Toy boat
Classification(s):
Wood
Date: c. 1951-1976
Dimensions:
90 × 180 mm (9 × 18 cm)
Medium: Wood
Object number: W144K
Place of Production:England
DescriptionWooden toy boat called ‘Thea’, made by toymaker Sam Smith. Made in England. A small wooden figure with string arms is sailing in a fishing boat. The deck of the boat is painted with bountiful fish. A fishing line is strung from the boats rudder, it has caught a fish. The catch can be ‘reeled in’ by pulling on the opposite end of the string attached to a wooden dowel. The wood is painted and varnished. There is a label at the back of the boat, “Thea”.
"Sam Smith, England" stamped on the underside.
Paper label to base “144 K Painted Wooden Boat ‘Thea’”
"Sam Smith, England" stamped on the underside.
Paper label to base “144 K Painted Wooden Boat ‘Thea’”
ProvenanceThis object was originally acquired for the Inner London Education Authority’s (ILEA) ‘Circulating Design Scheme’ collection.
The collection was instigated by the London Country Council (later the Greater London Council) and the Council of Industrial Design (COID). The collection’s original purpose was concerned with the teaching and dissemination of modern, ‘good design’.
The collection was established in 1951/52 as the ‘Experiment in Design Appreciation’, later renamed the ‘Circulating Design Scheme’.
The Circulating Design Scheme lent boxed showcases to London schools. The showcases contained handling objects, material samples and interpretation on a specific subject.
COID withdrew its involvement in the Scheme in 1957. After which time, it was managed exclusively by the London County Council from 1957-1963.
After the administrative restructuring of London authorities, the Scheme was jointly managed by the Greater London Council and the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) from 1963 – 1976.
The Scheme was operational until 1976 when the collections were withdrawn from circulation. ILEA was abolished in the late 1980s and the collection was donated to Camberwell College of Arts in 1989/90.
ILEA was responsible for secondary and tertiary education in the inner London boroughs, this included Camberwell.
The collection was instigated by the London Country Council (later the Greater London Council) and the Council of Industrial Design (COID). The collection’s original purpose was concerned with the teaching and dissemination of modern, ‘good design’.
The collection was established in 1951/52 as the ‘Experiment in Design Appreciation’, later renamed the ‘Circulating Design Scheme’.
The Circulating Design Scheme lent boxed showcases to London schools. The showcases contained handling objects, material samples and interpretation on a specific subject.
COID withdrew its involvement in the Scheme in 1957. After which time, it was managed exclusively by the London County Council from 1957-1963.
After the administrative restructuring of London authorities, the Scheme was jointly managed by the Greater London Council and the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) from 1963 – 1976.
The Scheme was operational until 1976 when the collections were withdrawn from circulation. ILEA was abolished in the late 1980s and the collection was donated to Camberwell College of Arts in 1989/90.
ILEA was responsible for secondary and tertiary education in the inner London boroughs, this included Camberwell.
NotesSam Smith (born Alan Verner Smith) was born in Southampton and was the son of a steam ship captain, spending most of his childhood around boats in the seaside town. His childhood fascinations with the theatre of the harbour and of the sea no doubt influenced his work. Smith studied at the Bournemouth School of Art, followed by the Westminster School of Art, London. As an aspiring painter, he was an admirer of artists such as Eric Ravilious and Paul Nash - but struggling to find work as a painter he took a job as a gallery assistant at The Little Gallery in London. Smith began making small wooden objects to be sold in the gift shop of the gallery, but as war broke out his craft work and toy making was interrupted. In 1935 he exhibited his work at The Little Gallery, and after meeting Henry Rothschild in 1945 he exhibited at The Primavera Gallery, London. Smith’s work proved popular and he expanded production to supply toys to department stores.