Figure 1.--"The Wonder Book of Things to Do" provided information and suggested activities on a wide range of issues and activities. One of them was building in this case a crane with a Meccano (Erector) Set. Image courtesy of the AM collection. |
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Other articles dealt with activities that a boy might actually do, like working with a Meccano set. This was an extremely popular activity in America. The sets in America were called Erector Sets. These sets were one of the most popular boys' toys in America during the first half of the 20th century.
The boys in the image here here are building a good size crane. The thing about Erector sets is that you could build structures that actually worked. Many of the basic principles of mechanical engineering could be learned on an Erector set. Of course they are less popular today as boys are more interested in electronics. I'm less sure about how popular it was in Britain and other countries. Meccano sets were British so presumably they were popular there. urely these sets were popular in Germany. It was probably more a question of paying for one. We note Meccano/Erector sets being marketed in France. It is interesting that there was not a French version, but licened from the British Meccano company. Different companies were involved in America and Britain. I'm not sure which came first. I'm not sure when they were introduced, but we notice them in America in the 1920s, I think they first appeared in the 1910s.
Of course this was strictly a boys' activity. Girls were rarely pictured with Erector/Meccano sets in either Britain or America. Notice how seriously the boys here are depicted and how they are both rather formally dressed, both wearing ties, even though they are at home. I do not know who the illustrator was, but it is adestinctive styles I have not seen before. The illustration looks to be set in the 1930s.
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