Evening Talk - Toy Stories: ‘Frozen Charlottes’ and Penny Toys from the Victorian/Edwardian Era

Toys have been an integral element to so many lives, but have you ever wondered about their fascinating history? This lecture will look at penny toys of the late Victorian/Edwardian period - who made them, and who bought and sold them. Journey through the toy industry of Germany, which dominated the market for mass-produced toys before the outbreak of war in 1914, to the ‘gutter merchants’ who sold penny toys and novelties on the streets of London. Sally Jones will explore examples of penny toys, and their social and cultural meaning. There will be a special focus on the tiny nineteenth-century porcelain dolls that are often called ‘Frozen Charlottes’ by collectors today. Sally will reveal how these intriguing dolls came to be given their name, and how they were originally sold as penny novelties by the London street traders.