A piece of history

Bri's picture

Mounting cavalry on rolling platforms was a toy soldier innovation that appears in the early 19th century in response to the fame of Napoleon's dashing cavalry under such leaders as Marat, Lesseps, and especially Davout...  It's a distinctive trait of the Mainland European cavalry figure that never really  caught on in England or, by extension, with American manufacturers...possibly because the extra parts for the platform and wheels added cost.  It was seen in America frequently enough, however,  by way of the large late 19th Century Christmas Toy importing phenomena where large shipments from Germany were brought in to stock the shelves of local retailers along with such child safe delights as  mercury decorated christmas tree glass ornaments, and "putz" houses decorated with glitter composed entirely of crushed lead crystal glass. 

    the ubiquity of the little wheeled platform under imported toy horses, was enough for them to be captured in a variety of illustrations for holiday cards and for cariacture political cartoons... which is something I guess.

anyhow it's rare to see such a splendid example as this French one, which must have made some child's eyes widen with joy once upon a time; https://www.ebay.com/itm/CARRIOLE-JOUET-FRANCAIS-vers-1880-1900-jouet-ancien-/363991618758?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276