1st Quarter 2007
Newsletter
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Past Tense
Past Tense, written by museum registrar, Sharon Buxton,
offers historical background for displayed artifacts.
The Marvelous Toy
A new mini-exhibit graces JHM’s Decorative Arts
Gallery. In keeping with the light-hearted nostalgia theme, we
have replaced the doll exhibit with a century-spanning display
of classic toys.
Up until the early 1800s, toys were lovingly handcrafted from
whatever materials were readily available. In the 1830s, when
the advent of improved transportation methods (think railroads,
canals, steamships) facilitated the distribution of all
commodities, mass-production of playthings began. Early
manufactured toys were simply constructed of a variety of
materials: wagons of wood, soldiers of tin, animals cast from
iron, and—thanks to Charles Goodyear’s perfection of the
vulcanization process—balls, dolls, and squeeze toys from
rubber. Two displayed examples representative of this time
include the figural cast iron bank, which served a dual purpose
as both saving device and toy, and the noted Crandall Family’s
Hero of ’76 (George Washington) carved figure.
Mechanical toys became popular in the period following the Civil
War. The Eveready Bunny has nothing on the exhibited dancing man
produced by the Ives Manufacturing Company. Powered by a
clockwork device from the New Haven Clock Company, it will keep
running for up to thirty minutes! Other advance technology of
the era produced playthings like kaleidoscopes and the truly
enchanting toy magic lanterns. The magic lanterns were the
Tickle-Me Elmo of the times, selling by the hundreds through
mail order catalogs...despite the fact that the assembly
included open flames and combustible oil lamps.
Many of the displayed toys are from enduring companies that were
started in the first half of the 20th c., like Marx, Buddy L,
Structo, Fisher-Price and Chein, manufacturing everything from
toy vehicles and pull-toys to lithographed tin and musical
playthings. Our own state, though not often recognized as a
leader in toy manufacturing, was the birthplace of a surprising
number of toys on exhibit. From the Dayton area sprung several
manufacturers that made toys operated by a heavy cast-metal
flywheel. When wound, the mechanism allowed the vehicle to climb
a steep incline. Closer to home, Sun Rubber of Barberton created
many hard rubber toys, including the engaging Mickey Mouse and
Donald Duck vehicles. Wooster-based Toy Kraft made wooden pull
toys. One of their originals, a dog-shaped toy displayed in the
exhibit, was recently borrowed to create nostalgic
reproductions. Ohio Art, one of the more famous Ohio-based toy
manufacturers, is represented by its recent claim-to-fame, the
Etch-A-Sketch. Another toy, a tin music box, characterizes the
product line which made Ohio Arts one of the premiere
manufacturers of tin lithographed toys since its founding in
1908.
JHM thanks all who contributed to this smile-producing exhibit.
These classic toys often serve as reflections of the times,
providing us with visual history. Nevertheless, the overall
appeal is, of course, the reminder to all of us that no matter
what age, it is important to take time to play.
Past, Present, Perfect
Linda Shaffer, Ed Ryan, Dodie
Bluck, Marilyn Stocker, Ken Shaffer and Terry Versch socialize
during the artists’ reception for JHM’s 75th anniversary
exhibit, Past, Present, Perfect. Staff received many gratifying
comments from all types of visitors. Some from our Guest Book:
Worth seeing a third time—wonderful!
Wonderful use of artifacts. Chosen artists captured many facets
of their beauty and meaning.
Lovely. Just Awesome!....Oorahh!.…Very inspiring!!... Worth
every minute. Great work!....Amazing!
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