Enchanting Folk Art 19th Century Children s Hobby Horse Toy Sculpture

A charming and expressive 19th-century carved wooden rocking horse, retaining an appealing early painted surface with beautifully worn patina. The elongated, stylized form is hand-carved with exaggerated features—arched neck, sculpted ears, and a deeply carved mane—giving the piece a wonderfully naïve and folky presence. Original paint remains visible throughout in muted tones of black, green, red, and cream, softened by generations of use and natural age. The horse sits on its original bentwood rockers, joined by hand-forged nails and wooden pegs, with traces of old surface wear that speak to its long life and authenticity. The saddle form and tail are carved integral to the body, and the expressive head retains its original painted bridle details and wide-eyed character. This is a particularly evocative example of early children’s folk art...

Lots of charm and good condition for this 19th century papier mâché toy horse on wheels.

In the late 19th century the concept of thrift became a principle by which parents encouraged their children to safe money by putting their pennies into a "piggy bank", thus the proliferation of these items by pottery manufacturers, this particular example marked "SS" on the underneath indicating "A Smith Ltd.", Longton, England whose ceramic, china, and pottery business began in 1846 by Sampson Smith. Nicely molded and in excellent condition, this proverbial pig themed penny bank is painted overall white with a multiplicity of green "spatter" spots, the pig standing on all fours has a twisted tail in back. The original finish is beautifully glazed resulting in a lovely patina to this completely original bank with no restoration or touch up paint of any kind and all of it's original hand paint intact. Since these type of antique banks typically were made without a coin removal trap, the only way to extract the coins would have been the old "knife in the slot" method and retrieving the pennies one by one; or the more simpler method of smashing and breaking the bank, which is why locating these banks is very difficult, rendering a fine example particularly rare. This example is a wonderful addition to a collection of authentic still banks, folk art, or for those who accumulate pig items. This recently came from an estate collection of pig still banks. A similar example is referenced as #633 "Two Toned Pig" in Andy Moore's "The Penny Bank Book" written in 1984 when collecting pottery banks...

Early 19th Century English Tiny Clogs, Children's or Doll Shoes English clogs and is made from leather and has wooden soles The shoes has a tongue, stitching and nails. They are in ...

"Articulated Cyclist Toy – Belgian Folk Art, Early 20th Century" Early 20th Century Belgian Folk Art Articulated Cyclist Toy Handcrafted Solid Wood — Rare Colonial-Era Subject — Mechanically Designed Pedaling Motion (Belt Missing) Description A rare and remarkable early 20th-century Belgian folk art toy, hand-carved entirely from solid wood, depicting a stylized Black cyclist mounted on a painted green bicycle. The figure is fully articulated and was originally designed with a mechanical belt-drive system (now absent) connecting the foot pedals to the rear wheel. When pushed forward, the toy was engineered to simulate a realistic cycling motion, animating the rider's legs in tandem with the rotation of the wheels. Materials & Construction Primary material: Solid wood (no plywood or laminates) Figure & Bicycle: Fully carved, hand-painted in polychrome (green, red, black, ochre) Mechanical features: Jointed limbs designed to move with crankshaft motion Metal-spoked wheels on rotating axles Pulley attachment points for original belt-drive (belt now missing) Dimensions: Length: 53 cm Height: 42 cm Condition: Structurally intact; expected surface wear and patina consistent with age; belt mechanism missing but all original pulley points and joints remain. Iconography & Cultural Context The cyclist is depicted as a Black male figure in a red cap and outlined uniform, rendered in a simplified, expressive style typical of early folk toys. The toy likely reflects Belgium's colonial presence in the Congo during the early 20th century (Congo Free State until 1908, Belgian Congo from 1908–1960). Such depictions were common in Belgian visual culture of the time, often appearing in children's media, toys, and public exhibitions. This toy offers not only mechanical charm but also serves as a historical document, reflecting period attitudes and visual language. It holds curatorial interest for ethnographic, toy history, and colonial-era cultural studies. Dating & Attribution Date: Circa 1900–1930 Origin: Likely Belgium Style: Folk art, with vernacular mechanics and colonial subject matter Comparison: Closely parallels German kinetic push toys...

This is a hand carved wood prototype for a toy that would have been the model for a 19th century cast iron or tin horse drawn hansom cab. It precedes the mol...

19th century folk-art hand-crafted bedpost doll figure A rare and highly artistic example of an English 19th century folk art bedpost doll figure. With hand carved detail including ...

Early 20th Century Folk art English Articulated Toy Dog Form A very unusual and quirky example of an early 20th century English folk art articulated weighted jaw toy dog. Made from ...

19th century Belgium hand-carved child's toy. the wooden ball is attached to the base with a woven string. The child would toss the ball off the base and try to catch it back on the ...

A toy Airstream Folk Art styled travel trailer with silver faded and patina paint having a lift up back end and side door revealing beds, sink and livin...