Figure 1.--This German boy had his photograph taken in Dresden, probably in the late 1890s. He is wearing a sailor kilt and looks to be about 3 yearsold. Note how he is holding his doll. I'm not sure what the watering can is all about.

While many 19th and early 20th century boys did play with dolls we suspect that the play style was different than girls. Here we do not have any actual evidence and can only speculate. We doubt that boys were as enamored with doll babies and wanting to care for a baby doll. We think that boys were probably rougher on their dolls. This was probably one reason boys were normally given cloth dolls. Also the way boys are holding their dolls in many images suggest that many boys had a different attitude toward their dolls than girls. It may have been the companion aspect of a doll that was most appealing to a boy. A French reader writes, "To sleep, a boy needed his doll or teddy." A best as I can remember, this is what appealed to me about my Teddy in the 1940s. A French reader writes, "On the image here one can see a boy with his cloth dolly. He is proud and wants to have a souvenir of his companion. It's sure he has never play with it alike he did with their other toys, but used it alike a precious element of his life. Our French reader writes, "It is essential for a baby boy or baby girl to have a companion ( in french one says : un compagnon ). The young child needs the doll for sleeping, in case of sadness, in the street , ect. It is not a toy for him, but realy something more important . By this way a child don't realy play with his companion; He speaks to him, cuddles him; and keep it near to him in difficut situations. From the deep of the time, that was perfectly understood. That had been so and never will change. So all little girls and little boys have a companion. The little girls can have several dollies for playing. The little boys have many sort others toys. What sort of companion? In the past time, they were doll of cloth. It could be made by the mother. Later, are coming in force the famous teddy . Recently many other sorts of stuffed animals companion; according to fashion trends. How long a time does a child need a companion? Each child can have different feeling ... untill 3 ... 4 ... 8 ... years. My brother in the 1940s had one until he was 10 years old. What must be said, let's do what is natural. To day in France we don't fun of a boy 10 years having his teddy on his bed. Conclusion: Don't confuse a companion and a toy of children."

Created: January 24, 2003
Last updated: January 24, 2003