Just a few more days till Christmas, when millions of kids will receive electronic games. What did people do before video games? Andrea Valluzzo tells of a simpler time in America, when games were  staples of family entertainment.

I’ve written about folk art already here but as my blog series winds down, I could not resist an in-depth look at gameboards. When I first started writing about antiques shows, I’d pass antique checkerboards all the time, snap a photo every once in a while, but mostly my reaction was “hmm, OK…” and then I’d move on down the show aisles in search of a funky Mod chair or a great painted blanket chest whose photograph would leap off the printed page.

If you take the time to really look at antique gameboards, however, they’re wonderful. Classic folk art, the best gameboards retain much of their original paint. Ever versatile, they look good in any home, hung on a wall near a Pennsylvania dower chest as well as a Scandinavian armoire. From boards made for playing checkers, backgammon, Parcheesi and other more mysterious games, gameboards are mostly wooden but their looks — while all having that country appeal of primitives — can vary greatly.

Depression Era Gameboard

This numbered example on the right is hand painted but crafted not from wood but from a piece of linoleum. The circa 1930 piece fittingly embodies the post Depression-era spirit of “made do or do without” and the use of unconventional materials favored by Outsider and primitive artists.

An unusual example  is the American board below, with beautifully painted cherubs, circa 1870, and letters spelling out “Home.” The use of color as well as finely executed brushwork makes this piece a standout.

Cherubs Gameboard, Courtesy of Jeff Bridgman

A striking example I recently saw was a checkerboard that featured its center squares done in red and black bordered by a a single-row of cream- and black-colored triangles. Made in the early 1930s, the gameboard was a thoughtful birthday gift in 1934 judging by its inscription on the back. Lucky kid!

The 19th Century Parcheesi gameboard, today’s featured image, that was recently sold at auction is highly decorative, marrying fine art with folk art. The gameboard has folky yellow stars on blue ground in the corners and red-green coloring for the play area but the center panel is what makes this gameboard so distinctive, with a finely-painted landscape of a lake-front house with mountains, trees and sky in the background.

Like their folk art cousins, gameboards can bring high prices and while the better examples are increasingly harder to find, antiques dealers will scour the country in search of them, and well-timed visits to Americana Week antiques shows no doubt will turn up some iconic examples.