Toy Horse 1935 - 1942

Elizabeth Moutal made this watercolor painting, Toy Horse, at an unknown date. Moutal's work often depicts everyday objects, elevated through her artistic rendering. What makes this image interesting from a social history perspective is how it captures a specific kind of cultural artifact: the toy. Toys reflect societal values, aspirations, and even anxieties of a particular time. Consider the role of play in shaping a child's understanding of the world, and how toys like this horse, might instill certain gender or class expectations. To fully understand this image, we might look into historical archives, children's literature, and sociological studies of play. The meaning of this seemingly simple artwork is contingent on its cultural context.