Toys between the Ludic and the Pedagogical Perspective in Late 19th Century Romania

Abstract

The paper proposes to identify what the 19th century brought as novelties in the “life” of toys, seen as items dedicated explicitly to children; I have focused, naturally, on the Romanian case. By correlating the accounts to which I had access, I was able to outline certain evolutions in the manufacture, use, purchase, and characteristics ascribed to toys in that period. I have noted, first of all, the social differentiation in terms of toy consumption.

Keywords

• childhood material culture
• educational practices
• nationalism
• traditionalism