London, J. Wallis, June 16, 1807.
DRAFT Extremely scarce anti-semitic board game made in Georgian Britain.
'The New and Fashionable Game of the Jew' was published by the London printer and specialist in games, John Wallis Snr of 13 Warwick Square, on June 16, 1807. The aim of the game was simple - collect as many counters as possible like the Jewish banker pictured in the centre of the board with his money bags. The composer and games collector Stephen Sondheim, who owns a copy, described it as a game that 'taught kids to be anti-semitic'.
John Wallis Senior (1745-1818) was a London board game publisher, bookseller and a cartographer. Wallis studied mapmaking under the stationer William Johnson and worked as his apprentice before founding is first print house 'Wallis and Stonehouse', bankrupted two years later, in 1778. Soon after Wallis established his new business, focusing on board games, puzzles and children's books. In his advertising ephemera issued circa 1812, Wallis falsely claimed to have invented the puzzle map (while in fact that, this invention can be attributed to either the publisher John Bowels or the cartographer John Spilsbury).
Engraved sheet, with hand-coloured central image, mounted in 12 sections, laid on linen, housed in a cardboard slipcase, with a hand-coloured illustration to pastedown; 48 x 42 cm (unfolded), 19 x 14 cm (case size); case edges rubbed, game sheet stained on the top right corner.
'The New and Fashionable Game of the Jew' was published by the London printer and specialist in games, John Wallis Snr of 13 Warwick Square, on June 16, 1807. The aim of the game was simple - collect as many counters as possible like the Jewish banker pictured in the centre of the board with his money bags. The composer and games collector Stephen Sondheim, who owns a copy, described it as a game that 'taught kids to be anti-semitic'.
John Wallis Senior (1745-1818) was a London board game publisher, bookseller and a cartographer. Wallis studied mapmaking under the stationer William Johnson and worked as his apprentice before founding is first print house 'Wallis and Stonehouse', bankrupted two years later, in 1778. Soon after Wallis established his new business, focusing on board games, puzzles and children's books. In his advertising ephemera issued circa 1812, Wallis falsely claimed to have invented the puzzle map (while in fact that, this invention can be attributed to either the publisher John Bowels or the cartographer John Spilsbury).
Engraved sheet, with hand-coloured central image, mounted in 12 sections, laid on linen, housed in a cardboard slipcase, with a hand-coloured illustration to pastedown; 48 x 42 cm (unfolded), 19 x 14 cm (case size); case edges rubbed, game sheet stained on the top right corner.
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