Page 35 - June 2018 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
P. 35
who was extremely well known in his lifetime, added caché to McLoughlin and at specialty auctions, it’s the company’s bigger story and historic
ontributions to these categories that interest historians and academics, and
Bros. books for children. Eventually, many women illustrators would be
employed by the firm as well, and several of these, including Sarah Noble Ives driving museums and universities to find new homes for its archival material
(1864–1944) and Ida Waugh (1846–1919), would be credited for their con- among their collection, where the company’s story can be preserved and
tributions. For collectors, McLoughlin Bros. books illustrated by known and studied by future generations.
noted artists are the most desirable finds. The American Antiquarian Society holds one of the major repositories of
McLoughlin Bros. materials, including over 1,700 picture books, games, paper
The Stories Behind McLoughlin Books toys, publishers’ catalogs, company correspondence, and original artwork. This
McLoughlin Bros., like many book publishers archival collection was originally given to Company Vice-President Charles
of the day, copied hundreds of titles by others and Ernest Miller (1869-1951) when the firm, then a
reissued them under its own imprint, usually division of Milton Bradley, was in the process of
undercutting its competition in the process. being sold to toy manufacturer Julius Kushner.
Adaptations of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes and After his death, the collection was held by his
children’s classics such as Robin Hood, Hansel & daughter, Ruth Miller, who in 1968 sold her
Grethel [sic], Snow White, Cinderella, and Puss In father’s collection to collector Herbert H. Hosmer.
Boots, richly illustrated in beautiful color became Mr. Hosmer donated this collection to the
catalog staples and wildly popular with a generation American Antiquarian Society in 1978.
of young readers. The Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton
Many of the books McLoughlin published University holds one of the largest aggregations of
after the war can be characterized as “bowdleriza- McLoughlin Brothers’ catalogs, many from the
tions” or retellings of well-known children’s firm’s own business office and publisher’s archive,
stories. Bowdlerizations are considered to be less uniquely annotated with information about new
offensive versions of tales; however, not all editions, changes in illustrations, or new series. In
McLoughlin’s published books ended happily addition, Cotsen holds ten large scrap-book-style
ever after. In one instance, the book Ten Little “guard-books” containing proof copies of illustra-
N****ers, based on the poem written by Frank tions for books, many extensively hand-annotated
Green in 1869, was produced as a book for by McLoughlin Bros. editorial or production staff.
younger children by McLoughlin Brothers in The de Grummond Children’s Literature
1872 – and included the music so the story could Collection at The University of Southern
be sung, eventually turning the poem into a Mississippi also holds a collection of McLoughlin
Minstrel song in the late 1800s. Although techni- Bros. papers, manuscripts, typescripts, galleys, cor-
cally written to teach young children how to respondence, photographs, dummies, illustrations,
count backwards from ten, the story reveals an color separations, proofs, and production material
often violent demise as the number of children dating from 1854 to the early 1950s.
was lowered one at a time. The story was A catalogue of McLoughlin Bros. toys, books,
produced by many publishers up until 1956. games, paper dolls, blocks, and other novelty items
Another example of such a book was the published circa 1886 is now available online
McLoughlin Bros. edition of a story called The through the Hagley Museum (Wilmington, DE)
Girl Who Inked Herself, the retelling of a story digital archives at www.digital.hagley.org. The
Illustration from The Girl Who Inked Herself and Her Books
about a girl who continually spills ink on herself and How It Ended photo: American Antiquarian Society catalogue, a great resource for collectors and toy
until she turns black, at which point her parents historians, lists each production item with a
call her “too hideous for a daughter” and sell her complete description, many with illustrative images.
to a rag shop as a “black doll.” The story ends with an image of Miss Mopsa The Market for McLoughlin
hanging in the window of a rag shop. While these are the types of stories most
commonly associated with McLoughlin Bros., the company also published Early McLoughlin Bros. games and puzzles can be purchased at auctions at
religious, moralist, and other education texts. relatively affordable prices, reflecting a continuing interest in these early
examples of children’s games, puzzles, paintings and books.
The McLoughlin Bros. Archives Pook & Pook auctioned a number of McLoughlin Bros. games and puzzles
at its December 7, 2018 auction with Noel Barrett. A Bulls And Bears Wall
The McLoughlin Bros. catalog of products over a prolific five decades
(1858-1920) is extensive, and spans a number of different collector categories, Street Game, patented 1883, with a vibrant lithograph box lid of a dressed bull
including illustrative art, toys, games, paper dolls, book publishing, picture and bear standing on Wall Street, a folding board with comic portrait vignettes
books, and American children’s literature to name a few. While good examples of Gilded Age stock market characters Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and
of McLoughlin Bros. toys, books, and games can be affordably acquired online Horace Greely, including its original spinning board, play money, contracts,
and instruction booklet, sold for $17,000 with active bidding. A McLoughlin
Bros. Game of the Visit of Santa Claus, in the original box, and including
a game board, a cardboard spinner, thirty-three cards, and a wooden
game piece, sold for $2,000. Three McLoughlin Bros. paper lithograph
toys, including a set of seven nesting alphabet blocks, a Pretty Village
Church Set in the original box, and a Fire Engine Picture Puzzle in
original box sold for $300, while other games, in varying condition, went
for as little as $50.
Liveauctioneers shows a range of other auction houses making a
market in early McLoughlin Bros. games and puzzles during 2018,
including Bruneau & Co. Auctions, Copake Auction, PBA Galleries,
Morphy Auctions, and Thomaston Place Auction Gallery. Prices range
from $50 into the thousands, based on age, condition, game/object and
graphics among other factors. But like all antique collectibles, the real
value to be found in collecting McLoughlin Bros. books, toys, and games,
is in the joy it brings to the collector.
Sources: americanantiquarian.org/mcloughlin-bros-catalogs-price-lists-and-order-forms,
wikipedia.org/wiki/McLoughlin_Brothers,
liveauctioneers.com/price-guide/mcloughlin-brothers,
allaboutfunandgames.com,
americanantiquarian.org/radiantwithcolor/exhibits/show/exhibits/illustrators
Games of Go Bang, Tivoli, and Fox & Geese, McLoughlin Bros., circa 1878
photo: Worthpoint.com
June 2019 33
ontributions to these categories that interest historians and academics, and
Bros. books for children. Eventually, many women illustrators would be
employed by the firm as well, and several of these, including Sarah Noble Ives driving museums and universities to find new homes for its archival material
(1864–1944) and Ida Waugh (1846–1919), would be credited for their con- among their collection, where the company’s story can be preserved and
tributions. For collectors, McLoughlin Bros. books illustrated by known and studied by future generations.
noted artists are the most desirable finds. The American Antiquarian Society holds one of the major repositories of
McLoughlin Bros. materials, including over 1,700 picture books, games, paper
The Stories Behind McLoughlin Books toys, publishers’ catalogs, company correspondence, and original artwork. This
McLoughlin Bros., like many book publishers archival collection was originally given to Company Vice-President Charles
of the day, copied hundreds of titles by others and Ernest Miller (1869-1951) when the firm, then a
reissued them under its own imprint, usually division of Milton Bradley, was in the process of
undercutting its competition in the process. being sold to toy manufacturer Julius Kushner.
Adaptations of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes and After his death, the collection was held by his
children’s classics such as Robin Hood, Hansel & daughter, Ruth Miller, who in 1968 sold her
Grethel [sic], Snow White, Cinderella, and Puss In father’s collection to collector Herbert H. Hosmer.
Boots, richly illustrated in beautiful color became Mr. Hosmer donated this collection to the
catalog staples and wildly popular with a generation American Antiquarian Society in 1978.
of young readers. The Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton
Many of the books McLoughlin published University holds one of the largest aggregations of
after the war can be characterized as “bowdleriza- McLoughlin Brothers’ catalogs, many from the
tions” or retellings of well-known children’s firm’s own business office and publisher’s archive,
stories. Bowdlerizations are considered to be less uniquely annotated with information about new
offensive versions of tales; however, not all editions, changes in illustrations, or new series. In
McLoughlin’s published books ended happily addition, Cotsen holds ten large scrap-book-style
ever after. In one instance, the book Ten Little “guard-books” containing proof copies of illustra-
N****ers, based on the poem written by Frank tions for books, many extensively hand-annotated
Green in 1869, was produced as a book for by McLoughlin Bros. editorial or production staff.
younger children by McLoughlin Brothers in The de Grummond Children’s Literature
1872 – and included the music so the story could Collection at The University of Southern
be sung, eventually turning the poem into a Mississippi also holds a collection of McLoughlin
Minstrel song in the late 1800s. Although techni- Bros. papers, manuscripts, typescripts, galleys, cor-
cally written to teach young children how to respondence, photographs, dummies, illustrations,
count backwards from ten, the story reveals an color separations, proofs, and production material
often violent demise as the number of children dating from 1854 to the early 1950s.
was lowered one at a time. The story was A catalogue of McLoughlin Bros. toys, books,
produced by many publishers up until 1956. games, paper dolls, blocks, and other novelty items
Another example of such a book was the published circa 1886 is now available online
McLoughlin Bros. edition of a story called The through the Hagley Museum (Wilmington, DE)
Girl Who Inked Herself, the retelling of a story digital archives at www.digital.hagley.org. The
Illustration from The Girl Who Inked Herself and Her Books
about a girl who continually spills ink on herself and How It Ended photo: American Antiquarian Society catalogue, a great resource for collectors and toy
until she turns black, at which point her parents historians, lists each production item with a
call her “too hideous for a daughter” and sell her complete description, many with illustrative images.
to a rag shop as a “black doll.” The story ends with an image of Miss Mopsa The Market for McLoughlin
hanging in the window of a rag shop. While these are the types of stories most
commonly associated with McLoughlin Bros., the company also published Early McLoughlin Bros. games and puzzles can be purchased at auctions at
religious, moralist, and other education texts. relatively affordable prices, reflecting a continuing interest in these early
examples of children’s games, puzzles, paintings and books.
The McLoughlin Bros. Archives Pook & Pook auctioned a number of McLoughlin Bros. games and puzzles
at its December 7, 2018 auction with Noel Barrett. A Bulls And Bears Wall
The McLoughlin Bros. catalog of products over a prolific five decades
(1858-1920) is extensive, and spans a number of different collector categories, Street Game, patented 1883, with a vibrant lithograph box lid of a dressed bull
including illustrative art, toys, games, paper dolls, book publishing, picture and bear standing on Wall Street, a folding board with comic portrait vignettes
books, and American children’s literature to name a few. While good examples of Gilded Age stock market characters Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and
of McLoughlin Bros. toys, books, and games can be affordably acquired online Horace Greely, including its original spinning board, play money, contracts,
and instruction booklet, sold for $17,000 with active bidding. A McLoughlin
Bros. Game of the Visit of Santa Claus, in the original box, and including
a game board, a cardboard spinner, thirty-three cards, and a wooden
game piece, sold for $2,000. Three McLoughlin Bros. paper lithograph
toys, including a set of seven nesting alphabet blocks, a Pretty Village
Church Set in the original box, and a Fire Engine Picture Puzzle in
original box sold for $300, while other games, in varying condition, went
for as little as $50.
Liveauctioneers shows a range of other auction houses making a
market in early McLoughlin Bros. games and puzzles during 2018,
including Bruneau & Co. Auctions, Copake Auction, PBA Galleries,
Morphy Auctions, and Thomaston Place Auction Gallery. Prices range
from $50 into the thousands, based on age, condition, game/object and
graphics among other factors. But like all antique collectibles, the real
value to be found in collecting McLoughlin Bros. books, toys, and games,
is in the joy it brings to the collector.
Sources: americanantiquarian.org/mcloughlin-bros-catalogs-price-lists-and-order-forms,
wikipedia.org/wiki/McLoughlin_Brothers,
liveauctioneers.com/price-guide/mcloughlin-brothers,
allaboutfunandgames.com,
americanantiquarian.org/radiantwithcolor/exhibits/show/exhibits/illustrators
Games of Go Bang, Tivoli, and Fox & Geese, McLoughlin Bros., circa 1878
photo: Worthpoint.com
June 2019 33
