Lawn game
Steiff
Category
Sports equipment, games and pastimes
Date
circa 1900
Materials
Fabric, wood and stuffing
Measurements
Each nine pin - 90 mm (width); 222 mm (height)
Place of origin
Germany
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 666310
Caption
This amusing game of ninepins or skittles dates from around 1900. The cats are made of fabric and stuffed and dressed with ribbons and bells. The wooden ball was made in 2004 by Roy Patterson, a volunteer at Sudbury Hall, as the original was missing. Bowling games have been played for centuries and stone bowling pins and balls have been found by archaeologists who have dated them to the times of the ancient Greeks. Ninepins was originally played in English inns and alleyways and was often known as the ‘poor man’s game’. It became popular in North America during the 17th century when the game was played by Dutch settlers. It later became associated with heavy gambling and was outlawed in the USA so players introduced one more skittle to become known as ‘ten-pin bowling’.
Summary
Nine stuffed fabric cats or nine-pins, each sitting upright on a turned wooden base, which is tapered, polished and decorated with a painted black rim. The cats, made of a cream flock like material, have painted patches of orange, black and grey stripes around the ears, one patch on each side and painted tails. They have shaped features with black bead eyes, sewn mouths, pink painted noses and transparent nylon thread whiskers and eyebrows. All the cats have a metal stud in their left ear. Eight cats have a ribbon tied around their necks, five with white ribbons, and three with red ribbons. A small brass bell is attached to each ribbon. The ninth cat is dressed in a red felt tail coat and crown like hat. The red felt is decorated with yellow stitching, gold coloured sequins and black beads. There is also a small turned wooden ball, made in 2004 by a Sudbury Hall volunteer, Roy Patterson, to accompany the ninepins. Total number of items is 10.
Makers and roles
Steiff , manufacturer Roy Patterson, maker