Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Game of the Lamplighter
Artifact IDMO 2007.858j
Object Type
Game, Card
Publisher
Vilen S. W. Parkhurst
(American publisher, 1829 - 1888)
Date1854
Mediumpaper (cardboard, cardstock), ink
Dimensionsbox/case H 1 1/8 in x W 3 in x D 4 1/4 in (2.9 cm x 7.6 cm x 10.8 cm )
Physical DescriptionA boxed card game based on the 1854 novel, "The Lamplighter," by Maria S. Cummins. The cover of the two-piece white cardboard box has an illustration of a man standing on a ladder and lighting a gas lamp mounted on a pole. The title of the game is above the illustration: GAME OF THE / LAMPLIGHTER- / Or- Uncle True and Little Gerty. The publisher's information is printed along the bottom: Published by / V. S. W. PARKHURST, / No. 47 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I. / No. 158 Nassau Street, New York. / Entered according to act of congress in the year 1854, by V. / S. W. Parkhurst, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Rhode Island.
A handwritten pencil note on the inside of the box cover reads: S.C. Metcalf / Medway / Mass / A Present from his / sister Dec 25 / 1854.
The box contains 21 cards, each with an illustration of a person (presumably a character in the book) and their title or occupation. Nearly all the cards have handwritten notes on them. The reverse sides of the cards are blank.
Historical NoteThis game is part of a collection of 19th century games designed for the amuseument and instruction of children (MO 2007.858a-r) purchased by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 for $97.50. The games, which were found together in the attic of an old house in Massachusetts, were put up for sale as a collection by The American Autograph Shop in Merion Station, Pennsylvania.A handwritten pencil note on the inside of the box cover reads: S.C. Metcalf / Medway / Mass / A Present from his / sister Dec 25 / 1854.
The box contains 21 cards, each with an illustration of a person (presumably a character in the book) and their title or occupation. Nearly all the cards have handwritten notes on them. The reverse sides of the cards are blank.
Additional Details
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPersonal Possessions of the Roosevelt Family (National Archives Identifier 782689)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.In Collection(s)
Not on view