This bandwagon is a marvelously accurate copy of one built in 1870 for the L.B. Lent circus by Fielding Bros. of New York, famous for their open chariot style (rather than a closed box-shape common by the early 20th-century). The bandwagon was on the Barnum show by 1881 and made the five-year European tour in 1898-1902. During this time period it was copied for a lithographed paper-on-wood, 27-1/2 inch long toy with 13 musicians atop made by the W.S. Reed Company, a toy maker established in Leominster, Mass., in 1875. |
Sunday, December 25, 2011
From Richard Flint #4
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2 comments:
Might these bandwagon models have made it to UK & Europe with the show?
Fred Neill
It has been difficult to pinpoint just when during the manufacturer’s existence this toy was made. We know that German manufacturer’s exported toys to other countries but can’t say much about US-made toys of this period. I would suspect this toy was made earlier in the life of the W. S. Reed Co. and doubt if many litho wooden toys generally were exported. And I doubt very much if toys such as this were ever sold on a show.
Dick Flint
Baltimore
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