Dan Fern: Board Games

Artist: Dan Fern
1945 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1989
Image Size: 21.75 by 18.625 inches
Overall Size: 22.875 by 20.625 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

The history of board games goes way back, with the royal tombs of ancient Ur holding the oldest gaming boards found so far. These early board games were played with pyramidal dice about 3000 B.C., and may have been a distant ancestor to modern backgammon. But as with chess and dominos, few of the board games with long and distinguished histories were designed specifically for the amusement of children. In fact, board games for pure youthful pleasure seem to have been a late development. It all began in the 1600s, when English philospher and economist John Locke nudged the concept of "teaching through sport" into the world's general consciousness. In time, the manufacturers of Great Britain seized upon the idea, producing educational jigsaw puzzles and games in which the pieces raced across maps of the world. Soon, more general recreational children's games were developed, and today many of the popular commercially produced children's board games are already several generations old. Snakes and Ladders, patented in 1870, is still played in Great Britain and many other countries of the world. Monopoly, patented in 1933, is also played in Great Britain and America by young and old alike -- one of the most popular commercially produced board games ever. However, the British version of Monopoly uses London street names rather than those of Atlantic City, N.J., USA.

This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover of the Great Britain 32p Toys and Games stamp issued May 16, 1989.

Artwork Copyright © 1989 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB12019

US$ Price: $1,725.00

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