Dolls
1903/04 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The German company of Steiff is the world’s oldest and pre-eminent soft toy manufacturer, and examples of their products have always been of the highest quality. The company was founded in 1877 by Margarete Steiff (1847-19109), originally making underskirts of felt. She soon started to design and make soft toys using the same material and the first patents were applied for in 1892. Steiff are best known for their jointed animals, teddy bears in particular, but in the early part of the twentieth century the company also made a range of felt figures. These included versions of comic and nursery characters but also featured soldiers, policemen and sportsmen.
The first Steiff footballers (there were both black and white versions) were part of a 1902 series of so-called Grotesk Figurs, a revitalised set of Steiff dolls launched under the guidance of Maragete’s nephew, Richard. He was the man who in the same year would design the very first jointed bear, thus creating the teddy bear revolution. The footballer dolls proved very popular. Soccer as a sport was becoming fashionable in Germany with the Football Association having been founded in 1900 and the first championships being held in 1903. The success of the early designs for Steiff dolls resulted in the production over the next decade of a whole cavalcade of different characters.
The first Steiff footballers (there were both black and white versions) were part of a 1902 series of so-called Grotesk Figurs, a revitalised set of Steiff dolls launched under the guidance of Maragete’s nephew, Richard. He was the man who in the same year would design the very first jointed bear, thus creating the teddy bear revolution. The footballer dolls proved very popular. Soccer as a sport was becoming fashionable in Germany with the Football Association having been founded in 1900 and the first championships being held in 1903. The success of the early designs for Steiff dolls resulted in the production over the next decade of a whole cavalcade of different characters.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Stitched and stuffed felt and velvet |
| Brief description | Steiff footballer doll made in Germany in 1903/04 |
| Physical description | Soft toy dressed figure with jointed arms and legs. The parts of the body showing - head, lower arms and hands and parts of the legs - are of black velvet. The fingers and facial features (mouth set in a wide smile, nostrils and eye shapes) are denoted by beige coloured thread. The nose and ears are moulded and the eyes are round black buttons. The hair is a mass of fluffy black thread. The figure wears a pair of cream coloured felt shorts and a thin brown leather belt with metal buckle. The upper body and arms are covered with red felt denoting a shirt, with a cream felt collar. A metal medal is attached to the left side of the chest with yellow wool and blue thread. The lower legs are covered with dark blue felt denoting turned down socks with red criss cross markings at their tops. The feet are cream felt denoting football boots with brown thread indicating the laces. Small circular discs of cream felt are attached on either side of both ankles. The wood wool stuffing is visible through two holes to the front and back of the torso. The Steiff elephant button is pinned into the back of the left ear. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Patricia Collins |
| Object history | This doll was given to the donor when she was a young girl as a birthday present. She had asked for a Victorian doll, expecting a prettily dressed lady. Instead, her parents bought the footballer from an antique shop. Although initially disappointed, the donor became very fond of him but rarely played with the doll as it seemed special. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The German company of Steiff is the world’s oldest and pre-eminent soft toy manufacturer, and examples of their products have always been of the highest quality. The company was founded in 1877 by Margarete Steiff (1847-19109), originally making underskirts of felt. She soon started to design and make soft toys using the same material and the first patents were applied for in 1892. Steiff are best known for their jointed animals, teddy bears in particular, but in the early part of the twentieth century the company also made a range of felt figures. These included versions of comic and nursery characters but also featured soldiers, policemen and sportsmen. The first Steiff footballers (there were both black and white versions) were part of a 1902 series of so-called Grotesk Figurs, a revitalised set of Steiff dolls launched under the guidance of Maragete’s nephew, Richard. He was the man who in the same year would design the very first jointed bear, thus creating the teddy bear revolution. The footballer dolls proved very popular. Soccer as a sport was becoming fashionable in Germany with the Football Association having been founded in 1900 and the first championships being held in 1903. The success of the early designs for Steiff dolls resulted in the production over the next decade of a whole cavalcade of different characters. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.608-2016 |
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| Record created | March 6, 2017 |
| Record URL |
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