King Manor in Context

Playtime in the 19th Century

Two children try hoop and stick on King Manor’s front lawn.

Let’s Play!

Rufus and Mary King raised five boys, two of them at King Manor. While the oldest three – John, Charles, and James – were away at school in Europe, their brothers Edward and Frederick (“Fitty”) grew up in the house. Later, their own children, like John’s daughter, Cornelia, and Charles’ daughter, Eliza, would visit or even live at King Manor.

Over the years, children from the King family would have spent countless hours running through the halls of the house, exploring the grounds, and surely getting into all sorts of mischief. But what was play time at King Manor really like in the 1800s?

What was there to play with?

Dolls

Just as today, children loved to play with dolls. Dolls were made from a variety of materials, depending on the size, style, and the price! Most dolls had stuffed cloth bodies, and more expensive dolls might have porcelain or ceramic heads, arms, and legs. Their clothes were made by hand and looked just like miniature versions of what children were wearing at the time. Sometimes children, especially girls, would learn to make their own dolls clothes which taught them skills like sewing, knitting, and embroidery.

Paper Toys

Paper toys were easy to make and sell, and they were popular throughout the 19th century. Children enjoyed playing with elaborate paper theatre play sets that allowed them to put on miniature plays. They loved making paper boats and sailing them on a basin of water or a pond. And they especially loved paper toys called thaumatropes that created optical illusions when spun very fast.

Outdoor Games

Nineteenth-century children loved to play outside. The King family had over 160 acres of land, which is one very big backyard! Although a lot of that land was used for farming, the King children and grandchildren would have had a good chunk of it to play on. They would have played games like hoop and stick, where you tried to keep a large hoop rolling upright by hitting it forward with a stick. Or they would play the game of graces, tossing one small hoop from two sticks to another person’s two sticks. They played with balls made of leather, and games of marbles on the ground. And they would also play tag games.

Toys like these might be found under the Christmas tree at King Manor when John King and his children lived there in the 1850’s.

What about Stuffed Animals?

The popularity of stuffed toys came later in the nineteenth century, although people have been making them since ancient times. They were made with cotton or wool cloth, or sometimes from leather, and they were stuffed with horsehair, sawdust, or even old rags. There were many types of stuffed toys, just as there are today! Stuffed rabbits, dogs, and horses were very popular options, and yes even bears. But did you know that they weren’t called teddy bears until 1902? A toy shop owner in Brooklyn named his stuffed bears after then-President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was “Teddy.” If any of the King children had stuffed bears, they would not have called it a teddy bear.

Grades 2-8: Critical Thinking Challenge!

Try and find or think of a toy you own (or owned) that is only made from materials people would have had in the 1800s. Remember, children living at King Manor lived in a time when there were no lightbulbs, batteries, or anything requiring electric power. And they didn’t have plastic either (including synthetic fabric!). Can you do it? If you can’t, why do you think that is?

How did your gender affect playtime?

Playtime could be very different between the children that lived at King Manor. A lot changed depending upon what gender you were, from the toys you played with to how you played with them. Gender roles were very strict in the 1800s. Most nineteenth-century people only recognized two genders — male and female — and believed that girls and boys shouldn’t do the same kinds of activities and work. Girls were expected to be graceful, soft-spoken, and elegant. They were told they were going to grow up to get married, run your household, and be a mother. Boys were expected to be strong, hardworking, and successful. They were told they were going to grow up to get a good education, get a job, get married, and make money to support their family.

A young visitor plays the Game of Graces at King Manor.

Nineteenth century parents would buy toys that taught their children the skills and character traits they wanted them to have when they became adults. Girls would be given dolls, tea sets, and miniature furniture, so they could pretend to be mothers and play house. Boys would be given building blocks, sporting equipment like balls, or a strategy games like marbles and jacks so they could exercise their bodies and minds.

Both boys and girls were given outdoor games like hoop and stick or the Game of Graces. Even outdoor games sometimes had gender roles, however. The Game of Graces was originally meant to be played by young ladies, to teach them how to move gracefully and delicately without too much movement. You weren’t supposed to use your whole arm to toss the hoop from stick to stick, only your wrists! Boys were also allowed to have more outside time than girls, especially as girls got older. Older girls were expected to learn other skills that people didn’t expect boys to know, like handicrafts (sewing and embroidery).

Grades 2-5: Critical Thinking Challenge!

What 1800s toys would you want to play with? If you lived in the 1800s, what toys do you think you would have been given? Do you think that’s fair? Why or why not?

Grades 6-8: Critical Thinking Challenge!

Toys in the 1800s were made with gender in mind, but is that still true today? Think about the last time you were at a store that sold toys. Could you tell which toys were made “for girls” and which were made “for boys?” How?

Based on your answer to the above, what skills and character traits do you think toys made “for girls” today are promoting? What skills and character traits do you think toys made “for boys” today are promoting? What makes you say that? What do you think about that?

Keep exploring!

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