Soft toy, large monkey, velvet, mohair and glass, made by Norah Wellings, England, 1930s.

A large soft monkey made from velvet and mohair. Its top half is yellow with a long lapel and its trousers are green. The monkeys' face and hand and feet pads are brown velvet with grey hair on the other side. The tail is stuffed grey mohair with the manufacturers label stitched onto the bottom. A red bow tie is tied around its neck and there are eight mother of pearl buttons sewn onto the front of the monkey. The features on the face are painted on with orange and black glass eyes. The arms, feet and bottom are stitched on whilst the head is attached so that it can move from side to side. Mainly in good condition apart from a few brown stains on the velvet, some stitching being pulled where the arms meet the body and worn patches of mohair on the hands and feet.

This soft toy is from Daniel Agnew's collection. He is best known for running Christie's famous Teddy Bear auctions from 2000 to 2007, but his passion for Teddy Bears and all toys goes back much further than that. His mother is a well-respected antique dealer known throughout Britain. As a child he was fascinated with the bits and pieces that she bought home from her various buying trips. Daniel started to attend auctions and shows with her at the weekends and as a child of 9 or 10, what caught his eye most were the toys.

This monkey was made and designed by Norah Wellings and is complete with a Norah Wellings cloth label on the tail. She originally worked for Chad Valley is 1919 but later went independent in 1926, setting up her own toy factory in Shropshire. Most famously known for her dolls, she also made other soft toys, such as this monkey, and also teddy bears. Norah Wellings dolls are unusual because they are made of velvet, like this particular monkey, and have a charming, impish look.

B.123-2010