Windows into the past
Whether kitchen, fish shop, beauty shop or pharmacy – the toy shops in the Basel collection were made as unique pieces by artist craftsmen and date from the years between 1880 and 1920. While some of them did their time in the playroom, others were intended exclusively as decorative showpieces. However: children in any case weren’t allowed to play unsupervised with the valuable objects. They were used rather as a playful way of preparing the next generation for adulthood. Apart from the fascination evoked by the craftsmanship invested in them and the authentically detailed accoutrements, the shops give us valuable inside views of life and work in their various times.