V.T.H. (Maids of Kent) Puzzles

Helen Helmore and Vera Tassell cut ingenious wooden puzzles during the era 1920s-1930s, marketing them as V.T.H. Puzzles. They were based in Canterbury, Kent. Some boxes record an address of 25, The Precincts, and others, probably slightly later, show them as being located at The Maids of Kent Craft Shop, 29, St. Margaret's Street.

They are also known to have run a jigsaw puzzle lending library. See "Jigsaw Puzzle Club Rules" image below.

In general, most puzzles cut for retail use appear to have been supplied in boxes, sometimes repurposed ones, which were then covered with patterned paper. The largest sized puzzles, however, were held in much sturdier boxes, probably bought in for that purpose, and these were also used for their library puzzles, the latter requiring strong packaging for repeated use. An example of such a box can be seen in the library puzzle Queen Elizabeth Reviewing Her Troops.

In general they used excellent quality prints, and were highly imaginative in their styles of cutting, usually featuring accurate colour line-cutting and incorporating their initials as V.T. and H. shaped pieces.