Clockwork toy
American Mechanical Toy Co.
Category
Toys
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood and metal, textiles
Measurements
200mm (height)
Place of origin
New York
Order this imageCollection
National Trust Museum of Childhood (Accredited Museum)
NT 659934
Summary
A clockwork acrobat toy on a wooden base, with its key. The acrobat figure is mainly made from a ceramic material, possibly over a metal frame. His arms are certainly metal, as it is partially visible, and his hip joints feel as though they are made of metal. His hands are attached to a metal bar which has a red cylinder and a black ball at each end (next to his hands), possibly to resemble a trapeze. He has moulded and painted facial features and hair (ginger, with a ginger moustache). He is wearing a pink silk shirt with long puffed sleeves and lace around the neck, and red satin breeches, with a gold-coloured braid belt. His clothes are quite frayed and dirty. The base is made from varnished wood with a chamfered edge, with a rectangular box at the right-hand side to house the clockwork mechanism, to which the acrobat is attached by means of a large, silver-coloured metal rod. On the front of this box is a painting (head and shoulders) of a woman. There is no lid to this box, but it possibly had one originally. On the right-hand side of the mechanism housing is a circular hole for inserting the key. The key, made from brass-coloured metal, has a cylindrical piece with a square hole running through it, and a large flat end with a ring at each side. total number of items is two
Marks and inscriptions
On key handle: PIONEER/ 6 On underside of base: AMERICAN MECHANICAL/ TOY CO NY.
Makers and roles
American Mechanical Toy Co., maker