Het nieuw vermakelijk ganzenspel / Le nouveau jeu d'oie 1833 - 1856

This is a print for a board game entitled “Het nieuw vermakelijk ganzenspel” or “Le nouveau jeu d'oie”, created by Glenisson & Van Genechten. Although undated, the trilingual instruction text in Dutch and French, places its production in Belgium, where these languages co-existed. The imagery of geese, together with the title, makes clear that this is a version of the popular ‘Game of Goose’. This seemingly simple game of chance was often used as a vehicle for moral instruction, or even political commentary. To truly understand the significance of this particular example we’d want to know more about the producers and their intended market. Were they aiming at children or adults? Was it produced for a local or national market? Were the producers aligned with particular religious or political groupings? Fortunately, such information can often be found by researching trade directories and local archives. In this way we can understand the social and cultural forces at play in its production.