Toy Horse on Wheels

#2849, Photographed by Mary Elizabeth Kulesa, 2022: Overall

Name/Title

Toy Horse on Wheels

Entry/Object ID

2849

Acquisition

Source (if not Accessioned)

Mrs. Leon Smelo

Notes

Date: 1975 Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Leon Smelo, Class of 1934 Means of Accession: gift

Made/Created

Artist

Unidentified

Place

Country

United States

Continent

North America

Material

Wood, Metal, Leather, horsehair

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Exhibition Label

Label

This wooden horse with chipped paint, wiry dark hair, and a saddle sits on a base with four wheels. The horse measures 16.5 inches in length by 15.75 inches in height. The brown color, although chipped, has a unique black-sponged layer on top. Although the reins are missing, the other parts are still intact. The eyes on the horse are metal.

Label Type

Exhibition Label

Label

Playing with pull toys is a pastime for children that can be dated back to ancient Egyptian times. The Horse pull toy pictured here is very similar in design and utility of Egyptian pull toys, which are over 3,000 years old. This toy may have been made by the Philadelphia-based Schoenhut Company, founded by Alfred Schoenhut, nicknamed “the Philadelphia Santa Claus,” who arrived in 1872 and by the early 20th century had built the largest toy company in the world.

Label Type

Exhibition Label

Label

This pull toy horse is made of wood, leather, and real horse hair and is likely American in origin. Before the advent of mass production after the Civil War, toys were made in small shops by hand.