Item MM 132376 Photograph - L. J. Sterne Doll Co., Leo Sterne with Gerry Gee Doll & Gerry Gee Junior Merchandise, Melbourne, 31 Oct 1958

Summary

Black and white photograph of Leo Sterne holding a Gerry Gee Doll in front of a display of Gerry Gee Junior merchandise, Melbourne 31 Oct 1958.

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

Leo Sterne stands in a room holding a Gerry Gee Junior Doll. Behind him is a promotional dispay of posters and a photograph for Gerry Gee Junior, fetauring Ron Blaskett and the GTV9 logo. Three other dolls are positioned in the top centre of the image.

Physical Description

Black and white photograph on paper support with stamped text.

Significance

This item is part of a growing collection of material relating to the migration and settlement experiences 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 manufacturers 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 and 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 innovation; marketing and merchandising; childhood; gender and cultural representations; leisure and sport; and key cultural and historical events.