438 in. (22.9 × 28.4 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (i-j together): 11.5 × 9.625 × 0.563 in. (29.2 × 24.4 × 1.4 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (a): 9 × 11.188 × 0.438 in. (22.9 × 28.4 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (b): 1.188 × 1.875 × 0.438 in. (3 × 4.8 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (c): 2.125 × 1.625 × 0.438 in. (5.4 × 4.1 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (d): 3.125 × 1.375 × 0.438 in. (7.9 × 3.5 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (e): 1.375 × 1.25 × 0.438 in. (3.5 × 3.2 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (f): 1.688 × 1.688 × 0.438 in. (4.3 × 4.3 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (g): 2.75 × 1.25 × 0.438 in. (7 × 3.2 × 1.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (h): 1.5 × 1.75 × 0.438 in. (3.8 × 4.4 × 1.1 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (i): 11.5 × 9.625 × 0.5 in. (29.2 × 24.4 × 1.3 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (j): 11.313 × 9.25 × 0.5 in. (28.7 × 23.5 × 1.3 cm)
Inscriptions(i)
Front has handwritten text in black wax pencil (crayon?) "Mare and foal puzzle".

Marks(a)
Maker information printed in blue on the front in the bottom two corners: in bottom left corner "No. 27154" and in bottom right corner "Stoelting Co., Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. / Printed in U.S.A."

(i)
Interior has black stamped text "CONTENTS / CAT. NO. 27154 / Mare and Foal Foamboard / Stoelting Co."
Historical NotesPuzzle from a psychological and mental test for children aged 18 months to four years. It was used at Polk State Center. When Polk Center opened in 1897 it became the second institution in Pennsylvania built expressly to house and care for people with intellectual disabilities. The 2,000 acre site in rural Venango County allowed access to Pittsburgh via the railroad, but also isolated residents far from their families. Change in the care of people with disabilities over the past 100 years has influenced the lives of the residents and staff at Polk, as well as the surrounding community. This object is part of a collection that documents that important story. Label TextAt its peak in the mid-1950s, more than 3,400 people, including at least 500 children, lived at Polk. The objects that survive in the Polk collection document the care and treatment of people with intellectual disabilities over the course of the 20th century.

Related institution Polk State Center (founded 1897)

Subjects

Terms