The Bowes Museum Blog

Recently I have been preparing toys for a loan to Palace Green Library in Durham, for their upcoming exhibition ‘Books for Boys: Heroism, Adventure & Empire at the Dawn of the First World War’. The exhibition looks at the golden age of children’s books, from late Victorian, through early 20^th century, and is part of a series of exhibitions linked to the centenary of the start of the First World War.

We’ll be lending a few toys to display alongside books and original manuscripts, including these charming bandsmen soldiers, British-made in the early 1900s, of painted lead [Toy.353]. Here are just a few of them:

Some of the bandsmen soldiers [Toy.353]

My fantastic conservation volunteer Susannah prepared condition reports for all of the objects, she photographed them, checked for wobbly bits (not a technical term), and packed them safely in travelling crates for the journey. Alongside the bandsmen, we’re lending a clockwork car, GNER engine and carriage, and two dolls.

GNER engine and carriage [Toy.1.113]

I have been checking that the two textile objects – a sailor and a soldier doll – are fit for travel and display. This rag doll, dating to 1916, is dressed in full WW1 uniform, and is quite large, at 50cm tall [Toy.110]. We know very little about him, he came from an unknown donor, and the records state that he was ‘found in a cupboard’ before entering the museum’s collection. His tag names him as ‘Tommy Atkins’, and with a hand-painted face, and detailed costume, he looks to be a home-made gift for a child. He has survived in very good condition, save for a few moth holes in his woollen jacket.

‘Tommy Atkins’ [Toy.110]

This smaller sailor doll [Toy.152] has composition arms and legs, a soft body, stuffed with straw, a wax head with glass eyes, and short curly blonde hair. His sailor’s uniform is made from wool, and has suffered extensive insect damage. He needed about 6 hours of conservation to get him ready for loan – involving patching the holes in his clothes, and re-securing the loose seams. This doll was presented to The Bowes Museum in the 1980s by Mary Broke, and he is thought to date circa 1912.

Sailor doll during conservation [Toy.152]

The exhibition at Palace Green Library will run from 27^th September 2014 until 11^th January 2015.

By Katy Smith, Textile Conservator