Mansion of Happiness Gameboard, 1845-1880

01

Artifact Overview

The 19th-century game "The Mansion of Happiness" taught children moral lessons and instilled values of thrift, honesty and industry as they journeyed around the board. Developed in the 1840s by Anne W. Abbott, a daughter of a New England clergyman, the game remained popular throughout the 1800s. Versions and copies of this moral-lessons game were made well into the 1900s.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Gameboard (Board game element)

Date Made

1845-1880

Creator Notes

Published by W. & S.B. Ives in Salem, Massachusetts; lithographed by Thayer & Co. in Boston, Massachusetts.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

41.214.1549

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Mrs. E. G. Douglas.

Material

Cardboard
Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Lithography

Dimensions

Height: 18.625 in
Width: 15 in
Length: 9.25 in

Inscriptions

on either side of the board: THE / MANSION OF HAPPINESS
Mansion of Happiness Gameboard, 1845-1880