Dan Fern: Toy Building Blocks

Artist: Dan Fern
1945 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1989
Image Size: 20.75 by 16.375 inches
Overall Size: 22.875 by 20.375 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

A simple child-sized block of wood. Sometimes square, sometimes rectangular. Other times shaped like an arch or pillar. Or decorated with the letters of the alphabet. No one knows when toy building blocks were first enjoyed by children. But we definitely know when they became popular with adults. In the 19th century, revolutionary educational methods such as those of Montessori and Froebel, with their precepts of learning by doing, taught that an interested child is a happy child. Formal, planned educational methods -- especially kindergarten methods -- began influencing the pattern of toys. These methods popularized building blocks and their more modern development, the constructor set, because they helped build motor skills and depth perception, while allowing children to imaginatively interact with their environment. Soon, the humble toy building block grew more complex. As adults became involved, children found themselves playing with magnificently ornamented building blocks of wood and stone from Germany, and cabin logs from the United States. On both sides of the Atlantic, clever construction games were patented. Later, so were structural metal engineering sets. The toy building block might or might not have gotten better, but it had certainly become more elaborate.

This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover of the Great Britain 27p Toys and Games stamp issued May 16, 1989.

Artwork Copyright © 1989 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB12018

US$ Price: $1,725.00

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