Mastery of Design: A Doll's Earrings, 1690-1700

Earrings made for the Lady Clapham Doll
England, 1690-1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This set of mismatched earrings belonged to a doll.  The Lady Clapham doll--the be exact.  The Lord and Lady Clapham Dolls were made in the Seventeenth Century for the Cockerell Family--descendants of the famed diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) who first recorded Mr. Punch's presence in Covent Garden.


The dolls were outfitted with complete wardrobes and furnishings befitting full-size nobility.  Among Lady Clapham's accessories were these earrings.  The stud is made of brass and backed in silver while the more formal drop is a paste set in a silver mount.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A German Portrait Doll of Queen Victoria as a Princess, 1835

German Wax Doll
1835
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This unusual portrait doll with a solid wax head and outer limbs on a cloth body is said to represent Princess (later Queen) Victoria. She wears a long full-skirted dress of plain ivory-colored silk, with a corsage and head-dress. The doll's petticoat of plain ivory-colored silk is gathered a the waist, and has one vertical seam and a deep hem.

Though the doll is said to be a young Queen Victoria as a princess, it’s important to note that it looks nothing like her. Young Victoria was fair—blonde and blue-eyed—while the doll is dark. Since the doll was made in Germany in her honor, it is understandable that the German maker was not aware of the Princess’ actual coloring.

Figure of the Day: A Victorian Jack in the Box, 1820-50

German Jack in the Box
1820-1850
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In Britain in the 1820s and 1830s, caricatures were representing people from all walks of life were a popular art-form which crossed into a variety of media. This rough caricature of a peasant woman a bold grin and a full face adorns the box of a jack-in-the-box toy.

Jack-in-the-box figures like this were popular and readily available in the early Victorian era. While vaguely frightening, such toys were considered a fashionable and suitable way to not only entertain tots, but to also provide children with their first awareness of basic scientific and cause-and-effect principles. While this one may seem disturbing compared to more modern and jolly jacks in the box, this one is a good representation of the toys of the era.

The paper covered wooden box holds the aformentioned caricature of a woman made of composition and cloth with a metal spring. Her hands are on the wrong arms and have been since it was made. Printed in black script is:

“What wonder Miss/May be in this? Make me free and You'll see.”

The toy was made in Germany between 1820 and 1850.

The Art of Play: A Mechanical Fox, 1930-39

Mechanical Fox
Shuco, 1930-39
The Museum of Childhood
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the 1930’s, the fox became a surprisingly popular subject for children’s soft toys.  This is, in large part, due to fox characters in children’s literature whose trickster antics were much enjoyed.  German toymakers Schreyer & Co. (known as Schuco in the U.K.) offered a line of mechanical toys which, by manipulation of the creature’s tail, were able to either nod their heads in agreement or shake them side-to-side to indicate the negative. This form of interaction proved quite enticing to children who begged their parents for these little mechanical companions. 

The most popular of the line was this fox.  In typical 1930’s style, the fox has been anthropomorphized.  He sits upright and wears wire-rimmed spectacles which give him a look of sly wisdom.  This example, housed in the Museum of Childhood at the Victoria & Albert Museum, was manufactured between 1930 and 1939.  It still bears its original tags and is in full working order. 

Unusual Artifacts: A Rare Antique Sand Toy, 1850-1870

Sand Toy
French, 1850-1870
Gerard Camagni
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This unusual and exceptionally beautiful toy dates between 1850 and 1870 and comes from France. Sand toys are particularly rare—prone to damage from wet weather and their fragile natures.

Sand toys function by the power of falling sand which is distributed through a complicated system of hoppers and paddle wheels which served to “animate” a paper figure within a glass case. Given the nature of the mechanism, sand toys didn’t function very well except in extremely dry weather. They were very often broken from the shaking of frustrated children who wanted to mechanism to work in all conditions.

This exquisite toy of glass, paper and wood is intricately decorated and features a figure of a woman in Eighteenth Century dress. Upon the release of the sand, she dances within her glass case.

Remarkably undamaged, this beautiful antique is part of the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Pull-Along Bear, 1920

Pull-Along Toy
German, c. 1920
The Victoria & Albert Museum

By the 1920’s, toy manufacturers were often producing cuddly teddy bears that offered snuggly companionship to youngsters. However, some manufacturers recognized that many children preferred more active and realistic toys, and, in response to that produced soft animals which were more natural looking than their cute counterparts. These toys were regularly mounted on wheeled platforms so that their child could move them around easily.


This Pull-Along Bear dates to about 1920 is comes from an unknown German manufacturer. Still in excellent condition, his wood frame shows more wear than does his mohair coat. No doubt, he was rolled more than he was cuddled.

The Art of Play: A Pelham Puppet March Hare, 1950-1955

The March Hare
Pelham Puppets
1950-1955
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Pelhams, the wildly popular British toymaker, began in 1947 when Bob Pelham opened his business in Malborough, Wiltshire. The company survived until 1993 and, in that time, made thousands of different puppet characters of both glove and marionette varieties. The Pelham puppets were simple to operate for children and evolved in appearance as fashions changed from decade to decade. It’s easy to identify when a Pelham puppet was made just by looking at it because the designs seem to represent the visual ideals of each era. 

For example, this marionette March Hare could not possibly look more like a creation of the 1950s. And, that’s when he was made—between 1950 and 1955. He features a solid, molded wooden head and hands, all painted. Meanwhile his body and arms are made of wooden blocks which are hidden under his costume of striped trousers, a green jacket and waistcoat and an orange bow tie.

The Art of Play: A German Plush Cat, 1930

German Toy Cat
Mohair, c. 1930
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Germany by an unknown company in the 1930s, this darling toy cat is constructed of light mohair plush. The mohair has been clipped and further streaked with darker tones in lines on the head, face and body.

This cat’s head is jointed at the neck so that it can swivel. His nose, mouth and front paws are embroidered with pink threads. Furthermore, his green and black eyes are glass. The tail, is partly stitched to the body in order for it to remain loose and, therefore, more realistic. 

The Art of Play: Animal Hand Puppets from 1950

Animal Hand Puppets
English, 1950
Joy Laurey
The Museum of Childhood
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Children’s toys—to this day—often feature figures of animals. Farm animals are particularly popular subjects for toys. This made a lot of sense when many families still raised animals on their land as a source of food and income. These days, since most of us don’t lead agricultural lives, there’s more of a nostalgia-factor and cutesy feel to animal-themed toys which we often associate with early childhood. Such toys also serve as a means of teaching children about where the foods they eat come from and to educate them about words and their usage.


This set of cloth hand puppets made in England around 1950 is quite adorable. We have a horse, a lamb, a piggy and a cow. Each figure is highly stylized in the manner which was quite popular in the 1950’s. Though they were clearly well-loved they still retain much of their original detail and charm.

The Art of Play: The Fire Chief, c. 1950

Tin Toy
England, Circa 1950
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made around 1950, this toy is now part of the Michael Buhler Collection of tin toys at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Museum of Childhood.

The tin car was manufactured in England and operates by means of a small friction system. Such cars were made at the time in a variety of styles. This one is part of a set which was made up of a Police car, a fire truck and an ambulance. This is the Fire Chief’s car, and, it’s pretty nifty. The tin has been neatly painted with great care and detail. Little people in firefighters gear have even been painted on the windows to give the impression of passengers. Tin toys like this developed originally in the U.S. around 1850, but the medium quickly caught on in Europe with Germany becoming one of the major centers of production.

Object of the Day: Mr. Punch and Pretty Polly Scraps

Click on image to climb inside those comfy wooden shoes, too.
Not really.  But, you'll get a bigger image.  

I found these two tucked into a pile of trade cards. They, I think, were once a part of a trade card themselves, but, now, they’re best called scraps. So, who have we here? Well, certainly the chap is Mr. Punch or, more accurately a child dressed as Mr. Punch. Who’s his companion? A girl, rather uncomfortably dressed in a Commedia dell’Arte-inspired costume. Sure, they could be Pulcinella and Columbine, but I prefer to think of them as Punch and Pretty Polly. 

Now, as children dressed in Venetian Carnival costume tend to do, they’re standing in wooden shoes and toasting one another with champagne. Yeah, I don’t know. It’s a sort of multi-cultural mishmash. It’s a little bit Dutch, a little Italian, a little French—and, typically American. 

So, what’s this all about? On the reverse—when you put the two shoes side by side—you seem the remnants of an old ink stamp, torn away by being glued into an album. It seems these two little folks were once part of a trade card advertising for a Newark, new Jersey-based toy shop. 

And, that explains a lot.

The Art of Play: The Tate Baby House,1760

The Tate Baby House
Dorset, 1760
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This toy house was last owned by a Mrs. Walter Tate in whose honor it is named. Made in Dorset, the dolls’ house is said to have been modeled on an Eighteenth-century Dorset house.

Unlike many other dolls’ houses of the Eighteenth Century, this one features a very complex structure which comes apart in several sections so that it could be easily taken on trips.

Since journeys at the time were predominately taken via carriage, they took a long time, and therefore, trips and visits lasted much longer than they do today. Therefore, careful planning was involved and people would take a variety of different items which we would never consider bringing along with us today—like this dolls’ house.

A “Baby House,” such as this one from 1760 was designed as a plaything for an adult woman who was encouraged to decorate the house, furnish it and use it as a model for her own home in some ways.

The furniture that we see here is not contemporary with the house which was first updated in 1830 and, then, at regular intervals afterwards by its various owners. After all, that was the point of the thing—to use it as a model for a real home as well as afford a lady a fun thing to do. In some households, in fact, houseguests would bring small presents for the “baby house,” such as little silver kettles or salt cellars.

This house is constructed of painted wood with a balustraded external staircase leading up to the first floor level, A pedimented entrance door has a Venetian window above with four windows on either side. Above the cornice is a parapet formed of pilasters and turned balusters, behind which is a glass lantern lighting the staircase hall. Oeil de boeuf windows flank the basement door. The original windows were replaced in the Victorian era and the roofline and base are Edwardian alterations.

The Art of Play: Punch and Judy Finger Puppets, circa 1970

Punch and Judy Finger Puppets, c. 1970
This and all related images from The Victoria and Albert Museum.

Sandcastles, donkey rides, Punch and Judy - all part of a day at the British seaside. At its popular in Victorian times, the show still brings pleasure (and terror!) to thousands of children on our summer beaches. 

So reads the reverse of this toy which has newly been added to the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum.  I was quite tickled to find this circa 1970 finger puppet set when searching for Punch and Judy related items. 

Let's take a look at this charming set, shall we?  These finger puppets came packed in a box which also doubles as a fit-up or theatre for their miniature puppet show.  The set was meant as a charming reminder of bygone, innocent summers...summers that maybe weren't so hot and miserable.  Sorry...I was distracted.

The printed box sports the traditional striped, gilded frame, theatrical draping and green skirting associated for centuries with a Punch and Judy booth.  A die-cut opening at the front affords a venue for the finger puppets.  

Inside, are Punch and his wife, Judy--both made of printed cotton with slightly padded fronts.  Punch is dressed in his usual red suit and dropping hat, trimmed in gold.  Of course, he carries his cudgel.  Judy dons the traditional white checkered dress and lace cap which we associate with Mrs. Punch.  And, of course, she's carrying, "the Baby."

Manufactured in Britain, the set was designed and made by Anne Wilkinson Designs.  It was produced through 1990.

The Art of Play: Bath Toys, 1970

Bath Toy
Patrick Rylands, 1970
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

You know, this has nothing to do with anything. And, it’s certainly not even remotely antique. But, I just like it. It’s cute and, even though I’m not a big fan of sitting in a bath, I’d like to have one.

It’s a bath toy. Made in 1970, the toy in the shape of a fish was designed by Patrick Rylands who was a designer of toys for Trendon Toys Ltd, Ambi Toys, Brio and other British firms. Rylands had a background as a ceramicist at the Royal College of Art. That sculptural background is wholly evident in the toys that he designed. His work is characterized by pleasing, rounded forms which would have been quite easy for small children to handle. The bath fish is one of a group of toys which Rylands designed which won the Duke of Edinburgh's Design Award in 1970. It, and its friends, are made of a molded plastic.

The Art of Play: German Toy Birds, 1850-1910

German Toy Birds
1850-1910
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Germany, this pair of toy birds could date anywhere between 1850 and 1910. This is one of a group of German traditional toys which is housed in the V&A’s Museum of Childhood. Some of the group were made in the mid Nineteenth Century while others were made in the 1900s based on earlier designs.

At each end of the crosspiece, a hummingbird figure is mounted with a leather bellows. When the upright piece is moved from side to side, the bellows are engaged and produce a whistling sound.

The Art of Play: Baby-Bär, 1935

Soft Toy
Germany, 1935
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Looky look! It’s Baby-Bär. Born in 1935—from the Germany Schuco Toy Company—this little bear of mohair has an internal mechanism which is operated by his tail. Moving the tail side to side makes the bear shake his head. Moving the tail up and down makes him nod his head. Therefore, Baby-Bär is one of Schuco’s famous “Yes/No” toys—all of whom could indicate the affirmative or negative when their tails were manipulated. To make sure that the Baby-Bär looked like a baby, he was given an open mouth and wide, googly eyes.

This bear is in perfect condition because he was a shop, stock bear. He was used for display and never sold. He still has his original card and ribbon and has utterly no wear whatsoever. Though he had no one to love him, it kept him in perfect condition for all these decades.

Unusual Artifacts: A Rare Antique Sand Toy, 1850-1870

Sand Toy
French, 1850-1870
Gerard Camagni
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This unusual and exceptionally beautiful toy dates between 1850 and 1870 and comes from France. Sand toys are particularly rare—prone to damage from wet weather and their fragile natures.

Sand toys function by the power of falling sand which is distributed through a complicated system of hoppers and paddle wheels which served to “animate” a paper figure within a glass case. Given the nature of the mechanism, sand toys didn’t function very well except in extremely dry weather. They were very often broken from the shaking of frustrated children who wanted to mechanism to work in all conditions.

This exquisite toy of glass, paper and wood is intricately decorated and features a figure of a woman in Eighteenth Century dress. Upon the release of the sand, she dances within her glass case.

Remarkably undamaged, this beautiful antique is part of the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The Art of Play: The Tate Baby House,1760

The Tate Baby House
Dorset, 1760
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This toy house was last owned by a Mrs. Walter Tate in whose honor it is named. Made in Dorset, the dolls’ house is said to have been modeled on an Eighteenth-century Dorset house.

Unlike many other dolls’ houses of the Eighteenth Century, this one features a very complex structure which comes apart in several sections so that it could be easily taken on trips.

Since journeys at the time were predominately taken via carriage, they took a long time, and therefore, trips and visits lasted much longer than they do today. Therefore, careful planning was involved and people would take a variety of different items which we would never consider bringing along with us today—like this dolls’ house.

A “Baby House,” such as this one from 1760 was designed as a plaything for an adult woman who was encouraged to decorate the house, furnish it and use it as a model for her own home in some ways.

The furniture that we see here is not contemporary with the house which was first updated in 1830 and, then, at regular intervals afterwards by its various owners. After all, that was the point of the thing—to use it as a model for a real home as well as afford a lady a fun thing to do. In some households, in fact, houseguests would bring small presents for the “baby house,” such as little silver kettles or salt cellars.

This house is constructed of painted wood with a balustraded external staircase leading up to the first floor level, A pedimented entrance door has a Venetian window above with four windows on either side. Above the cornice is a parapet formed of pilasters and turned balusters, behind which is a glass lantern lighting the staircase hall. Oeil de boeuf windows flank the basement door. The original windows were replaced in the Victorian era and the roofline and base are Edwardian alterations.