Circus Elephants
Maker: Varies
Materials: Tin, Cloth, Rubber
Construction: Tinplating
Labels/Tags: T.K. Toys, German, Japanese, American
Age: Late 20th C.
Description: This collection of elephants includes a large stuffed "King Tusk," several wind-up riding elephants, and a tin elephant drummer.
Size: H. 8.5x W. 20.0x D. 5.5"
Provenance: NJ Estate
Weight: 3lbs 11oz
Condition: All elephants in somewhat working condition at the time of cataloguing, some sticking or jamming in the keys. Some paint damage and age-related wear.
History: Cheap toys carved from a single piece of wood and brightly painted were often sold by pedlars and street traders in the early 19th century. They were mainly produced by rural craftsmen or in small backstreet factories and sweatshops. In the late 19th century these toys were replaced by even cheaper toys stamped out of tinplate which were exported from Germany. Many of the toys were clockwork and were developed as a sideline of watchmaking. They were originally made in the 1830s for the amusement of adults.Much of the tinplate trade was based in Nuremberg and companies such as Bing and Issmayer began production there in the 1860s. There were three main methods of printing designs onto tinplate; directly from a lithographic stone, transfer printing with paper and offset lithography using a rubber roller. The range of tinplate toys was varied and included penny toys as well as more expensive lithographed models. By the early 20th century German manufacturers were producing high quality tinplate models of all types of transport.