Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Animal, Mechanical |
Catalog Number |
2006.4.27 |
Date |
ca. 1930 |
Material(s) |
tin; wood; felt (wool?); paint; |
Dimensions |
H-4 W-2 D-7 inches |
Description |
This mechanical toy donkey is made of felt over wood. It is a windup toy with a red wool saddle and pink leather bridle. The head and tail are designed to move. It has glass eyes and a painted mouth. The wind-up key is missing. |
Notes |
The original Woodburn farm in Woodford County totaled 2,000 acres purchased in 1790 by Robert Alexander. By 1990 the acreage had been divided among Airdrie, Binderton, Lanark, and Woodburn farm, all owned by descendants of the original Alexander. Woodburn was brought to national prominence as a thoroughbred breeding operation in the 1850s and 1860s by his son, Robert Aitcheson Alexander, who did more for the cultivation of purebred stock than any other man in America, according to William Warfield as quoted in Giants of the Turf. Between 1861 and 1882 the farm dominated the American turf to an unequaled extent. Though breeding less than 5 percent of the nation's thoroughbred foals from 1868 to 1880, it bred 54 percent of the winners of the Belmont, Travers, Saratoga, Jerome, and Dixie stakes in those years. Over the years the Alexander family maintained Woodburn farm mansion along with its library, now in the KHS rare books collection, and many artifacts that pertain to the family and the history of animal husbandry on the farm. |
Collection |
Dr. Alexander J. Alexander Collection |
Subjects |
Children Toys Animals Animals, Stuffed Mechanical toys |
Search Terms |
Woodburn Farm Woodford County (Ky.) Toys |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |