Teddy bear thumbnail 1
Teddy bear thumbnail 2
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Teddy bear

Teddy Bear
ca. 1906 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bear belonged to the Cattley family who lived in Ealing, west London. The two boys, Gilbert and Donald, and three girls, Nellie, Constance and Maud, were all born between 1885 and 1892. Between them they owned a vast array of soft toys including nine teddy bears. These would have been among the first available bears in England. The children were devoted to their toys. They made beautiful clothes for them, took them on holiday, photographed them and painted their portraits.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Teddy Bear
  • Doll's Clothing
TitleTeddy bear (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Stuffed cloth, sewn cotton and embroidery.
Brief description
Teddy bear with green cotton outfit, probably made in Germany in 1906s.
Physical description
Teddy bear made of brown Yorkshire cloth with felt pads. It has black eyes and embroidered facial and body features. It wears a green cotton suit with green embroidery. The trousers are joined to a pair of yellow silk braces. The teddy bear comes witha spare dress of the same material decorated with green and white embroidery.
Dimensions
  • Whole object height: 23cm
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Given by Mrs. Maud Evelyn Cattley
Object history
Given by Mrs. Maud Evelyn Cattley. This teddy bear belonged to her children, who also made their own elephant soft toy called 'Pumpie'. Together with their other soft toys and it was treated like a member of the family.
Subject depicted
Summary
This bear belonged to the Cattley family who lived in Ealing, west London. The two boys, Gilbert and Donald, and three girls, Nellie, Constance and Maud, were all born between 1885 and 1892. Between them they owned a vast array of soft toys including nine teddy bears. These would have been among the first available bears in England. The children were devoted to their toys. They made beautiful clothes for them, took them on holiday, photographed them and painted their portraits.
Collection
Accession number
MISC.70-1979

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Record createdJuly 1, 2009
Record URL
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