Problema Bianco - Bigio - Nero by [EPHEMERA] - late nineteenth century

[Milan]: Il Tesoro delle Famiglie, late nineteenth century. Striking broadsheet logic puzzle, issued by Il Tesoro delle Famiglie, a nineteenth-century Italian periodical aimed at women in the home. Three married couples need to cross a river using a single boat that can hold only two people at a time. The jealous husbands ("mariti gelosi") refuse to allow their wives to cross the river or to wait on the opposite shore in the company of another man. Players are instructed to cut out the boat and the six figures (two printed in white, two in grey, and two in black) to work out the quickest way to get all three couples across the river. A compelling and ephemeral piece of popular printing, featuring a logical challenge, a sexist premise, and a graphic appeal. Oblong broadsheet, measuring 8.75 x 12 inches, printed recto only. Shallow creasing; faint tidemark and half-inch chip to right margin, not affecting image.