Monday, September 24, 2012

The Art of Play: A Model Butcher Shop, c. 1900

Click image to pick your cutlet.Model Butcher Shop
Christian Hacker, 1900
The Victoria & Albert Museum



For as long as humans have had toys, many of them have been made to not only be fun, but to be educational. Toy models were especially instructional. This one, for example, is a model butcher shop with over twenty removable pieces. It was probably made to teach children about different cuts of meat. While I can’t imagine such a toy today, when it was made in 1900, it was actually quite useful. There’s even wild boar in there. 

The toy was made by Christian Hacker—a German toymaker who specialized in doll houses and other model sets like this one. Since the text is in English, we can conclude that the model was made for export to the U.K.


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