This beautiful checkerboard is reverse-painted on glass with a number of motifs that were popular in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Quarter-fans, flowers, and butterflies relate strongly to the types of Japanese design elements seen broadly across the decorative arts especially following the appearance of the Japanese Pavilion at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The shield of the United States, too, is associated with this era of strong patriotic feeling as the country celebrated its hundredth birthday. It coincides with the height of popularity of the artform known as tinsel painting, which was practiced primarily by women and typically featured floral imagery. The game of checkers, itself, has ancient roots. "American" checkerboards had eight squares across, as opposed to the Canadian draughts, which typically had twelve squares.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Game Board," exhibition label for Recent Gifts. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2013.