Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows an unidentified boy on a rocking horse. The hobby horse seems to be based on a strong spring rather than a standard bow rocker. It is a beautifully carved horse with a dapple grey finish. The portrait was taken by Negretti & Zambra of London. It is undated, but looks like the lazte-1870s or early-80s. The studio was in the Crystal Palace. A reader writes, Seeing the name Zegretti and Zambra, I was surprised to see that they were photographers in the 19th Centuary. In its heyday they were renound as optical instrument makers, employing eventually several thousand workers making precision optical instruments until 1985."

Toy riding horses certainly seems to have been very popular in England. We used to always call these toys rocking horses, but there were various types. It may well have been more popular in England than any where else, although we can not yet say this definatively. A HBC reader in England has provided us numerous images of English children, mostly boys, on hobby horses. Many of the portraits appear to be taken on a studio prop. These boys may have had hobby horses at home, but the studio portaits almost certainly were studio props. What a small boy wanted above all in the 19th century was a hobby horse big enough for him to ride. We are not sure when they first appeared, but seemed to have esisted throughout the 19th century. The hobby horse continued popular in the early-20th century. The hobby horse was a realtively expensive toy, at least a good one. Thus boys who has them tended to give from families in comfortable circumstances. We see large number of boys photographed on hobby horses. We suspect that it was an important photgraphers trick to get a good portrait of a boy, primarily because boys liked the hobby horses. Most good studios almost certainly had hobby horses for just such purposes. Thus the hobby horses in the portraits belonged to the studios. It is likely that many of these boys had hobby horses at home. There were several different types of hobby horses. Rocking horses were originally mainly used as a boy's toys especially when boys were preparing for military life, though some early rocking horses were fitted with an extra removable pommel for side saddle riding by girls. It was considered socially unacceptable for girls to ride astride until the 1920s. Almost all of the portraits we have found showed boys with the hobby horses. We notice English boys wearing a wide variety of clothes riding a great variety of hobby horses. The most common outfit was sailor suits, but we also see Fauntleroy suits and other outfits.

Popularity

The hobby horse certainly seems to have been very popular in England. We used to always call these rocking horses, but some did not rock. It may well have been more popular in England than any where else, although we can not yet say this definatively. A factor here was economic. England was the most poosperous country in Europe and thus English families were more able to afford one. A HBC reader in England has provided us numerous images of English children, mostly boys, on hobby horses. Many of the portraits appear to be taken on a studio prop. These boys may have had hobby horses at home, but the studio portaits almost certainly were studio props. What many a small boy wanted above all in the 19th century was a hobby horse big enough for him to ride.

Chronology

We are not sure when toy horses first appeared. Some authors have suggested as long ago as 3000 BC. Here w are talking about ridable horses. The earliest was the hobby or stick horse. These seem to date to the middle ages. The roicking horse is more recent, perhaps the 16th century. The earliest we can find was one King Charles I had as a boy (16th century). We see modern looking rocking horse on parallel bows in paintings (mid-18th century). They seem to have exsisted throughout the 19th century and a result of photography we have numerous images. Early rocking horses werev mounted on a set of parallel bows like a rocking chair. They were the only type of rocking horse made until P.J. Marqua invented and patented a rocking horse mounted in a stand that was more stable. The hobby horse continued popular in the early-20th century. They seemed to have declined in popularity after World war I. The popularity of the automobile may have been a factor. The pedal car seems to have become more popular with children, again primarily the boys.

Social Class

The hobby horse was a realtively expensive toy, at least a good one. Thus boys who has them tended to come from families in comfortable circumstances. This is a little difficult to assess because so many of the images are studio portraits. We see large number of boys photographed on hobby horses. We suspect that it was an important photgraphers trick to get a good portrait of a boy, primarily because boys liked the hobby horses. Most good studios almost certainly had hobby horses for just such purposes. Thus the hobby horses in the portraits belonged to the studios. It is likely that many of these boys had hobby horses at home.

Gender

The hobby horse seems to have been an almost exclusively boys' toy. It was considered socially unacceptable for girls to ride astride until the 1920s. Almost all of the portraits we have found showed boys with the hobby horses. The photographic record suggests very strongly thay the hobby horse was a boys' toy. Almost all of the available images show boys riding them. We are entirely sure why this was because we know little girls love horses. And we know thst horse back riding was an outdoor activity deemed acceptable for girls. Perhaps parents did not commonly buy hobby horses for girls because of gender stereotypes. We do not know if girls asked for them. Rocking horses seem to have originally mainly used as a boy's toys especially when boys were preparing for military life, though some early rocking horses were fitted with an extra removable pommel for side saddle riding by girls.

Types

Toy riding horses certainly seems to have been very popular in England. We used to always call these toys rocking horses, but there were various types. This is something that we have just begun to assess. The hobby horse was a stick toy with a horses head. And carved wooden horses included both rocking and non-rocking types. We have seen some beautifully xarved and painted horses that children would have been enthralled with. The standard rocking horse was on rockers of various sizes, much like the standard rocking chair. This meant a set of parallel bows. This basic desisn was the only kind available until the late-19th century. P. J. Marqua invented and patented a rocking horse mounted in a stand (1880). A swinging mechanism was able to move the horse back and forth. While the horse moved in a forward and backward motion, the stand remained stationary. A Marqua's horse much was safer for small children as they would not tip over even rocked vigorously by the child. Nor would they rock over the toes of children nearby. Some rockers seem to have had springs. Other horses did not rock, but were stantionary horses. And we note some that were on wheels.

Clothing

We notice English boys wearing a wide variety of clothes riding a great variety of hobby horses. The most common outfit was sailor suits, but we also see Fauntleroy suits and other outfits.

Reader Comments

An English reader writes, "These rocking horses are still made and much sought after as antiques. My daughter has one, which came from her in-laws as an heirloom. Her boys spent many hours riding it. The biggest danger was climbing on and off it when they were just old enough to mount it by themselves. My daughter used to find bunches of grass in the hall where the boys had been 'feeding it'. They are expensive toys, and the one advertised costs �1,890.

Created: 6:45 AM 4/18/2010
Last updated: 7:47 AM 5/29/2011