STEIFF
Christie's pay tribute to Margarete Steiff's 150th birthday
by devoting the the following section of this sale
entirely to Steiff toys
MARGARETE STEIFF
Born 150 years ago
on 24 July 1847
Little gifts forge friendships. This is something Margarete Steiff appreciated when more than 115 years ago she sewed the first little felt animals in Swabian Giengen as Christmas presents for her friends. Even then, in 1880, her little elephants were a great success. In the same year she took her charming little toys to the local market. Later, at the beginning of the 20th century, she believed that her small production might grow, within four generations, into 'Margarete Steiff GmbH' and become the market leader in soft toy animals. Before this, however, there was a long road to travel which would be anything but child's play. The unusual history of Margarete Steiff GmbH is also the history of an unusual woman, who would have been 150 years old this year.
Margarete Steiff's story started in a little town in Swabia, Giengen on the Brenz. On 24 July 1847 she was born as daughter of the master builder Friedrich Steiff, and went on to found Margarete Steiff GmbH in her home town which was, at that time, a revolutionary achievement. Margarete Steiff was no ordinary woman. One and half years after her birth she contracted polio and was tied to an invalid chair for the rest of her life. Her legs were weakened and her right arm could only be used to a limited extent. However, instead of suffering on account of her condition, Margarete fulfilled her greatest wish. She learnt to play the zither and soon played the instrument so well that she could give lessons on it herself. From the money she earned she bought a sewing machine - the first in Giengen - and started her own felt clothes shop.
From clothes to soft to animals
The turnover of the Margaret Steiff company increased fast. The elephants in 1880 were soon joined by monkeys, donkeys, camels and other animals. The first soft toy animal was created, and soon a successful mail order business for Steiff products was established, which Margarete Steiff ran from her parents' house to the end of the 1880s. In 1889 she moved into her first factory premises in the Muehlstrasse, where she had several employees. When the 'Felt Toy Factory Giengen' was entered into the the trade register on 3 March 1893, the woman entrepreneur of the 19th century enjoyed a turnover of 40,000 Mark with four employees and a further ten home workers.
The legendary Steiff teddy bear, which was developed by her nephew Richard Steiff in 1902, did not have an easy start with the 'boss'. Eventually, however, numerous bear sketches from his studies in the Stuttgart zoo enabled Richard to shape lifelike bear models and to develope a sample which managed to convince Margarete Steiff. Sle then had to be made. When Richard Steiff introduced the first bears at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1903, hardly anyone was interested in the new jointed toy. At the end of the fair, when the Steiff brothers had already started to nail down the sample boxes, an American appeared, who had looked in vain for new ideas among the toys at the fair. He ordered 3,000 of the bears at once. Four years later no less than 974,000 bears were sold.
The world's most popualr toy was therefore of the highest quality right from the beginning. Best material such as mohair, wood shavings and his natural shape gave the teddy bear a distinctive personal appearance and made him indestructable.
With his turning head and moveable arms and legs, the teddy bear would certainly be missed from nurseries all over the world. The button in ear, closely linking the Steiff name with children and adults, was the idea of Franz Steiff, one of Margarete Steiff's nephews. In order to distinguish Steiff products from those of its competitors, he invented 'button in ear', one of the first trademarks of the twentieth century. For the 90 or so years, since 1st November 1904, every Steiff piece has carried the legendary button in the left ear, making a Steiff product absolutely unmistakable.
When Margarete Steiff died on 9 May 1909 at the age of only 61 years, the trademark of the Steiff compaby had become a quality seal for the highest standards. The toy with the 'Button in Ear' is today the beginning of a long friendship for people of all ages.
Steiff Replicas and Limited Editions
Steiff Limited Edition teddy bears
Details
Steiff Limited Edition teddy bears
comprising The Margaret Strong Museum White Bear, 1986; The Giengen Teddybear, Replica 1906; 'Ophelia', 1983; and The Margaret Strong Museum 'Benjamin'
See Illustration (4)
comprising The Margaret Strong Museum White Bear, 1986; The Giengen Teddybear, Replica 1906; 'Ophelia', 1983; and The Margaret Strong Museum 'Benjamin'
See Illustration (4)