Very 'Off-Topic' But can anyone help? (1 Viewer)

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angusbanks

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Hey guys,

I am 22 years old from England, currently a history graduate and am attempting to put together my 15,000 word thesis for my final project due next year.

The aim of my thesis is to showcase how in Britain during 1899-1910 there was an evident imperial/military society that increasingly tried to indoctrinate young boys into imperial propaganda to encourage them into imperial subjects.

Ideally I am looking at advertising during the period that facilitated this message, I was wondering if any of you have seen in your books/journals etc any toy soldier advertising or military advertising in general form the period concerned that was aimed at boys.

For Example, I have read some brilliant journals about how playing with toy soldiers implicitly prepared victorian boys for military roles as they reached adolescents, but I really need an advertisement to showcase how this was true - that advertisements messages successfully permeated society.

Sorry for the long post & I guess it is extremely off topic. But I would be so so happy if anyone could aid my research in any way !

thanks guys
 
Angus,

Have you looked at the British Library website on WW I. They may have something or maybe lead you elsewhere?

Brad
 
Hi Angus......

Given that Wm Britain created the first "hollow cast" Toy Soldiers in 1893 - there is just a short window before the dates that you mention. I would think that one of your best bets - would be to show some pics of the early boxed sets of Britains' Toy Soldiers - which featured the actual boxes of Toy Soldiers ( some of which had rather nice looking illustrations on the boxes themselves). I believe that a chap named Fred Whitstock began illustrating box lids from about 1906 though the earlier red boxes were plainer - with just the name and number of the set displayed.

I've read somewhere, that some of the larger Toy Stores ( or Department Stores - which had large Toy sections), would have had Window Displays - or within Store displays - which would have featured piled up boxes of these toys - and the toys themselves, of course. Sorry that I have never seen any pictures of such displays myself - but there may be others who have?

Other British competitors quickly followed suit - as others rapidly attempted to cash in on Britains' initial success. Maybe you could find some old photographs of Window Displays of such toys from some of the larger Toy Stores - or Department Stores with "Toy" sections at the times you're thinking about? I'm guessing that some of the larger stores might have Archive photos - or even kept some of the old advertising materials??

How about Fleet Street and the Big Daily newspapers??? They might have some old stuff on Big Store Displays - maybe at Xmas - during the period you're interested in??

Lastly - maybe you might contact some of the guys who write books about the History of Toy Soldiers. Two names that quickly come to mind are James Opie - and Norman Joplin. Maybe they might be able to help.

Best of luck anyhow with the thesis.:D johnnybach
 
Britain?
How about Europe.
and for longer than that-

GL
 
angusbanks said:
Hey guys,
The aim of my thesis is to showcase how in Britain during 1899-1910 there was an evident imperial/military society that increasingly tried to indoctrinate young boys into imperial propaganda to encourage them into imperial subjects.
Click to expand...

The advertisements were the same in the United States, and I assure you it had nothing to do with
Imperial propaganda. Except for leftists we call it patriotic. Don't forget there was a wide variety
of toys available, farm sets for example, and those I don't believe were to indoctrinate venerable
youth into plowing the earth.

Maybe you can find something here to help.
http://www.normanjoplin.com/books.htm

Old Toy Soldiers and Figures 1900-1939
Four Decades of Advertising

"Old Toy Soldiers and Figures 1900-1939 - Four Decades of Advertising is a unique record of Toy Soldier advertising from the World War 1 and pre World War 2 Periods.

Privately published and complied by Norman Joplin and Philip Dean, it illustrates many advertisements never before available to Toy Soldier Collectors and is the result of over 40 years of research by Norman Joplin

The book also illustrates many individual rare single figures from the period and concentrates on over 30 manufacturers. Abel, Australian Hollowcasts, B.M.C, Chad Valley, Charterhouse, Cheerio Manufacturing Company, Crescent, EA Doran, Dunham White, CF Eckhardt, Exella, Faudel Phillips & Son, Fry, Erecto Toy Company, Godschalk, Hanks and Hanks Brothers and Sutton, A J Holladay, John Hill/Johillco, Kew, Laurie Hansen, Lord Roberts Workshop, Marlborough Manufacturing Company, Model Toys, Oliver Harper, Pixyland Manufacturing Company, Reka, Richards Art Company, Renvoize, Russell Manufacturing Company, Stoddarts, Wellington Toy Company, and G.W. Wood

While Britains are included to a certain extent the main focus is on the other makers of the period. Volume 2 which will be available in 2012 will concentrate solely on Britains advertisements"

Here is another:
http://thebirdfeednyc.com/2012/01/20/toys-a-visual-history-1890s-1990s/
I suggest you broaden your scope. Toys available in other countries toys for boys. Full spectrum of all types of toys available. Instead of limiting your approach to validate a premise.
 
angusbanks said:
Hey guys,

The aim of my thesis is to showcase how in Britain during 1899-1910 there was an evident imperial/military society that increasingly tried to indoctrinate young boys into imperial propaganda to encourage them into imperial subjects.
Click to expand...

The premise of your thesis seems somewhat off as the dates you mention are the at the "very end" of the imperialistic era..
No?

I mean by that time, everywhere was taken and the next phase for conquered territories was the move for independence..
 
I don't agree with you Ed. We now know it was at the end of that era but in that time period, the major powers were still fighting over territory: we had the annexation of Bosnia in 1908 (which did much to poison Austrian Russian relations) and the Moroccan Crises between 1906 and 1911, not to mention the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913.
 
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