Summary

Hooked rug, wool on hessian, featuring coloured image of fox terrier. Made by Bill Boyd and his mother in the 1950s, during his childhood. They used a simple wooden frame, attaching the hession to the top and bottom of the frame.

The William Boyd Childhood Collection includes most of the childhood possessions of William (Bill) Boyd, who was born in 1947 and raised in the Victorian town of Maryborough. Kept by Lillian Boyd (Bill's mother) all her life, and preserved by Bill after her death.

Physical Description

Hooked rug, wool on hessian, featuring coloured image of fox terrier against a green background, with brown, orange and green circles around. The terrier is a mix of white legs and patches of grey, black, brown, orange and maroon. The hooked section of the rug forms an oval covering most of the surface of a rectangular piece of hessian. The rug is backed by a heavy white fabric, machine sewn along edges, with a black border approximately 52mm wide along one side, through which a hanging rod was originally threaded.

Significance

Encompassing toys, books, clothing and other items, the William Boyd Childhood Collection is rare in its comprehensiveness: even ephemera such as the back of a Cornflakes box are included. The Collection demonstrates a range of prominent themes in the lives of postwar Victorian children, such as the ability to 'make do' under austere circumstances; the shift in toy manufacture towards plastic materials and mass production; the continuing cultural influence of Britain; the increasing embrace of American popular culture; the prominence of gender roles; and the popularity of transport and war themed toys for boys.

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