Figure 1.--This CDV was taken at the studio of W.Vick at Ipswich in England, probbly during the 1870's. The boy is unidentified. The rocking horse would seem to b one that any boy would be proud. Image courtesy of the MD collection.
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Figure 1.--This CDV was taken at the studio of W.Vick at Ipswich in England, probbly during the 1870's. The boy is unidentified. The rocking horse would seem to b one that any boy would be proud. Image courtesy of the MD collection. |
Perhaps the most common and popular type of hobbyhorses are the ones on curved wooden rockers--similar to rocking chairs. This is the type of hobbyhorse that is most associated with the Victorian nursery and is the obvious inspiration for this type of toy. Sometimes rocking horse and hibbyhorse are used interchangably, but of course the rocking horse has rockers and opposed to springs, wheels, or sticks. Some of these horses were quite elaborate with huge rockers, rather a piece of furniture. These were quite expensive items. Other rocking horse were much more basic items. Rocking horses are, however, are not always an indicator that the family was affluent because many of these images were taken in studios with a studio prop. This is usually obvious, but not always. Boys in the confines of their nurseries engaged in countless adventures, rocking away on their hobby horses. It is not clear to me how boys were dressed while rocking away on their hobby horses. Clearly many of the boys with hobby horses were still outfitted in dresses or kilts. Some boys may have also worn smocks. Many boys if breeched at about 5 years of age would have continued to enjoy their hobby horses for several years. most likely while wearing sailor suits.
Perhaps the most common and popular type of hobbyhorses. They wre a kind of action toy in the raher staid Victorian nurser.
Rocking horses could be more expensive than other alternatives like stick horses. Many were placed on large rockers making them almost a piece of furniture and rather expensive. Many were also beautifully painted and decorated, increasing costs. This of course placed rocking horses beyond the reach of many 19th century children. Other rocking horse were much more basic items.
Rocking horses are the hobbyhorses on curved wooden rockers--similar to rocking chairs. This is the type of hobbyhorse that is most associated with the Victorian nursery and is the obvious inspiration for this type of toy. Sometimes the terms rocking horse and hobbyhorse are used interchangably, but of course the rocking horse has rockers and opposed to springs, wheels, or sticks. We do not yet have many foreign language terms. The German term is " Schaukelpferd ".
Rocking horses in old photographs are not always an indicator that the family was affluent because many of these images were taken in studios with a studio prop. This is usually obvious, but not always.
Boys in the confines of their nurseries engaged in countless adventures, rocking away on their hobby horses.
It is not clear to me how boys were dressed while rocking away on their hobby horses. Unfortunately, most of the available images or from photographic studios, rather than actual nursery scenes. Thus the children are dressed up for the portrait, rather than photographed in the clothes they commonly wore in the nursery or at home. Clearly many of the boys with hobby horses were still outfitted in dresses or kilts. Some boys may have also worn smocks. Many boys if breeched at about 5 years of age would have continued to enjoy their hobby horses for several years, most likely while wearing sailor suits. Of course here there are differences from country to country.
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