Virtual Online Exhibit
For the majority of the 19th and 20th centuries, children were expected to either be educated or to work alongside their parents in the workforce. Due to their responsibilities, there was little time for children to play; when they did, their toys were very simple. Dolls, card games, board games, and wooden toys were often seen accompanying children and were the peak of entertainment for the young people of the 1800s and 1900s.
This exhibit features vintage and antique toys from the Museum of the Llano Estacado collection. It gives a glimpse into the past of play, showing that even though toys have evolved and the concept of play has changed, the legacies of these "Timeless Toys" have carried on to the present day.
1800s
Stereoscope
(Mid-1800s to Mid-1900s)
This Perfecscope is a Holmes-Bates-type stereoscope. Almost a century before its successor, the 3-D glasses, this version of the stereoscope was invented around 1860 by American, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. It made stereoscopy available to Americans of all ages and contributed to the craze of stereo cards in the late 1800s. He intentionally did not patent the viewfinder, and everyone was free to develop their own stereoscopes based on his design. The design was further improved by Joseph L. Bates and became known as the Holmes-Bates stereoscope or the American stereoscope. It consists of two prismatic lenses and a wooden stand to hold the stereo card. This type of stereoscope remained in production for a century and many companies continue to manufacture them in limited production.
Stereoscope and Stereoscope Viewing Cards from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Stereoscope Viewing Cards
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Stereoscope Viewing Cards
(Late 1800s)
Stereoscope viewing cards such as these are meant to sit on the end of the stereoscope and be viewed through the lenses, allowing the viewer to see the world’s wonders.
The orange viewing card was created in the 1870s and was published by E. & H.T. Anthony and includes views of the Palisades and picnickers on the shore of the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey. These photographs were taken nearly 40 years before the conservation of the Palisades, back when they were still being exploited and mined.
The green viewing card was published by Ben Hains of New Albany Indiana, a renowned cave photographer who captured sizable views of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. This card depicts a couple of boats floating down Echo River, which is located 360 feet underground.
The yellow viewing card was created in the late 1800s, and portrays Horticulture Hall in Philadelphia, PA, during the Centennial International Exhibition in 1876. This exhibition, the first official World’s Fair to be held in the United States, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
Flinch
(Late 1800s)
The rules of this game, marketed to those ages 7 and older, are similar to those of Skip-Bo- the first person to run out of cards in their stockpile wins. Those who are familiar with this card game may know the creator to be A.J. Patterson, but the true and forgotten inventor is Eugene H. Munger. In the late 1880s, Munger was living with his mother in New York City. In 1893, Munger invented a new variation of solitaire called Flinch, a game with commercial potential. The following year, the game company Selchow & Righter agreed to sell the game, but it was not successful. In 1901, after becoming acquainted with Flinch, A.J. Patterson tried to discover the origins of the game but had no luck. As a fan of the game, he began to reproduce and sell it in his stationery store, where it became a success. In 1902, Eugene Munger heard about the popularity of Flinch and contacted Patterson, objecting to the production of it without his consent. After drawing up a contract, Patterson bought the rights to the card game and immediately trademarked the term “Flinch”.
Flinch
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Early 1900s
Magic Dots for Little Tots
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Magic Dots for Little Tots
(1907)
The early 1900s was a time when marketing the creative process became more of a focal point for children’s education. One result of this was a fun coloring activity, manufactured in 1907 by Milton Bradley. It was marketed as a mess-free coloring experience for children of all ages, even as young as 2 years old. It consists of colorless picture cards with small holes and small colored dots that can be placed in the holes on the card to bring color to the image. Popular through the 1930s, this fun activity allowed small children to learn about the harmony and contrasts of colors in a hands-on, reusable, mess-free way.
Milton Bradley took to creating games during the Civil War to bring cheer to the nation. In 1860, he opened the Milton Bradley Company and created the Checkered Game of Life; 40,000 copies were sold in one year. The Milton Bradley Company prospered until the late 1900s when Hasbro, Inc. acquired it in 1984.
Southern Pacific Souvenir of the Golden West Playing Cards (1915)
The backs of these colorful souvenir playing cards portray a landscape painting of Mount Shasta, a potentially active volcano in California. The face of each card features a different photograph of the Southern Pacific Sunset Railroad, American Canyon Railroad, and Shasta Railroad. Each suit is assigned a specific color: clubs are orange, diamonds are green, hearts are blue, and spades are pink, and every deck includes a booklet that provides information regarding the subject pictured on each card. Not only were these cards used for entertainment purposes, but as a way to learn and recognize the Southern Pacific landmarks and geography.
Southern Pacific Souvenir of the Golden West Playing Cards
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Puzzle Peg
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Puzzle Peg
(1920s)
Although this specific game was manufactured by Lubbers & Bell in the 1920s, the first evidence of peg solitaire can be traced back to the late 17th century, in the court of Louis XIV. An engraving by printmaker Claude Auguste Berey, dated 1697, portrays French noble Anne de Rohan-Chabot, Princess of Soubise, with the peg solitaire by her side. However, the peg solitaire
game depicted in the engraving is different from the one exhibited. This Puzzle Peg game board from the 1920s has 33 holes and is the most common game board for England, while the French peg game in the engraving had 37 holes, and is known today as the classic peg game board.
Lloyd-Loom Toy Stroller
(1920s)
Circa the early 1900s, this woven, toy pram would have been a cozy spot for a child to lay down their doll. It was woven using the Lloyd-Loom technique, established in 1922, which consisted of using a machine to tightly weave twisted kraft paper around a steel wire core. Marshall Burns Lloyd aspired to preserve the sturdiness and complexity of wicker but with an easier and more efficient process. In 1917, Lloyd patented his new material and way of weaving. Before long, both the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe were demanding more Lloyd Loom furniture made using the techniques and materials patented by Lloyd. At the height of fashion in the 1930s, there were few hotels, restaurants, or ships that did not own this wicker furniture. By 1940, approximately 10 million pieces had been produced in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Lloyd-Loom Toy Stroller
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Crazing Doll
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Crazing Doll
(Early to Mid-1900s)
This doll dates sometime in the early to mid-1900s, and is a composition doll. Composition dolls were made from 1909 through the 1950s, but the height of their popularity was from the 1920s through the 1940s. Composition is a material made from sawdust, resin, glue, and wood flour that is then painted to be the doll’s skin. Some of the companies most well-known for making composite dolls were Madame Alexander, Effanbee, American Character, and Louis Amberg & Son. One thing that most composition dolls have (that this one does not) is a maker’s mark. A maker’s mark is a specific brand or stamp pressed into the composition material of the doll’s body, stating the manufacturer. Because this doll does not have a mark, her manufacturer is unknown, and it is unclear exactly when and where she came from. Her face and limbs have cracks, which are called crazing. Crazing is caused by changes in moisture and temperature. Composition dolls are made of wood, among other things, which expands and contracts in extreme temperatures, causing the paint to flake.
Have you seen this doll before? Do you know when she was made? Let us know, and help us solve the mystery!
Happytot "Petite" Doll
(1927)
Manufactured in 1927 by the American Character Doll Company, the Happytot “Petite” doll had a smiling face with dimples and wore a more life-like expression than previously manufactured dolls, which gained popularity for the Happytot doll rather quickly. Beginning in 1923, the American Character Doll Co. began using the trade name “Petite,” and many of their composition dolls were marked and tagged with that name. Their best-selling dolls included the bottle-holding Bottletot and the smiling Happytot.
Happytot "Petite" Doll
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Mid to Late 1900s
Lotto (left)
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
Bingo (right)
from Private Collection
Lotto & Bingo
(1930s to 1990s)
Made by Milton Bradley in the 1930s, Lotto (left) quickly became a timeless American favorite; however, you may now know the game by a different name. It consists of a grid of pictures and several chips to cover the squares with when one of the pictures is called out. It became so common to lose chips that people would substitute them with dried beans, and when a player had covered up all of their squares they would exclaim “Bean-O!”, which later turned into “Bingo!” (right). This version of Bingo with an automatic number dispenser was manufactured in 1999 and completes the side-by-side comparison of how far this game has come.
Spinning Top
(Mid-1900s)
This vintage spinning top, circa the mid-20th century, has a wooden body and a steel tip for it to spin on. This specific type of top uses a string (not exhibited) to get the necessary spin. The user must wrap the cord around the metallic tip and make their way up to the flat part of the top. According to archaeologists, spinning tops are one of the oldest toys in the world, with the oldest spinning top ever found being dated from nearly 6,000 years ago.
Spinning Top
from the Museum of the Llano Estacado
From the wooden stereoscope and composition dolls to the colorful Bingo dispenser and cards, toys have come a long way since the days of Milton Bradley and A.J. Patterson. Since the beginning of civilization, toys have been keeping children entertained and connected, and as portrayed in this exhibit, have made a profound and unforgettable mark on the lives they have touched, as well as human history.
Thank you for viewing "The Timelessness of Toys" virtual online exhibit. We want to continually improve our virtual exhibit experience. If you have a moment, please take this brief survey to give us feedback about this exhibit. Keep an eye out for future virtual online exhibits by the Mabee Regional Heritage Center!
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Thank up for viewing "The Timelessness of Toys", a virtual exhibit by the Mabee Regional Heritage Center.
To view the citations for this exhibit, please click here.