Saturday 4 June 2011

Assorted Toys from the John Ruskin School

Ethel Blount describes a number of toys in Gifts of St Nicholas which must surely have been produced by the John Ruskin School.  Below are a number of them.


“This “warship” again, with sails of figured paper and a row of marines who stand at “attention” on her deck, has green wheels to move on instead of waves









...that Cracker, with scarlet coat and vast jaws which open and shut as you raise his tail-coat











...The Ark itself must have a wavy, red-tiled roof with dove and olive branch painted on it; Noah and family must be clad in robes of yellow, purple, and magenta, and the beasts be grey or brown as fancy suggests.  In toys shape is important but colour quite essential.




...this cousin of Dobbin’s, who has large blue and red spots to do duty for dappling on flank and neck








...Shall we go with this line of solemn geese, who quiver on their wires as they go, “schnattering,” before their little herd?  They have come from the land of “once upon a time,” and are traveling to the England of “some day.”  Shall we go with them?"

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