Piece by Piece: How Puzzles Became the Ultimate Brain Break

Puzzling is something we really encourage our members to take part in as a way to rest the mind and open up the creative side of the brain.

It allows people to step away from their work and return with a fresh perspective, engaging both their creative and analytical sides. With puzzles always on the go here, I started to wonder where and how the puzzle originated.

The first time someone turned an image into a puzzle, it was not a photo at all.

It was a map.

In 1760, John Spilsbury, a map engraver, mounted one of his maps and cut it into pieces around each country to help educate young people in geography. At the time, puzzles were called dissected puzzles, as the jigsaw had not yet been invented. The idea was such a success that it was later adapted to other subjects like farming and religion as educational tools.

In the 1800s, puzzles saw a major rise in popularity due to three key developments: lithographic printing, the invention of plywood, and the treadle jigsaw. Lithographic printing made it possible to mass-produce detailed images on paper rather than carving them into wood or metal. These printed images were then mounted onto wood or plywood and cut into puzzles, making them more consistent and affordable and allowing puzzles to reach a much wider audience.

Plywood made puzzles easier and less expensive to produce, while the treadle jigsaw allowed puzzles to be cut faster and into more intricate shapes. This is also where the jigsaw puzzle got its name.

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, puzzles became especially popular as an inexpensive and creative way to disconnect from daily hardships. They offered a relaxing pastime during a very difficult period. It was also during this time that companies began using puzzles for brand recognition by turning images into promotional puzzles.

When plywood became scarce during the outbreak of war in 1939, many English puzzle makers shifted to cardboard as a more affordable alternative. While early cardboard puzzles were simple and made with basic materials, this shift helped keep puzzles accessible and attainable during the war.

At the same time, companies like Wentworth Wooden Puzzles continued producing wooden puzzles, later benefiting from high-quality laser cutting. This allowed for more complex designs, unique shapes, and the challenging puzzles many people still enjoy today.

After all of that innovation, invention, and history, it’s kind of funny to think that it all led us here. Hundreds of years of progress, just so we could take a creative break from our day to day work and fit a few puzzle pieces together between meetings.

But that is exactly the point. Puzzles have always been about connection, focus, and taking a moment to slow down. Those same reasons are why they belong in coworking spaces today.

Written by Emma Nulty, Community Host, Fractal Workspace

Wentworth Wooden Puzzles. The History of Jigsaw Puzzles. Wentworth Wooden Puzzles, https://www.wentworthpuzzles.com/blog/the-history-of-jigsaw-puzzles-.html. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.