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. 

Mastery of Design: "The Queen of Transylvania" Tiara, 1958

Costume Tiara
Cecil Beaton, 1958
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This costume tiara was made for the character of the  “Queen of Transylvania” (as played by Margaret Halstan) in the London production of the musical “My Fair Lady,” at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.  The show opened on April 30, 1958.

Based on George Bernard Shaw's play “Pygmalion,” the music for the famous musical was composed by Frederick Lowe, and the book and lyrics were by Alan Jay Lerner. The production was directed by Moss Hart (husband of my dear Kitty Carlisle Hart), the sets were designed by Oliver Smith, and the costumes were designed by the celebrated photographer Cecil Beaton.

The production starred Julie Andrews as Eliza Dolittle and Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins.

This bears a label for Margaret Halstan, who played the Queen throughout most of the London run for My Fair Lady. This is one of several tiaras designed for Halstan for the production.  Photographs from the show indicate different sixed crowns of different weights, allowing the actress flexibility in what she wore each night.  A silversmith made the tiaras, set with fine pastes, based on Beaton’s detailed designs.  

The Home Beautiful: Pochoir Furnishing Fabric, 1925

Click on image to see a pink spaniel.
Furnishing Fabric, c. 1925
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Manchester, England, around 1925 by Tootal, Broadhurst, Lee & Co, this furnishing fabric was designed by George Sheringham. The repeat of the material depicts a couple attired in Eighteenth Century court costume. Their companion is a pink spaniel. 

Such fairytale-inspired scenes were popular in the 1920s. This one borrows its theme from a series of Italian fashion plates which were made by with pochoir stencils.

History's Runway: The Mappin & Webb Vanity Case, 1935

Gold Vanity Case
Mappin and Webb, 1935
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

By the 1930, the use of snuff had long been out of favor and producers of luxury goods looked for something to replace the elegant gold boxes which had long been a mainstay of their concerns. Though not good for world health, the cigarette case was a natural successor to the snuffbox as smoking was quite the thing. Similarly, vanity cases of gold and other precious metals began to take center stage in the world of opulent accessories. Here we see such a vanity case. These were made for Society ladies as a container for their personal items. This one holds an eyebrow pencil, lipstick and compartments for powder with puffs.

The gold case was made by Mappin and Webb in Sheffield, England in 1935 and is set with cabochon sapphires. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Paper Model Kit, 1939

Model of the Empire State Building
Robert Freidus, 1939
The Museum of Childhood
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the 1930’s, artist Robert Freidus, created a series of paper model sets for children which were based on popular architecture across the world. Building paper models was a beloved pastime for both young and old since the Eighteenth Century. Though it’s largely fallen out of fashion, there’s still a fascination with these delicate models.


This set from 1939 produced a scale model of New York’s Empire State Building. This set, among many others, was part of an exciting exhibit at The Victoria $ Albert Museum which concluded in January wherein the guests were welcomed to create models of their own.

After A Fashion: A Costume Design for Wendy Hiller, 1935

Dress Design for Wendy Hiller, c. 1935
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Wendy Hiller (1912-2003) was trained at the Manchester Repertory Theatre in 1930 and made her West End debut, to exceptional acclaim. In 1935, at the apex of her illustrious carrer, Miss Hiller appeared as Sally Hardcastle in “Love on the Dole.”  Later, she went on to star in countless roles on the stage and, then, in film and television.  Her grand career led to being awarded a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) in 1975.

Here, we see a pencil and watercolor costume design for Dame Wendy Hiller. The drawing shows a side view of an elegant lady with her auburn hair swept back into a low bun. She is depicted wearing a pink dress with cap sleeves trimmed with pearls, a row of pearls, and elbow-length white opera gloves.

The costume sketch is unsigned, but it is inscribed “Miss Wendy Hiller. Heavy Silk Dress Flamingo Pink. Organza Pleated Insets. Large Chiffon Scarves in Three (underlined) Pinks.”

The drawing dates to about 1935.  It’s not certain which of her shows the costume was for.  Perhaps it was a drawing for a gown for her to wear personally.

The Art of Play: The Wellington Mr. Punch, c. 1925

Professor Wellington's Mr. Punch
Circa 1925
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome Mr. Punch was once used by Yarmouth's Professor Wellington--a celebrated Punch & Judy man of the first half of the Twentieth Century.  This glove puppet is part of a varied and beautiful set of Punch and Guignol puppets which belonged to Wellington.

As is the nature of Punchinellos, he features a painted wooden head, hands and feet.  His green and black velvet hat is trimmed with holden braid which matches the trim on the green panel at the front of his scarlet velvet coat.  Black breeches and a yellow ruff are also constructed of velvet.  Two wooden buttons adorn his ensemble.

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.

Mastery of Design: The Liberty Blood Red Fire Opal Ring and Necklace, 1926-1927

Fire Opal Ring and Pendant in Platinum and Diamond Settings
The British Museum

Click Images to Enlarge.

Liberty & Co. of London and Paris produced this platinum-set finger ring and pendant for Christmas of 1926-1927.  The set glitters with the pristine sparkle of diamonds and the unusual glow of blood red fire opals.  

This extraordinary pair of rare fire opals is part of an impressive collection of jewels from the 1920s-1950s which was donated to the British Museum in 1978 by Professor John and Anne Hull Grundy.  

Obscure Book of the Day: The Official Program from the 1953 Coronation

This is just so neat. Here we see an actual official program from the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. We found this in an antique store in Texas of all places!


Entitled, “The Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Approved Souvenir Programme,” it is “Published by Gracious Permission of Her Majesty the Queen” by “King George’s Jubilee Trust.”

A verse by John Masefield, the Poet Laureate at the time begins the program alongside a beautiful portrait of the Queen. This is followed by a foreword by the Queen’s uncle, The Duke of Gloucester, photos of the Royal Family and a history of the Queen’s life.

The rest of the program includes maps, exact times and locations of events, the order of the ceremony, the participants, the celebrations to follow, and just about every other bit of information about the coronation that anyone could possibly want to know.

Let’s take a look inside…

Drawing of the Day: Old Cottages at East Bergholt, 1940

Old Cottages at East Bergholt
Algernon Newton, 1940
The Victoria & Albert Musuem

This 1930 charcoal drawing is part of the “Recording Britain” initiative of World War II which served to capture the changing face of the British landscape.

The scene depicts East Bergholt, John Constable's home—an almost hallowed spot for landscape painter Algernon Newton (1880-1968). Newton had a particular affinity for “Constable Country.” While others in the Recording Britain program attempted to mask the encroaching passage of time on the landscape, Newton embraced it and made sure not to conceal modern marks such as the telephone poles and wires which we see to the left of the cottage.

The Art of Play: Gustav the Busy Miller, 1930

Gustav the Busy Miller
E. P. Lehman Co., 1930
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This mechanical toy dates to 1930.  Made in Germany for export to England, it is called “Gustav the Busy Miller.”  

The toy consists of a flour mill; a long green metal tube with a set of ratchet slots. Within the mill is a spiraled length of metal.  Attached to the outside by a series of  slots is the miller "Gustav”--a metal figure printed white, black and beige who climbs the pole by means of a cogged wheel.

Gustav’s arms and legs are loosely joined by tongue tabs at the shoulders and hips. The top of his head—a condition which must be uncomfortable—is shaped like a dish which will hold the sack of flour. The weight of the sack on the hook allows the Gustav to climb and turn the red sails to tighten the mechanism. The miller's head collects the sack and allows the mechanism to unwind while the figure goes back down.

Gustav was made by the E. P. Lehmann C0. 

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.

Mastery of Design: A Cartier Bangle, 1937

Bangle
Cartier, 1937
This and all related images from
The British Museum

Cartier’s London branch created this sumptuous bangle in a wholly Indian style. The floral piece is a brilliant marriage of platinum, gold, diamonds, and rubies. The central motif looks back to Nineteenth-Century Indian Jaipur work with a very post-Deco sensibility.

Diamonds (baguettes and brilliants) and a double row of cabochon rubies glitter in an asymmetrical platinum setting. Meanwhile, the central floral theme is set in gold around an egg-shaped cabochon. The reverse is enameled with flowers in the Kundan style.

At the Music Hall: I'm Wearing my Green Fedora, 1935

I'm wearing my green fedora,
Fedora
Not Alice, not Annie, not Casey but Fedora
I usually come to town in a battered old hat of brown
But it got red/green when me and my queen go steppin' around.

She's Fussy about colors,
She's very I think,
But if she won't fix it,
Might even wear pink.

That's why I wear my green fedora.

Fedora.
Fedora is the girl I love

The popular song "I'm Wearin' My Green Fedora" was written in 1935 by songwriters, Al Sherman, Al Lewis and Joseph Meyer for the short animated film, “My Green Fedora.” The film, animated by Chuck Jones and Robert Clampett, was directed by Friz Freleng and produced by Leon Schlesinger. Released on May 4, 1935, the film was heralded for its parody of the famous act of comedic actor Joe “Wanna Buy a Duck” Penner. You’re sure to know this song, even if not from its original source. The song was featured in other films and cartoons, notably in 1936 and 1937.

History's Runway: The Jacques Fath Swag Dress, 1949

Day Dress
Jacques Fath
Made for Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston, 1949
The Cecil Beaton Collection at
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This dress was part of the monumental wardrobe of Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (later Lady Dacre). Lady Alexandra was the wife of the Naval Attaché to Paris from 1948-50. In this capacity (or perhaps she used it as an excuse to shop), Lady Alexandra required an extensive wardrobe since she was constantly attending state dinners and important events which required formal gowns.

A woman of Lady Alexandra’s rank would have been a fixture at the debuts of a couturier’s fashion collections where she would have been seated in the front. After the show, the lady’s vendeuse (personal saleswoman) would have taken her orders and started the fittings for the “calico toile” which was essentially a muslin version of the finished gown.

Lady Alexandra’s preferred couturier was the house of Jacques Fath (1912-54). Fath was no fool and knew that the Lady’s patronage was good publicity, and, so, the designer lent her a huge assortment of evening and day dresses each season.

She later wrote: “If there was a Fath dress I wanted to keep, I could pay sale price at the end of the season. I was not allowed to go to any other couturier, but I did not want to – Fath was perfection.”

This fitted, v-neck day dress in a green and violet foliage printed viscose rayon boasts a matching swag. This was one of the creations which Fath lent to Lady Alexandra and which she subsequently purchased. The swag, stiffened with net, features a posy of paper violets.

The dress’ form-fitting style is a hallmark of Fath’s work as was the swag. Fath was known for his expert draping and was said to be the best at draping fabric around his models in order to create his designs.

Lady Alexandra gave this dress to celebrated photographer Cecil Beaton to include in the fashion collection which he assembled for the V&A.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Queen Mother's Cartier Leaf Brooch, 1928

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Made in 1928 by London's Cartier branch, this lush, lead-shaped brooch of baguette and pavé diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts and one bright ruby was given by the Duke of York (later, King George VI) to the Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth, and, then, the Queen Mother).

Queen Elizabeth presented this brooch to  her daughter, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) as a birthday gift during the Second World War.

Drawing of the Day: Fairies Rescuing a Bird, 1920-1925

Click on image to enlarge.
"Fairies Rescuing a Bird"
Margaret Tempest, 1920-1925
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Margaret Tempest (1892-1982), the celebrated English illustrator, began her career in the 1920s and became known as the creator of the beloved children’s book characters “Little Grey Rabbit” and “Fuzzypeg the Hedgehog.” The stories were written by Alison Uttley with illustrations by Margaret Tempest whose drawings graved the first thirty stories from 1929 until 1970.

Uttley and Tempest often debated between themselves about which of them could take the most credit for the success of the characters. However, it wasn’t the usual artistic struggle. In fact, each credited the other for the creation of the characters who had become household names.

Most agree, however, that the stories were given a special kind of life because of Tempest’s subtle watercolor drawings.

Here’s an interesting example of Margaret Tempest’s delicate work. In this watercolor, pen and ink drawing, we see fairies attempting to rescue a bird from a basket work cage. The artist’s gentle hand shows in the tones of the fairies’ wings and her ability to capture a moment of effort makes the painting seem as if we have been given a glance into a new world.

The drawing dates between 1920 and 1925. 

Painting of the Day: A Basket of Fruit for the Empire Marketing Board, 1931

Click image to enlarge
Still-Life of Exotic Fruit
Mark Gertler
The Empire Marketing Board, 1931
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painted in 1931 by Mark Gertler (1891-1939), this still-life of a basket holding pineapple, apples, bananas and pears on a cloth-draped table, was commissioned by the Empire Marketing Board.

The Marketing Board had been established in 1926 in order to promote trade with the Colonies and Dominions of the British Empire.  This original painting was one of several lush designs which, through using brilliant, enticing imagery, were commissioned to encourage British people to support these growing industries.  

Posters printed with these paintings, many of which were the work of Gertler in a similarly appealing style, were emblazoned with effective slogans such as "Buy Empire Every Day" and "Follow the Flag in all your Purchases."

Drawing of the Day: Loose Talk Can Cost Lives, 1942

Poster
Falter, 1942
The Victoria & Albert Museum

American and British servicemen faced a common problem during the Second World War—“good time girls.” These vixens in their seductive sweaters with their flowing hair, red fingernails, painted lips and flashy baubles were thought to be on the prowl to snare innocent men and shake them down for military secrets.

To be sure, there were a variety of female spies who did, in fact, seduce servicemen into sharing confidential information. However, most of these girls were more interested in making some money than they were in selling intelligence to the Nazis. Nevertheless, men were warned to keep their mouths closed and not get trapped by these “good time girls.” Many a propaganda poster warned against them. Here’s one.

This one was printed in America and depicts such a temptress. She’s the picture of seduction, in fact. She’s even taller and stronger than the soldier who has fallen into her embrace. She’s got him and she aims to corrupt him, and, then go straight to Hitler with whom she’ll laugh while tossing her blonde curls over her broad shoulders.

The poster warns is “Sailor beware.” Still, we can’t be quite sure if he’s pushing her away or returning her so-called “affection.”

The point was…this could be you. Well, not me. But, maybe one of the rest of you. An inscription in black on pale blue at the bottom states: “Loose Talk Can Cost Lives.” Well, we can’t argue that. 

The poster was designed in 1942 by John Falter (1910-1982) for the British and American Ambulance Corps.