Travel in earlier times was far more arduous than it is today. Travel by stagecoach in particular was long, uncomfortable and expensive, and the new means of transportation, the railroad, also had many pitfalls. From the many annoyances and dangers, delightful game ideas could be derived: Accidents with stagecoaches and railroads as well as climatic imponderables were used as aggravating game elements.

top left:
"Neues Post- und Reisespiel" (New Postal and Travel Game)
Nuremberg (Bavaria/D), published by Johann Georg Klinger, 1st quarter 19th c.
Etching, colored, mounted on cardboard; cardboard slipcase with colored paper
Gift of Prof. Dr. Albert Burckhardt-Finsler, Basel
Inv. 1898.298.e.

bottom left:
"The good little man is still alive"
probably Germany, around 1835
Gift of Prof. Dr. Albert Burckhardt-Finsler, Basel
Inv. 1898.298.b.

in the center:
"Grosses Post- und Reisespiel"
Germany, ca. 1885/89
Color lithograph, mounted on cardboard; cardboard box
Gift of Dr. E. Strub, Basel
Inv. 1971.88.

right:
Travel game "Müller and Schulze on their travels"
probably Berlin, around 1860/80
Chalk lithograph, colored, partially varnished; letterpress print
Gift of Georges Passavant-Fichter, Basel
Inv. 1940.66.

In the play "Müller und Schultze auf Reisen" (Müller and Schultze on the road), caricaturing exaggerations occur, in keeping with the origin of the figures from the Berlin magazine "Kladderadatsch".