Toys of the Past
Growing up, we all had our favorite toy that we wanted to play with. Maybe this toy was a teddy bear, a truck, a jump rope, or, more recently, a gaming console! Toys are a common part of our life, especially for children growing up now and in the past.
In our second-floor gallery space, Cabinet of Curiosity #6 is dedicated to the toys of the past. This collection includes several dolls, block toys, ice skates, miniatures that belonged to the children that grew up in Schoharie County, and many more toys.
The game of Battledore and Shuttlecock can be dated to the 18th century and is considered to be the precursor to the game badminton. This game does not have a playing court, but rather is played by hitting the shuttlecock (the ball with feathers attached) back and forth counting the number of times it is passed before falling to the floor. It is more of a collaborative game than competitive.
Our toy collection includes several pairs of ice skates. It is not hard to imagine families from across the county ice skating together during the cold winter months.
The first set of Anchor Blocks was released in 1884 by Adolf Richter in Germany. Unlike other blocks of the day, these were made from a formula of of quartz sand, chalk and linseed oil. These blocks were known for their natural and more pleasant feel compared to wooden models.
Within our collection, we have 7 dolls that belonged to Schoharie County children. Click here to learn more about our doll collection.
To accompany our doll collection, we also have a mini tea set and furniture set. These sets would be used as accessories when children played with the dolls.
Originally patented in 1870 by Althof, Bergmann & Co. in New York City, this toy is a dressed-up boy riding a velocipede bike. A velocipede bike is powered by pedals that are placed on the front wheel of the bike, propelling the bike forward by turning the front wheel. Compared to modern bikes, the rider pushes on pedals to engage the gears and move the rear wheel. People who rode velocipedes quickly realized that when pedaling on the front wheel that they often would veer off course due to their pedaling. By changing the gears to the rear wheel, riders gain significantly more ability to steer.
All of these toys were once part of someone’s childhood. They show our visitors a little bit of what it would have been like to grow up during the 18th and 19th centuries. Think about the toys you played with growing up. Do you see any differences between your favorite toy and what children play with today? What has changed and what could we learn from the toys of the past?
If you are interested in learning more about toys, from the past and present, we highly encourage you to explore The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. Their website includes several virtual exhibits that show their collection of toys. Click here to visit their website.