Just wanted to share this little interesting information that I came across whilst researching Butchers and Abatoirs for my dissertation last week.
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/babys-first-butcher-shop-circa-1900/
This article shows the differences in toys that children were playing with 100 years apart.
The first image shows a Victorian butchers shop toy for children It consists of a Butcher, animal carcasess hanging from hooks, little knives and blood stained floors. A grisly toy in comparisons to a hundred years later and the toys children are playing with today also.
The second image depicts a Barbie’s toy McDonalds set. This consits of a bright plastic shell of a sturcture, plastic seating and plastic food
As the article goes onto say at the bottom:
“In the 19th century, kids were taught how to purchase select cuts from fresh cow carcasses. A hundred years later, they were encouraged to consume overly processed ground beef and trans-fatty French fries from a fast-food behemoth. Which is worse, really?”
Don’t know about you, I’d much rather play with the butchers shop anyday. Although my current work is not looking to toys, I thought that this article was interesting as the comparison of todays toys to ones in history is slightly shocking to read and think about at first (to me anyway) but also how plastic and slightly fake the world has become.
I’ve recently started to look at barriors in my work (and the works of others) and how a barrior can be used to invite the viewer into the piece or repell the viewer and keep them away from whats inside … like a zoo and their enclosures, they look inviting the animal that lives in there is less than welcoming.
Hix.L (2012) Baby’s First Butcher’s Shop, Circa 1900 [Online] Available at: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/babys-first-butcher-shop-circa-1900/ Accessed on: 3/11/2012
