Money Box
Money Box
1875
1875
| Place of origin |
This is a mechanical money box depicting an American Indian with his knee bent aiming a rifle at a brown bear. The man is painted yellow, red and white to look as though he is wearing a buckskin outfit with various ornaments, including yellow painted feather decorations.The bear, painted brown, retains some spots of green paint.He is upright leaning against a tree stump with his paws held out in front of him. There is a slot between his paws into which money would be inserted.The base is green and the yellow underside conceals part of the mechanism.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Title | Money Box (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Cast iron |
| Brief description | Cast iron mechanical money box |
| Physical description | This is a mechanical money box depicting an American Indian with his knee bent aiming a rifle at a brown bear. The man is painted yellow, red and white to look as though he is wearing a buckskin outfit with various ornaments, including yellow painted feather decorations.The bear, painted brown, retains some spots of green paint.He is upright leaning against a tree stump with his paws held out in front of him. There is a slot between his paws into which money would be inserted.The base is green and the yellow underside conceals part of the mechanism. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | On the underside the coin compartment bears the inscription PAT. PEND'G. A circular plug with a small slit in the centreis stamped FEB 2
1875 PAT. (Patent registration for style of applied decoration) |
| Object history | This was formerly a long loan to the museum. |
| Historical context | From about 1870 to 1900 there was a vogue in the U.S.A. for mechanical money boxes made from cast iron, often depicting an amusing or topical event. Children were encouraged to save and to learn how to count. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Retail |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.184-1999 |
About this object record
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| Record created | March 16, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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