On display

Alphabet Box

ca. 1845 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
England (made)

Educational toy consisting of 461 printed paper letters mounted on wood and varnished, includng punctuation marks and dipthongs, small and capital letters, spaces and numerals. They are held inside a mahogany box with 36 compartments to store the tiles, and a removable tray with four long slots into which they can be placed.

Object details

Categories
Children & Childhood
Education & Learning
Object type
Alphabet box
Materials and techniques
printed paper, mahogany
Paper
Mahogany
Printed
Brief description
Alphabet Box, English, about 1845
Physical description
Educational toy consisting of 461 printed paper letters mounted on wood and varnished, includng punctuation marks and dipthongs, small and capital letters, spaces and numerals. They are held inside a mahogany box with 36 compartments to store the tiles, and a removable tray with four long slots into which they can be placed.
Gallery label
(01/07/2023)
Words

Children learn how to communicate by engaging with people around them. But learning to read means making sense of symbols on a page and understanding the sounds they represent.

Toys to help children with reading have evolved over the years from printed letter cards to more interactive electronic devices.

3 Alphabet Box
Designer: Unknown
Date: About 1845
Location: Wales
Materials: Wood, printed paper
Museum no. MISC.21-1967

4 Speak & Spell
Designer: Texas Instruments
Date: 1978
Location: USA
Materials: Plastic, electronics
Museum no. B.20-2022

5 LeapPad
Designer: LeapFrog Enterprises Inc
Date: 2001
Location: Designed USA, manufactured China
Materials: Plastic, paper, electronics
Museum no. B.121-2004

6 De Luxe Typewriter
Designer: Louis Marx & Co. Ltd
Date: 1965–69
Location: Wales
Materials: Metal, plastic, textile
Given by Nicola Gale
Museum no. B.93-1998
Object history
The letters can be used to form words and sentences and they slot into the fitting of the box.

The set belonged to a little girl who died about 1850 aged about 9 years.
Production
unknown maker
Collection
Young V&A Collection
Accession number
MISC.21-1967

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Record createdMarch 4, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26431/alphabet-box-unknown/
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