In early 1905, the St. Paul Globe ran a proverb picture puzzle contest, offering cash prizes to readers who solved the most puzzles. Contests of this type were a popular feature in american newspapers for the next few decades; this is one of the earliest I’ve come across. While later contests had cars and houses as their top prize, the Globe’s first prize for this contest was $250 cash.

The fifty contest drawings are shown below. Each drawing represents a “well known English proverb.” The intended answer for the sample puzzle, shown at right, is “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

Just what qualifies as a well known English proverb was left to the contest judges, and what may have been well known in 1905 may be obscure a century later. While several of the drawings have obvious answers, some appear to include red herrings (#23 is a good example).

(Click on any drawing to enlarge it)
#1 February 15, 1905



#11 February 25, 1905



#21 March 7, 1905



#31 March 17, 1905



#41 March 27, 1905



#2 February 16, 1905



#12 February 26, 1905



#22 March 8, 1905



#32 March 18, 1905



#42 March 28, 1905



#3 February 17, 1905



#13 February 27, 1905



#23 March 9, 1905



#33 March 19, 1905



#43 March 29, 1905



#4 February 18, 1905



#14 February 28, 1905



#24 March 10, 1905



#34 March 20, 1905



#44 March 30, 1905



#5 February 19, 1905



#15 March 1, 1905



#25 March 11, 1905



#35 March 21, 1905



#45 March 31, 1905



#6 February 20, 1905



#16 March 2, 1905



#26 March 12, 1905



#36 March 22, 1905



#46 April 1, 1905



#7 February 21, 1905



#17 March 3, 1905



#27 March 13, 1905



#37 March 23, 1905



#47 April 2, 1905



#8 February 22, 1905



#18 March 4, 1905



#28 March 14, 1905



#38 March 24, 1905



#48 April 3, 1905



#9 February 23, 1905



#19 March 5, 1905



#29 March 15, 1905



#39 March 25, 1905



#49 April 4, 1905



#10 February 24, 1905



#20 March 6, 1905



#30 March 16, 1905



#40 March 26, 1905



#50 April 5, 1905