Two 19th Century Board Games: a) New Game of the Jew, London: J. Wallis, 1807 b) De Wandelende Jood (The Wandering Jew), Amsterdam: De Erve Wijsmuller [ca.1850]

2 boardgames. a) New Game of the Jew (18 3/4 x 16 in.; 480 x 405 mm). Twelve foldable segments mounted on fabric. Hand-colored; lightly soiled; panels 3 & 4 with minor stain. Framed. b) De Wandelende Jood (The Wandering Jew), (21 x 17 1/4 in.; 535 x 440 mm). Crease marks at folds; minor marginal tears. Framed.

 

The English “New Game of the Jew” is a variation of the 15th-16th century gambling game, Gluckshaus. The Dutch game, “De Wandelende Jood,” is a variant of the 16th century ”Game of the Goose.” Based on Eugene Sue’s wildly popular 1844–45 serially published novel, despite its name, the work was intensely and deliberately anti-Catholic. The 63 game squares depict events and characters which would have been eminently familiar to readers of the novel. The author, Eugene Sue, is depicted in the lower left spandrel. The first mention of the “Game of the Goose” comes from Francesco de Medici, Grand Duke of Florence in Italy from 1574 to 1587.  He sent a copy to King Philip II of Spain where it caused great excitement at the court, and the game spread rapidly throughout Europe.

LITERATURE:
F.R.B. Whitehouse, The Games in Georgian and Victorian Days, 1971, p.62; Mary Flanagan,  Critical Play: Radical Game Design, 2009, p.81.