Teddy Bear
1907-1918 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Electric eye animals were patented in 1907 and were only made in limited number until 1918. They were often used as decoration within the home as opposed to toys for children. The mechanisms inside them to light up the eyes could be activated in different ways on different bears. Some had buttons on their sides, others required you to press their back or paw.
This bear could have been made by either Bruin Manufacturing or Fast Black Skirt Company, although the bear has no marks or labels on it so it is very difficult to identify.
This bear could have been made by either Bruin Manufacturing or Fast Black Skirt Company, although the bear has no marks or labels on it so it is very difficult to identify.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Glass, mohair and felt; electrical components, metal |
| Brief description | Bear, red cloth with blue mohair, felt beige pads on hands and base of feet, USA, 1907-1918. |
| Physical description | Blue mohair teddy bear with a red, coarse material base that the mohair is stitched into. Beige felt pads are stitched to the paws and base of the feet of the bear. The back of bear has been loosely stitched, presumably where access to the battery pack is. The bear is an electric eye teddy bear and has a glass bulb for each eye. Detail has been added with red wool to define the nose and a long cord starts from the nose, presumably that once made the eyes light up. The bear wears a brown imitation leather collar around the neck. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Purchased in 2010. |
| Historical context | This soft toy is from Daniel Agnew's collection. He is best known for running Christie's famous Teddy Bear auctions from 2000 to 2007, but his passion for Teddy Bears and all toys goes back much further than that. His mother is a well-respected antique dealer known throughout Britain. As a child he was fascinated with the bits and pieces that she bought home from her various buying trips. Daniel started to attend auctions and shows with her at the weekends and as a child of nine or ten, what caught his eye most were the toys. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Electric eye animals were patented in 1907 and were only made in limited number until 1918. They were often used as decoration within the home as opposed to toys for children. The mechanisms inside them to light up the eyes could be activated in different ways on different bears. Some had buttons on their sides, others required you to press their back or paw. This bear could have been made by either Bruin Manufacturing or Fast Black Skirt Company, although the bear has no marks or labels on it so it is very difficult to identify. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.118-2010 |
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| Record created | May 11, 2010 |
| Record URL |
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