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Albert Schoenhut Company collectors’ programs and catalogs
Albert Schoenhut (1848-1912) was a third generation toy maker from Germany who was brought to Philadelphia in the 1860s by a buyer from Wanamaker's Department Store who recognized his talents. Schoenhut made toys for Wanamaker's until 1872, when he began producing toy pianos in a small sto...
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| Other Authors: | |
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| Collection: | Albert Schoenhut Company Collectorsâ Programs and Catalogs |
| Collection Number: | 4625 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Physical Description: |
0.1 Linear feet 1 folder |
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| Summary: |
Albert Schoenhut (1848-1912) was a third generation toy maker from Germany who was brought to Philadelphia in the 1860s by a buyer from Wanamaker's Department Store who recognized his talents. Schoenhut made toys for Wanamaker's until 1872, when he began producing toy pianos in a small store he opened on Frankford Avenue. Schoenhut later expanded his products to include more musical instruments, soldiers, dolls, wooden dollhouses, doll furniture, boats, and a toy set known as the "Humpty Dumpty Circus" that became one of his most popular products. Though Schoenhut’s toys were very popular, and his children maintained the business after his death, the company declared bankruptcy in 1935. The property, machinery, and stock of toys were sold at auction in February 1936, and the buildings were eventually razed.
Comprising this donation are materials that speak to the popularity of Schoenhut's toys as collectors items and include: A 1990 reprint of a 1936 O. Schoenhut Incorporated catalog, a successor to the A. Schoenhut Company; program of a United Federation of Doll Clubs special exhibit featuring A. Schoenhut's toys and dolls, 1990; a program for the Fifth Annual Schoenhut's Collectors' Club Convention, 1990; "Schoenhut's Humpty Dumpty Circus from A to Z" catalog (1975, signed by author) and supplement (1990); a 1995 newspaper clipping on a Schoenhut exhibit at the Atwater Kent Museum; and a 1997 letter on Schoenhut Collector's Club stationary about the 1975 Schoenhut catalog. |