Studio: international art (81.1921)

SOME FRENCH TOYS OF TO-DAY.

IN no branch of the industrial arts has
the progress brought about by the
participation of expert artists been greater
than in toy-making. Practically every kind
of toy, from rag-doll to hobby-horse, is
nowadays very different, and far more
pleasing artistically, than it was a very few
years ago. But, toys after all being made for
the children and not for the art critic, it is
interesting to note how far recent improve-
ments contribute to render the toys of to-
day enjoyable for their youthful possessors.

Toys, intended for children, are bought
by grown-ups. And the tendency to judge
them from an adult's standpoint may be-
come misleading. A toy may strongly
appeal to the educated taste and yet fall
short of its true purpose. It must be some-
thing to play with, not only to look at or to
show. And being that, it may still fall short
if it fails to do all that a really good toy
does by way of educating not so much the
child's mind—for the range of the educa-
tional toy proper is narrow—as its eye, its
imagination, acting as a stimulus whose
potential powers are practically boundless.

RUE DE CONSTANTINOPLE "
WITH MOVABLE FIGURES
MADE BY " LE JOUET ;DE
FRANCE "

The nursery of to-day, as conceived and
carried out by many a competent artist,
plays an all-important part in the early
training of the child's mind and senses :
simple, cheerful schemes, carefully planned
out in every detail; bright colours, inter-
esting designs are the order of the day.
And their carrying out calls for no less
skill than the most elaborate works of art.