Dean's A1 Alphabet Chart thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Dean's A1 Alphabet Chart

Nursery Wall Hanging
1922 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Wall hanging of white cotton, printed in colours in a grid of twenty-four squares showing the letters of the alphabet and accompanying illustrations of various animals. There is a metal ring on the bottom right corner, and previously there would have been one of these in each corner to facilitate hanging, but the other three are missing. The illustrations per letter are as follows:
A - Ass
B - Bunny
C - Cock
D - Dog
E - Elephant
F - Frog
G - Gee-Gee (i.e. horse)
H - Hen
I - Insects
J - Jackdaw
K - Kittens
L - Lambs
M - Mouse
N - Nanny-Goat
O - Owl
P - Polly (i.e. parrot)
Q - Quack-Quack (i.e duck)
R - Robin
S - Squirrel
T - Turkey
U - Ugly Monkey
V - Vain Peacock
WX - Wren
YZ - Yellow Duck


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDean's A1 Alphabet Chart (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Printed cotton
Brief description
Wall hanging, alphabet nursery print, made in Britain by Dean's Rag Book Co. Ltd., 1922
Physical description
Wall hanging of white cotton, printed in colours in a grid of twenty-four squares showing the letters of the alphabet and accompanying illustrations of various animals. There is a metal ring on the bottom right corner, and previously there would have been one of these in each corner to facilitate hanging, but the other three are missing. The illustrations per letter are as follows:
A - Ass
B - Bunny
C - Cock
D - Dog
E - Elephant
F - Frog
G - Gee-Gee (i.e. horse)
H - Hen
I - Insects
J - Jackdaw
K - Kittens
L - Lambs
M - Mouse
N - Nanny-Goat
O - Owl
P - Polly (i.e. parrot)
Q - Quack-Quack (i.e duck)
R - Robin
S - Squirrel
T - Turkey
U - Ugly Monkey
V - Vain Peacock
WX - Wren
YZ - Yellow Duck
Dimensions
  • Height: 71cm
  • Width: 47.5cm
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Given by Caroline Hirst
Object history
Given to the Museum in 2017 by Caroline Hirst [2016/951]
Historical context
Dean’s Rag Book Co. Ltd. was founded in 1903 by Henry Samuel Dean and was an off-shoot of the Dean & Son publishing firm that specialised in children’s books. Originally set up to make rag books, Dean’s soon diversified into rag sheets and soft toys, including teddy bears. The first bear was made in 1915 and during the 1920s and 1930s Dean’s were at the forefront of British bear manufacturing.

The designs on this object first appeared in 1916. This wall chart is indicative of what childhood items were still be mass produced during the First World War and provides insight into nursery interior design at this time.
Production
The Animal Alphabet was produced from 1916-1920 in horizontal format with the reference number S118. It was reissued in 1922 in a portrait format, with a new reference number: S149.
Subjects depicted
Other number
S149 - Model number
Collection
Accession number
B.147-2017

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 22, 2018
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest