Summary

Black and white photography of three boys, one holding a football, in front of a Gerry Gee and Geraldine Gee display, presumably at a toy trade fair. In the background, posters depict ventriloquist Ron Blaskett with Gerry Gee and Gerry Gee Junior Dolls.

This photograph relates to products and promotions of the L.J. Sterne Doll Company (1939-1971), a Melbourne doll and toy manufacturer founded by Austrian migrants Leo and Hilda Sterne.

Description of Content

Three boys dressed in blazers in front of a Gerry Gee Doll stand, presumably at a toy trade fair in Australia. The boy on the left of the image hold a football. There are football themed Gerry Gee and Geraldine Gee dolls on display behind the boys. In the background, posters advertise the L.J Sterne Doll Company and Gerry Gee Junior dolls posed with ventriloquist Ron Blaskett.

Physical Description

Black and white photograph on paper.

Significance

This item is part of a growing collection of material relating to the migration and settlement experience of Leo and Hilda Sterne who arrived in Melbourne in 1939. They immediately established a business that became one of the most successful doll and toy manufactures in post-war Melbourne.

The L.J. Sterne Doll Company (1939-71) is significant as one of the few surviving collections related to an Australian toy and doll manufacturer, a once thriving industry in Australia. Only the A.L. Lindsay & Co. Archive at the Powerhouse Museum and the Jakas Toys collection at Museum Victoria are comparable.

This collection of photographs, business and promotional documents, dolls, and toys enables the exploration of many Australian post-war historical and social themes including: local television and manufacturing industries; design and production innovations; marketing and merchandising; childhood; gender and cultural representation; leisure and sport; and key cultural and historical events.

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