Our object this week comes from England. It is acolorful 31-piece puzzle of a galleon,a type of large sailing ship in use from the 15th through 17th centuries, infull sail. It is made from plywood with a paper illustration glued to thetop. The ship itself is raised higher than the backgroundpieces. The Royal NationalInstitute for the Blind(RNIB) was founded in 1868 as the British andForeign Blind Association for Promoting the Education and Employment of theBlind. Its name changed to the National Institute for the Blind(NIB) in1914, and to RNIB in 1953. In 1920, the NIB expanded its mandate toinclude the production and sale of “Apparatus for Use by theBlind” and produced its first catalog soon after. Itintroduced its first tactile puzzles around 1927.
MichealA. Hudson
Museum Director
American Printing House for the Blind
