The Academy Jig-Saw Puzzle

https://woodies.substack.com/p/jigsaw-puzzle-history-and-two-vintage
J. Salmon & Co.

The British manufacturer of the two puzzles featured in this review/essay was one of those golden age factory wood jigsaw puzzle companies. The story of its rise and fall mirrors the story of its competitors.

The firm had been founded in 1880 as a stationary and printing company that specialized in making post cards and calendars. In 1920 the company recognized the increasing popularity of jigsaw puzzles and began producing them in their factory using foot-powered treadle scroll saws and sold them under the brand name ACADEMY.

By the 1930s J. Salmon employed thirty cutters and an equivalent number of other types of workers performing the various steps needed for jigsaw puzzle production. The company’s puzzles were in the same general price range as the industry leaders in Britain at that time – G. W. Hayter (maker of the Victory brand), Chad Valley, and Raphael Tuck (Zag-Zaw.)

As with most other British companies, J. Salmon & Co.’s production of puzzles was curtailed entirely during WWII. They re-started puzzle production right after the war in 1946 but it was clear that they could not compete with the price of cardboard puzzles (which required expensive equipment and had to be made in very large quantities but were by then of improved quality due to technical improvements in both cardboard-making and die-cutting.) The company discontinued making wood puzzles in the 1950s and re-focused back to its well-established publishing leadership in English calendars and postcards.

Fortunately, Brian Sulman, a collector of Academy puzzles, has researched and provided good documentation for the over-1400 puzzles that were issued by the company during the thirty or so years that it made them. Based on studying the company’s occasional catalogs, and the evolving designs and prices on their labels, he is able to give production dates for most of the puzzles they released.

In recent years, smart phones and the internet have greatly reduced demand for both postcards and paper calendars. The company tried to retrench into cookbooks and travel picture-book guides but it was too late. In 2017 J. Salmon & Co. Ltd was forced to closed its doors for good. Through its entire 137 years the company had remained a family-owned firm (five generations) and had operated from the same premises at 100 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent!