Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FROEBEL'S GIFTS

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

WOOD

No. Pieces

20

Description

1. LONG BOXES: 3 PIECES. 6.5CM (H) X 26.4CM (L) X 7.7CM (W). RECTANGULAR MAHOGANY BOXES WITH DOVETAIL JOINTS AND SLIDING LIDS ON TOP. SMALL NOTCH IN ONE END OF LID FOR OPENING. STAINED AND VARNISHED. TWO HALVE YELLOW STICKERS AT ONE END, READING "OCCUPATION MATERIAL FOR THE KINDERGARTEN GIFT NO. 2 MILTON BRADLEY CO. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. BOSTON NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO". PAPER REMNANT ON THIRD BOX. ONE BOX HAS WOODEN BLOCKS AT BOTH ENDS, WITH CYLINDRICAL HOLE IN EACH. 2. 4 PIECES. 9.2CM (H) X 9.8CM (W) X 9.8CM (L). CUBE-SHAPED VARNISHED MAHOGANY BOXES WITH DOVETAIL JOINTS. TWO HAVE SLIDING LIDS ON TOP WITH NOTCHES FOR OPENING; OTHER TWO ARE MISSING. ONE HAS PINK LABEL READING "BRADLEY'S OCCUPATIONAL MATERIAL FOR THE KINDERGARTEN GIFT NO.5" WITH SAME MANUFACTURING INFORMATION AS ABOVE. SECOND BOX WITH YELLOW LABEL IS FOR "GIFT NO.6". OTHER TWO BOXES ARE UNLABELED, AND ONE HAS VERY LITTLE VARNISH REMAINING. 3. 2 PIECES. SIMILAR TO .2 EXCEPT STAINED GREEN. ONE IS MISSING LID; OTHER HAS LABEL ON LID READING "GIFT V. PHILIP & TACEY, LTD., LONDON, E.C." WITH SKETCH OF MAN, AND IN SCROLL "LET US LIVE FOR OUR CHILDREN". NAILS IN PLACE OF DOVETAIL JOINTS. WOOD BADLY CRACKED. 4. 9 PIECES. 6.5CM (H) X 7CM (W) X 7CM (L). SIMILAR STYLE TO .3, EXCEPT IN SIZE. THREE HAVE WHITE PAPER LABELS READING "BRADLEY'S KINDERGARTEN MATERIAL NO.3, THIRD GIFT MILTON BRADLEY COMPANY SPRINGFIELD MASSACHUSETTS". ONE IS RIPPED IN BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER. FOURTH BOX HAS SIMILAR GREEN LABEL, EXCEPT WITH NO.4, FOURTH GIFT. FIFTH BOX HAS RED LABEL READING "OCCUPATION MATERIAL FOR THE KINDERGARTEN GIFT NO.3" WITH MANUFACTURING INFORMATION. OTHER BOXES ARE UNLABELLED. ONE MISSING LID.

Subjects

CONTAINER

Historical Association

EDUCATION

History

USED IN AUNT DOROTHY'S PLAYHOUSE. "FROEBEL'S GIFTS" WERE USED IN LETHBRIDGE SCHOOL SYSTEM KINDERGARTENS IN THE EARLY 1900S BEFORE BEING ACQUIRED BY THE PLAYHOUSE. BOXES WERE USED TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS IN SPACE AND SUCH. THEY WERE PIONEERED BY FROEBEL, A GERMAN EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHER WHO DEVELOPED A THEORY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS THAN "KINDERGARTEN"). FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT (AMERICAN ARCHITECT) CONTRIBUTES HIS UNDERSTANDING OF SPACE TO THIS SYSTEM. AUNT DOROTHY'S PLAYHOUSE WAS FOUNDED IN 1948 BY DOROTHY GENTLEMAN, WHO OPERATED THE SCHOOL UNTIL HER RETIREMENT IN 1973. THE SCHOOL, LOCATED AT HER HOME AT 635 8 ST. S. WAS INTERNATIONALLY REPUTED, AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PRIVATE KINDERGARTENS IN THE CITY. IT WAS MODELED AFTER THOSE IN THE "OLD COUNTRY" (DOROTHY CAME FROM SCOTLAND), AND THE CHILDREN WORE UNIFORMS AND A JACKET WITH A SCHOOL CREST. LESSONS INCLUDED FRENCH, MUSIC, SINGING AND DANCING, FINGER PAINTING, AND FIELD TRIPS. FOR MORE HISTORY, SEE P19940049001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P19940049003

Acquisition Date

1994-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail