Children's Furniture
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Children's furniture reflects changes in childrearing. Early American families wanted their children to mature quickly and work as soon as possible. A more romantic view of childhood took hold in the 1800s; well-to-do parents saw their children as precious and molded them for a successful life. In 20th-century America, parents continued to focus on childhood play and development, accepting new materials and modern design in children's furniture.
Cradle, 1760-1790
Eighteenth-century parents used cradles to keep babies warm and removed from household dangers. Parents laced babies into cradles to prevent them from falling or crawling out--you can see lacing pegs on this cradle along the top outer edge of the sides. With the baby securely restrained, mothers or other caregivers could go about their daily chores without worry.
View ArtifactBaby Tender, 1800-1850
Homes in early America could be dangerous places for infants and toddlers. Young children could accidentally fall down steps, play with sharp objects, or roll or trip into a fire. Cage-like tenders, like this one, kept little ones out of trouble while busy parents worked around the house.
View ArtifactHighchair, 1790-1800
Highchairs allowed a child to sit at the same level as the dining table, making it easier for parents to feed the child. Highchairs, however, were not commonplace in the late 18th or early 19th centuries. Most small children had to sit on someone's lap or otherwise get a boost to table level during meals.
View ArtifactChild's Fall-front Desk, 1750-1800 - 2
Eighteenth-century children had few forms of furniture made specifically for their needs: cradles, highchairs, and perhaps small chairs. This fall-front desk is a rarity. A well-to-do family probably had this made for their young son. Maybe this boy--mimicking his father who sat at a larger version of this desk--would later carry on the family business.
View ArtifactChild's Corner Chair, circa 1775-1790
Little child-sized chairs, though not commonplace, were one of the few forms of furniture made for 18th-century children. A well-to-do family--with enough cash and ample living space--may have had this chair made for their young son.
View ArtifactCradle, 1850-1900
By the 1800s, many American parents viewed the free flow of air as beneficial to a growing child. Parents began to abandon swaddling (confining an infant with a cloth or tight-fitting garments) and the use of cradle lacing pegs. Slat and spindle cradles grew in popularity. This cradle would let fresh air surround the sleeping infant, now dressed in loose-fitting garments.
View ArtifactChild's Hitchcock Chair, 1825-1865
Entrepreneur Lambert Hitchcock dreamed of manufacturing affordable furniture that was easy to assemble using uniform parts made quickly and cheaply by machine. By the 1820s, Hitchcock chairs were so popular that they were made in child's sizes.
View ArtifactOil Painting, Portrait of Delia Thayer attributed to Randall Palmer, 1839
In the 1800s, American parents began to view their children as precious possessions that needed nurturing to find their place in the world. This painting shows a little girl adorned in a formal ladies' outfit sitting in a rocker. Delia's parents may have wanted to encourage her to reach her full potential and secure the family's station in society through this portrait.
View ArtifactChild's Rocking Chair, 1845-1870
By the mid-1800s, rocking chairs became a common household item for young and old. This child-sized version of a Lincoln-type rocking chair helped children model adult behavior in the home. Henry Ford selected this horsehair upholstered rocker to furnish the Sunday parlor in his birthplace--now located in Greenfield Village. He may have remembered a similar one used during his childhood.
View ArtifactChild's Rolltop Desk, circa 1920
This 20th-century rolltop desk served the same function as the 18th-century desk above. The child, probably a little boy, could imitate his hard-working father. The desk helped prepare the child for the adult world he would later encounter.
View ArtifactTrade Card for Hecker's Buckwheat, Hecker-Jones-Jewell Milling Co., 1893
With late-19th-century industrialization, furniture made specifically for children became more commonplace. This trade card depicts a baby seated in a highchair eager to devour breakfast. Idealized images, like this one, appealed to middle-class and well-to-do parents who were ready to purchase new child-specific furniture that they believed would keep their babies safe and healthy.
View ArtifactBaby-jumper and Rocking Chair, 1898-1920
Today, many would view this jumper as antiquated and unsafe. But at the turn-of-the-20th-century it was an innovation in materials and technology. Versatile and inexpensive plywood made the jumper affordable to many American parents. A baby, secured by a restraining bar, could bounce and swing when the seat was attached to the frame. And when the seat was detached and placed on the floor, the baby had a rocking chair.
View ArtifactChildren in a Yard or a Garden, circa 1925
Twentieth-century parents wanted their babies to explore their world--but to do it safely. This photograph shows a baby in a tender supervised by older children. This tender was not as confining as the early-19th-century one shown above. Today, many parents place their almost-mobile babies in wheeled walkers to help them get around and, hopefully, keep them out of trouble.
View ArtifactThe Neuman-Kettler Co. Complete Home Furnishings, "Memories of Childhood," 1910
Hygiene, sanitation, and a child's well-being became paramount to many parents by the early 20th century. Concerned parents furnished children's rooms with white-painted furniture and metal beds that were easy to clean and sanitize in hopes of reducing childhood diseases. The room furnished with appropriate-sized furniture with cheerful decorations provided a pleasing refuge for children away from the adult world.
View ArtifactChristmas Party for Children at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, December 25, 1946
Play is a crucial part of a child's development. It helps develop cognitive and social skills needed as the child grows. Some play, often encouraged by parents, reinforced gender roles. This photograph from 1946 shows a group of little girls seated at a child-sized table pretending to have a tea party.
View ArtifactChild's Chair Designed by Ray and Charles Eames, circa 1944
In the 1940s, at the height of their interest in molded plywood, husband-and-wife designers Charles and Ray Eames designed a suite of children’s furniture. Each piece of furniture, crafted from a single sheet of plywood, was sturdy and light enough for a child to move and rearrange as playtime dictated. Play continued to be a significant theme in the Eames’ designs throughout their career.
View ArtifactChild's Table, 1956
Children's furniture often reflected up-to-date fashion trends found in full-sized adult versions. Parents in the 1950s could purchase this table and chair set with its modern patterned-vinyl seats and Formica tabletop. Children could sit comfortably around this fashionable playset and pretend to be mom and dad, who probably were sitting around a similar adult-sized version in the kitchen.
View ArtifactAdvertisement, "Fun-Iture: A Brand New Idea for Children's Furniture," circa 1960
The Fun-Iture Company of Denver, Colorado, had "a brand-new idea for children's furniture." They made fun tables and fun chairs that were sturdy, lightweight, and easy for a child to move or carry around. The company proclaimed these tables and chairs were "expressly designed for active children of preschool age, NOT just miniature copies of adult furniture." And from the images in this ad, it sure looked like fun.
View ArtifactChildren's Furniture Made by Fun-Iture Co. Featured in Gimbels Display Window, circa 1960
Gimbels Department Store in New York City featured Fun-Iture Company's tables and chairs in this children's department store display.
View ArtifactFisher-Price Advertisement, "It Took Fisher-Price and 2,043 Mothers to Design a High Chair Like This," 1990
By the time Fisher-Price created this advertisement, highchairs for children had been around for centuries--but the company now claimed it improved on the age-old design. Fisher-Price proudly announced that it had listened to "the experts"--2,043 moms--when designing this highchair. The company stated that the sturdy and stable chair was easy to use--especially when juggling a baby with one hand--and easy to clean.
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