The Rocking Horse
History of the Rocking Horse
"They sway’d about upon a rocking-horse,
And thought it Pegasus" John Keats
Rocking horses date back to the 17th Century. King Charles 1 of England rode one of the earliest examples of a rocking horse when he was a young boy. His rocking horse survives to this day. Socrates is another great historical figure who galloped about with his children on their rocking horse While toy rocking horses have amused, trained and educated children of all ages for centuries. In the Middle Ages they served a serious purpose for budding knights who practiced jousting on wheeled horses.
By the 1800's, rocking horses had changed to the traditional form replicated by today's artists. The Victorian style horse on bow rockers is considered the safest form because of the width of the rockers and resistance to being overturned. During the 19th Century, wooden toy making evolved from a cottage industry into a factory production. Toys were now available to satisfy hundreds more of the affluent society on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 1851 Queen Victoria visited the workshop of J.Collinson and sons. When asked to select a rocking horse she chose one painted dapple grey. After this visit the company produced only dapple greys. Migrating to the United States in 1885 William Long advised that he makes rocking horses "in the neatest manner".
In the late 1800's, several inventive rocking mechanisms sprang onto the market. One alternative rocking mechanism was the "swing iron safety stand" developed by P. J. Marqua of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and was patented in London in January 1880. The "safety glider" has the distinct advantage over the rocker in that it does not move across the floor and takes up less space for an equivalent size horse. Because of its safe design, the safety stand allows a longer swing and is used almost universally by makers today. Most of the factory produced wooden horses were gessoed and painted a characteristic dapple-grey. In 1878 a patent obtained by Philip Marqua in the United States covered his design of a swing stand for rocking horses. Two years later a letter of patent was granted to Herbert Haddon of London for the same device. English rocking horse makers quickly saw the potential for this design and by the late eighteenth century rocking horses were offered for sale mounted on either bow rockers or swing stands.
Rocking horses were enormously popular throughout Great Britain especially during Georgian and Victorian times. They also flourished in Germany and in America until the middle of the Twentieth Century, when production of fine wood rocking horses almost disappeared.
The first world war of 1914 to 1918 saw a decline in the manufacture of rocking horses due mainly to a shortage of materials and the skilled craftsmen required to make them. Fortunately for us, the rocking horse in all its glory has enjoyed a renewal in popularity during recent years and there are now several rocking horse makers around the world who are able to offer quality horses.
The last twenty years has seen a remarkable resurgence of this historical and much beloved toy. Today, antique wooden rocking horses have become collectors' items while new artists have emerged with their own personalized approach to this fine tradition. This wonderful rocking toy is now offered in every animal and vehicle imaginable! Additionally, it's offered in soft plush materials and poly resin plastics! Rocking horses (and other animals) are available at many different price levels - from the affordable, cute first ride-on toy, to the more expensive, works of art.
What Dean Failey, of Christie's in New York says about the Rocking Horse
Before GameBoy beeped, before miniature robots twirled, before Transformers transformed, before Barbie and Ken introduced themselves to the world, simple wooden rocking horses rocked to the rhythm of small children.
"Rocking horses have a lot of nostalgic value," says Dean Failey, of Christie's in New York. "They remind people of a pleasant time, if not in their own lives, of an age that was gentler, slower and kinder. A rocker, especially one that looks antique, is often part of holiday decorations. It looks sweet sitting in front of a Christmas tree." We asked Dean, an expert in American furniture and decorative arts, to tell us more about collecting rocking horses, and here's the trail he led us down.
Rocking Horse History
Medieval manuscripts refer to carved rocking horses. As early as the 17th century, some horses were made of flat boards rather than full-bodied carved horses. "These profile horses weren't really functional and were often smaller than the kind children rode on later," Dean says.
Early in the 19th century, woodworkers, most from New England, started making more sculptural horses. "These were hand-made," says Dean. "It was Dad in the woodshop cranking out the first ones. By the mid-19th century there was a good number of them." These creations were commonly fitted with horsehair manes and tails to bring them to life. While almost always made of wood, some were padded and others had leather or cloth saddles and reins, features that have often been lost to time.
But with the industrialization that followed the American Civil War, there came a change in the way rocking horses were made. "After that, rocking horses were primarily mass-produced," Dean says. And it is this kind of mass-produced rocking horse that, many made in the 20th century, that guests most typically bring to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Most often, serious collectors seek out manufactured rocking horses of the late 19th century because they tend to come with desired accessories and have fine hand-painted details. Even fair-quality horses from this era can sell for as much as $500 to $800, with the best ones going for between $2,000 and $3,500.
Dean saw a horse of that caliber at the Tucson ANTIQUES ROADSHOW. It had a solid provenance as well as original stirrups, a horsehair mane and tail, a leather saddle and bridle, and its original smoke-colored coat of paint. Dean valued it between $2,500 and $3,500.
