Hill's Kindergarten Building and Spelling Blocks, 1880-1890
THF168881 / Hill's Kindergarten Building and Spelling Blocks, 1880-1890
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Artifact Overview
Educational toys in the late nineteenth century often served multiple purposes. This set of building and alphabet blocks included different shapes and colors for creative stacking. It also offered a variety of learning opportunities. With upper and lowercase letters in print and cursive, images of animals with printed names, and Roman and Arabic numerals, children could practice spelling and counting while they played.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Alphabet block
Date Made
1880-1890
Creators
Place of Creation
Location
at Legacy Locations in Photography
Object ID
2000.0.31.6
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Wood (Plant Material)
Paper (Fiber product)
Color
Green
Blue
Red
Black (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 0.5 in (animal, number, and letter blocks)
Width: 2.5 in (animal, number, and letter blocks)
Length: 1.25 in (animal, number, and letter blocks)
Height: 0.5 in (square blue blocks)
Width: 1.25 in (square blue blocks)
Length: 1.25 in (square blue blocks)
Height: 0.5 in (long rectangular blue blocks)
Width: 0.5 in (long rectangular blue blocks)
Length: 2.5 in (long rectangular blue blocks)
Height: 0.5 in (short rectangular blue blocks)
Width: 0.5 in (short rectangular blue blocks)
Length: 1.25 in (short rectangular blue blocks)
Inscriptions
KINDERGARTEN / Alphabet / AND BUILDING / BLOCKS [on box lid]
Keywords |
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Related Content
SetAlphabet Blocks and Spelling Toys
- 12 Artifacts
By 1900, many American toy companies mass-produced wooden alphabet blocks with raised ornamentation and colorful printing. These blocks belonged to Henry and Clara Ford's son, Edsel. Along with letters, they feature images of animals with their names printed below. Words on the blocks encouraged children to think about letter sounds and spelling while they played.