“Toys: 1890s – 1940s” Now on Display at Rosenberg Library
The Rosenberg Library Museum announces its newest exhibit: “Toys: 1890–1940s.” This exhibit features a wide array of antique toys and vintage games. These items were donated by Margaret and Elisabeth Runge, Marjorie Runge Kelso, Mrs. Rai Kelso, Margaret E. Biehl, Dr. Edward and Sally Futch, Mrs. Fred Burton, Herbert L. Ganter, the Morgan Family, Frances A. Mattei, William H. Davis, Dorena Ames, and W.R.A. Rogers.
The exhibit is on display through Summer 2012. “Toys: 1890s-1940s” is located in the Hallway Gallery on the library’s third floor. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Toys provide a sense of pleasure, fantasy, and imitation. They are a joy to play with as children and are fun to reminisce about as adults. Often, toys offer a glimpse into how life was different—and in many cases how it was the same—in the past.
Children of ancient civilizations played with many of the same toys still found today: rattles, balls, tops, pull-along animals, and dolls. Examples of these types of objects have been uncovered during archaeological excavations all over the world.
Highlights from the library’s toy exhibit include a ca. 1890 rag doll with a hand-painted face and hair, ca. 1900 toy soldiers on horseback, and a 1906 miniature iron stove. There are several examples of wooden doll furniture and tea sets as well as mechanical toys, musical instruments, and educational games.
Don’t miss the chance to view this fun and nostalgic exhibit. Admission to the library’s museum is always free of charge.