Many pieces are from a board member’s private collection

Toys for kids of all ages on exhibit at Raynham Hall Museum

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With Christmas just around the corner, children have toys on their minds. In the spirit of the season, Raynham Hall Museum has created a new exhibit highlighting the history of children’s toys and games, called “Toy Stories.”

It opened to the public on Nov. 23, although the process of installing the toys in their new display cases and set-ups has been continuing. Museum Director Harriet Clark said that although there had been hopes for such an exhibit for some time, the pandemic and other issues had prevented it.

Some of the pieces are from the museum itself, but many come from the private collection of museum board member Joanna Badami. The toys all date from the 1890s to the 1940s, and are predominately from the Northeastern United States, including a few from Oyster Bay.

“This is really a celebration of Joanna’s amazing collection, which is something that the public would normally never get to see,” Clark said. “That’s what makes this show really special, I think — the quality of her artifacts, and the fact that she’s letting us show them.”

The exhibit features a wide range of toys, from classic dolls and cards to religious-themed board games, Little Red Riding Hood puzzles, pop-up books, jacks-in-the-box and more. Some of the museum’s regular pieces, including one large and elaborate dollhouse, have been given greater prominence as well.

Dollhouses were very popular girls’ toys in the period, in part because they were seen as teaching young women the skills they were expected to have as adults, such as dressing their children and hosting tea parties. Another prominently displayed piece is a box of Christian-inspired children’s board games kept in the music parlor, which includes an eye-catching image of the Tower of Babel.

The exhibit also has a small “play station” where children can play with less antique versions of the artifacts on display, including building blocks and jacks-in-the-box.

The main space for the exhibit is in the museum’s special exhibition room on the second floor, although some of the toys are displayed on the first floor as well. Jessica Pearl, the museum’s collections manager, said that the universal appeal and the shared experience of playing as children informed the approach the staff took when setting up the exhibit.

“Toys are so enjoyable, partly because everyone has played with them, as children, as adults, whether it’s traditional toys or video games,” Pearl said. “It’s all relatable, and it’s very family-oriented.”

Although the exhibit is holiday-themed, it won’t be limited to December. Clark and Pearl said that “Toy Stories” would be a part of the museum’s regular setup until next March.
Christopher Judge, head of visitor services at Raynham Hall, said that although there have been few changes to the regular tour to accommodate the new exhibit, the historical educators have been familiarizing themselves with the displays and are ready to guide new visitors through them.

While the new exhibit has been open for only a few weeks, Judge said that the museum has already had positive feedback from visitors. When eight students from the Oyster Bay Cooperative Pre-School came by, he said, the kids really enjoyed seeing the toys, and the two teachers who accompanied were impressed with the layout.

“The children were totally absorbed by the jack-in-the-boxes,” Judge said. “The teachers told me how fascinating it was.”