Antique Teddy Bear & Photographs

The first antique toys I began collecting years ago were teddy bears, and although my toy collection has become much more varied since then, I am still always in perpetual bear hunt mode. It's especially exciting to find an antique bear that comes with some provenance, like the photographs in this lot.

The bear is an unusual 10 inch American made ted, circa 1906-1908, with a handmade sweater coat. It came for Christmas along with a beautiful photograph of the little girls who originally owned it, and a picture of the house they all lived in, somewhere in Michigan long ago.

These three little sisters were the bear's first owners. Although the bear isn't in this cabinet photo, a doll and picture book are prominently featured.

 

And here's the house where they all lived. Can't you just picture them playing together on the front porch?

 

 

 

 



Chalkware Carnival Prizes

I love old chalkware carnival prizes. They're just fun, colorful, delightful objects to have around. These three date from the 1950s, the largest is 12 1/2 inches tall, and they represent a couple of Kewpie-type characters and a circus horse.  And one has a secret...

...the smaller figure wearing the sailor hat has a message penned underneath which reads: "John won this August 27, 1960. Homecoming at Ubly." Ubly is a tiny village in rural Michigan, and for non-American readers, Homecoming is a major high school social event, featuring a formal dance, parties, and, in this case, a carnival. I don't know who John was, but I get the feeling he and the recipient of this prize ended up happily married, as she treasured and saved this for 50 years...

Antique Wax Doll with Provenance

One of my birthday gifts this year was another lot with provenance, similar to my teddy bear find from a few months ago. I love receiving toys like this, those that come with pieces of their associated history. Handling such a toy is a very moving experience, as you actually see the now long-gone child who first held the toy so many years ago.

This lot is comprised of a baby doll who came with many pieces of clothing made just for her, and a photo of her original owner and their house. The doll dates from the late 1800s, and is a 14 inch cloth doll with a very worn wax face. She was clearly much beloved by her original owner's family, who patched and repatched  her, and kept her things together for so long.

The doll was, I am told, chosen for her original owner because of the resemblance she had to the little girl. Even in its worn condition, the similarity is still eerily apparent:

If you look closely at the picture of the owner's house, you'll see a lady in Victorian dress on the porch. Maybe she's the one who bought and dressed the doll, so long ago...

Antique Teddy Bear Twins

The Teddy Bear Twins are a couple of (originally) matching 

16 inch British bears circa 1916-18. 

They belonged to twin brothers 

who moved to the United States in the 1920s.  

The bears were constant companions as the boys grew up.

The bear on the left has his original dark paw pads, while his
sibling on the right has felt replacements.

The bears have unusually long bodies, with very exaggerated humps, 

which can be seen in profile:

It's interesting to see how differently the matched pair of bears have evolved, due to the different use they withstood from their owners. Although both were clearly well-loved, one has definitely fared better, while his brother, in addition to losing his pads, has been squashed flat (probably from being slept on for years and years) and appears to have had a nose job.

I found these bears several years ago, and, I'm ashamed to say,

 haven't come up with names for them yet.

Suggestions welcome!

Antique American Teddy Bear with Provenance

I've been collecting antique teddy bears for about 15 years, and I've just finally managed to acquire something I've longed for all that time: a bear with provenance. The greatest associated item one can hope for with an antique bear is a photo of the original owner holding said bear. The next best: a photo of the original owner, period. This find falls into a category of its own, as it includes a picture of the original owner, family photos, a handwritten geneaology, and a children's book, also from the original owner and inscribed with his name.

The bear is a 10 inch American ted, with a definitive date of 1917, given to his original owner when he was born. The bear has an inset fabric nose and glass bead eyes, and sports one of the greatest smiles I've ever seen on an antique teddy.

He was originally purchased for Daniel Munn Richmond, Junior, of Grundy Center, Iowa. Below is a school picture of Daniel, aged 6. Isn't he a cutie? And, if you look closely, you'll see an illustration of the Three Bears on the wall behind him...

Here's the inscription on the photo's back. It reads: "Daniel Munn Richmond, Junior  Age 6 years  May 1924   Grundy Center   Grundy Co.  Iowa"

A whole sheaf of genealogical treasures came with Daniel's bear, including photos of his family (that's mom and dad below), a handwritten family tree dating back to the 1770s, and a letter from his family members who sold the bear to my dealer (the same dealer who provided my Victorian doll trunks full of toys: she's really good at finding stuff like this):

The final item in the lot was this 1919 children's book, Doctor Rabbit and Grumpy Bear, inscribed with Daniel's name.

Daniel died in 1968 at the relatively young age of 51, but I hope he would be comforted to know his bear is being well-looked after.