Tommy
Teddy Bear
ca. 1906 (made)
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. Drawings by the children tell us that this bear is called Tommy.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Tommy (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Sewn cloth, felt and cotton and embroidery. |
| Brief description | 'Tommy' in sailor suit; Cloth, German, c1906 |
| Physical description | Teddy bear 'Tommy' made of pale Yorkshire cloth and fur with felt pads, black glass eyes and black embroidered nose and month. Dressed in a white cotton sailor suit consisting of a white shirt with a blue trim, a black ribbon and a white lanyard and matching trousers with white buttons. He is also wearing a linen white underwear. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass 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 teddy bears that were very popular at that time, Tommy 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. Drawings by the children tell us that this bear is called Tommy. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | MISC.59-1979 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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