This is a rare one, and in fact I can't find its exact match, but there were others similar produced in both London and the United States by other companies, which help date to about 1880, maybe a few years earlier. What I've learned is that "dissected maps" (lithography maps mounted to wood and cut into pieces) were one of the earliest types of educational tools for children, used in early kindergarten, and among the first iterations of the jig saw puzzle, a term that was not introduced until late in the 1880s, hence the use of "dissected" here. This one is a world map based on Gall's stereographic projection (invented 1855) and I must say not an easy one to put together!
I did invest the time in putting it together, with all but one tiny piece for the very southern tip of South American present. (Apologies, photos of the map put together were taken under a skylight, where we put it together; closer details of the pieces are much more accurate in terms of color.) Mounted to wood, with pink paper backs, in their original box, which certainly reflects a 19th century perspective on world cultures but I do love the woman with ship raised in the air.
Box: 7 3/4 x 8 1/8 x 3/4. As noted, all but one tiny piece present and all in very good shape. One corner of the wooden box has separated a little but it is holding together fine and sturdily.
