The little girl at the front is made of tin (is she skipping rope?) and retains some of her original paint. The cast iron wheels hold a bell between them. Toys like these were made by American companies such as Fallows of Philadelphia; Althof, Bergmann of New York; and Gong Bell of Connecticut throughout the mid to late nineteenth century.
The cast iron assembly holding the chime bell.
I've never seen anything like it. It's beautiful even without the paint, but I imagine it must have been even more spectacular in color.
ReplyDeleteI love it! You've got some cool antique toys!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool toy Tracy...someone really liked you for that is an awesome Christmas present to recieve! Take care, Janice
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous! I love old pull toys. Such simple toys, but so cherished.
ReplyDeleteAnother winner in your toy vault Tracy! I can only imagine the sight it must have been with its original paint.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the maker of the girl-chime pull toy? We recovered the wheels of the toy during excavations at a historic Montana Indian agency that was occupied between 1875 and 1884. It would be interesting to know the maker. Thanks - Steve
ReplyDeleteHi Steve,
DeleteThe wheels you found likely came from a similar toy, especially if you only found two. These wheels show up on the toys made by several companies, but most often by Gong Bell, which began manufacturing in 1872 (and lasted into the 1960s.) Nice find, and nice to know they had some toys at your Indian agency!