Figure 1.--This little American boy from Sheridan, Wyoming was probably photograohed in the 1880s or early 90s. He hold a small white stuffed toy dog. The Teddy Bear had not yet been invented. As his hair had been cut short well before he was breached, it is claer the child was a boy. Had his hair not been cut it would have been difficult to identify him as a boy. We believe, however, that a girl might have been more likely to have been photographed with her favorite doll.

The Teddy Bear emerged as the most popular stuffed animal for boys after the turn of the 20th century, especially in America. The Teddy or even stuffed bears in general were not the only stuffed animals available. Many 19th century portraits show children, especially younger children, photographed with their stuffed animals. Our information on 19th century stuffed animals is limited. We do not know which animals were the most popular or chronological trends. Neither are we sure of the gender conventions. Stuffed animals may have been more popular for boys than dolls. We are also unsure as to girl's preferences. There probably were also variations among countries and over time. This would be useful information to develop as it would help to assess gender in old photographs. Even after the success of the Teddy Bear in the 20th century, there were many other popular stuffed animals. Note the English boy on the previous page playing with what looks like Piglet from Winnie the Poo. The Teddy Bear from the turn of the 20th century through the 1950s was the clear favorite stuffed animal for boys, especially in America. Beginning in the 1960s a much wider asortment of stuffed animals began to appear in boys' and girl's bedrooms.

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