item details
NameDoll's chair (part of doll's bedroom suite)
ProductionLeo Hobbs; maker/artist; 1946; Upper Hutt
Classificationfurniture
Materialsrimu (wood)
Dimensions80mm, 170mm, 100mm
Registration NumberGH025603
Credit lineGift of Sue Glyde, 2020
Overview
This chair is from a doll’s bedroom furniture suite made for Leola Barkman in 1946. The maker was Leo Hobbs, a friend of Leola’s grandfather Henry. The suite consists of a rimu wardrobe, bed, dressing table and chair.
During the Second World War the Government implemented a total ban on toy imports, and those restrictions were still in place in 1946. Dozens of local toy companies popped up during the war to produce simple toys for New Zealand children, and many children played with homemade toys like this furniture suite.
Further reading:
Veart, David. 2014. Hello Girls and Boys: A New Zealand Toy Story. Auckland: Auckland University Press.