Item Details:

GAME OF OLD MAID OR MATRIMONY

MCLOUGHLIN BROTHERS, NEW YORK CITY

EARLY AMERICAN GAME, circa 1895

Chromolithograped on Paper and Cardboard

Size: 7.5 x 7.5 in; 19.1 x 19.1 cm

Old Maid stands out as one of the earliest card games. Along with the development of playing cards, Old Maid is thought to have originated in India or China, and then came to Europe, England, and America. The game is known by many other names in different countries and cultures, but the version we know has a permanent place in our culture. Today, an "old maid" may be any single piece left over when any pairs of items are counted. Early Western lithographers were quick to market cards made specifically for Old Maid; the humorous, if slightly sexist, possibilities suggested by the game title provided for many, many versions over the years.

In this particular version of the game, players advance on a  spiral numbered-position gameboard.  When landing on a square with directions, the player's game piece is either "promoted" to one closer to the center, or may be subjected to a pitfall and sent to a less desirable position.  The player reaching the church altar "wins" and those that are directed to either the Bachelor or Old Maid corners lose the game.

Many early examples of the game included verses, quirky characters, and an especially unappealing or frighteningly stereotypical Old Maid card. Very popular among the Victorians, later examples from the mid-20th century may feature Hollywood-type personalities, circus performers, or racist images, to name just a few examples. Today's Old Maid card decks, made especially for children, are often simplified for easy matching.

An Old Maid game produced by McLoughlin Brothers of New York, circa 1895, this game's cover image shows a typical Old Maid character, with her trademark cat, tending to her caged bird.  Oh, the symbolizm!