Tea paper, wrapping paper

Wood-engraved paper sheet, used for wrapping small quantities of loose tea purchased from J. Roberts and Co. located at 31 the Barbican. The sheet includes the name and address of the tea merchant and a circular shaped engraving representing King Canute commanding the waves. The engraving captioned 'The King Canute Puzzle', was one of a series of similar engravings that, when cut out and pasted together formed a complete puzzle. Customers purchasing tea from the merchant could, therefore, collect the whole series over a period of time. As well as publicising the business marketing incentives such as the incorporation of puzzles and games in wrapping paper were employed to promote sales and encourage customer loyalty. Other puzzles produced by J Roberts were Shakespeare's Seven Ages of Man puzzle and The Goose puzzle.