Moving Toy - barber and customer
This tin model of a barber and his customer operates by a clockwork mechanism. When the key is wound, the barber appears to be cutting his customer's hair (although the customer is bald!)
Moving Toy - dog
This metal figure of a dog has jointed legs. These work by means of levers, attached to wheels on the wooden base.
Moving Toy - doll in a rose
Moving toys were very popular. This toy features a white fabric rose containing the head and arms of a doll.
A clockwork mechanism is hidden inside the rose. When the key is wound, the doll rises from ...
Moving Toy - drinking man
This figure has a painted papier-mache head, and wears its original clothes. The silk coat and trousers are now in poor condition, with the silk fibres shredding and breaking away.
The figure holds ...
Moving Toy - hat raising doll
This wooden figure holds a wooden top hat.
A black lace is attached to the figure's shoulder. When the lace is pulled, the figure lifts up its hat.
Moving Toy - tea-pouring figure
This oriental figure has a bisque head and hands, with a composition body. It holds a teapot and cup and saucer. A clockwork mechanism is hidden in the base. When the key is wound, the figure moves its ...
Noah's Ark
The Noah's Ark was a popular toy in the 19th century. It was considered a suitable toy to play with on Sundays, because it was based on a bible story.
This ark is made from wood, covered with strips ...
Pedlar Doll
Pedlar dolls were ornaments to display in the home, not playthings. They were dressed like real pedlars, complete with a basket of tiny goods for sale.
This pedlar is made of wood, and carries a large ...
Pedlar Doll
This pedlar doll tells fortunes. Her skirt is made up of folded pieces of paper. Each one unfolds, to reveal a rhyme.
Most of the fortunes are about love and marriage :
'A darling young officer, ...
Picture Blocks
This box contains a set of picture blocks. Each wooden cube has part of a different picture on each side. The aim is to match up the cubes so they make a complete picture.
Sets like these often had ...
Plastic Doll
New plastics, developed during World War II (1939 - 1945), were used for doll and toy making from 1945. They largely replaced more traditional materials like porcelain and composition.
This 'black' ...
Plastic Doll
In the 1950's, new plastics (polyethylene, or 'vinyl') gave manufacturers a soft and flexible material for producing dolls.
This doll has a hard plastic body and legs, with soft plastic head and arms.
The ...
Plastic Doll
This plastic fashion doll, called 'Little Miss Vogue', comes with the original box and several fashionable outfits from the early 1960's.
The head is made from soft plastic, with the hair inserted ...
Porcelain Head Doll
Toys become even more interesting when we know something about their history. This doll belonged to Winifred Woodcock, who was born in 1934. It was a Christmas present in 1938, when she was 4 years old. ...
Porcelain Head Doll
This bisque head doll, with her trunk of clothes, was given to Irene Hey for Christmas 1922. It was one of the best presents she ever had:
"This precious doll came to me on Christmas Day in 1922. I ...
Porcelain Head Doll
This doll was made by the French maker Jules Steiner. His company made high quality dolls, as well as mechanical figures.It has a bisque head, with composition body and limbs. 'Composition' is a papier-mache ...
Porcelain Head Doll
This doll, sold under the trade name 'Revalo', was made by the German maker Gebruder Ohlhaver.
It has a bisque head - a matt (unshiny) porcelain, with blue closing eyes and a real hair wig.
The ...
Porcelain Head Doll
This doll has a porcelain head with painted hair and features. It is called a 'glazed china' because the head has been given an overglaze to make it shiny.
Glazed china heads were popular until the ...