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Soft toy lion cub

Soft toy lion cub

  • Place of origin:

    Germany (manufactured)

  • Date:

    ca. 1920 (manufactured)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Margarete Steiff GmbH (manufacturers)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Stitched and stuffed mohair

  • Credit Line:

    Given by Nicholas Lucas

  • Museum number:

    B.79-2011

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

The German company Steiff was founded in 1877 by Margarete Steiff. One of her nephews, Richard, was responsible for many of the early designs of the company's jointed animals. Richard was a talented artist and used to visit Stuttgart Zoo to sketch the animals. Steiff is particularly famous for its teddy bears. Richard designed the first jointed bear in 1902 and the design was perfected in 1905.

Physical description

Golden mohair lion cub jointed at the neck and four limbs. The mohair is short and the tail is stitched on. The ears are stitched over the facial seams. The eyes are orange and black glass. The nose is stitched with gold coloured thread with a black thread outline down the sides that continues to form the mouth. The mouth is further defined by dark stitches underneath. There are small dark spots on the mohair cloth around the mouth and eyes giving this lion its juvenile appearance. There are gut whiskers pierced through the snout. Each of the four feet has three claws stitched in black thread. There are no paw pads. There is an internal voicebox that no longer works. There is a small metal button and the remains of a label in the left ear.

Place of Origin

Germany (manufactured)

Date

ca. 1920 (manufactured)

Artist/maker

Margarete Steiff GmbH (manufacturers)

Materials and Techniques

Stitched and stuffed mohair

Dimensions

Height: 21 cm maximum, Length: 25 cm maximum

Object history note

Belonged to the donor's father, John Anthony Dunbar Lucas (05/05/1915-20/07/1999)

Descriptive line

Light brown mohair plush toy lion cub made in Germany by Steiff about 1920

Materials

Mohair; Excelsior

Techniques

Stitching; Stuffing

Categories

Children & Childhood; Dolls & Toys; Animals and Wildlife

Collection

Museum of Childhood

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