Group of Toy Soldiers

Loan from William and Suzanne Flynt • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

First made from wood, stone, clay, and metal, it wasn’t until the end of the 18th century that toy soldiers were mass-produced. By the turn of the 20th century, several companies in Europe were producing inexpensive lead toy soldiers and American makers began producing toy army figures around World War I (1914-1918). Several makers molded their figures in cast iron or used a sawdust and glue mixture called “composition.” After World War II (1939-1945), amid concerns about lead poisoning, some manufacturers looked to plastic as a cheaper and more child-friendly medium. These toy soldiers, wearing olive drab and made of composition, are stamped Lineol, which is a German toy company. They were owned by the Harold and Effie Ames family of Northampton, Massachusetts. Their four sons, Frederick, William, Richard, and Roger, born between 1927 and 1933, played with them in the 1930s.

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Details

Item typeToy, Game
Date1930–1939
PlaceGermany
TopicSocial Activities, Entertainment, Recreation
Military, Wars, Battles
Family, Children, Marriage, Courtship
EraGreat Depression and World War II, 1929–1945
Catalog #M.45
View this item in our curatorial database →
Group of Toy Soldiers. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/m-45/. Accessed on December 6, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.