Richter's Anchor Stone Building set

Richter's designs for architectural models in a wooden tray containing 112 assorted bricks and arches, Books 1 and 5 of designs and a further set of Richter's Anchor Blocks in a wooden box, with sliding lid containing assorted building stones and packet of plans.

Richter's designs for Architectural Models, No. 7, first book, Composed and executed by Dr. Richter's Artistic Office, Rudolstadt (Thuringia).

Anchor stones were a composite material and imitated real stone: they were made of quartz sand, chalk, linseed oil and colouring material. They were much heavier than wooden blocks and were issued in three colours: red, blue and white. They came in a variety of geometrical shapes which could be built up into realistic architectural forms.

Richter used the concepts developed by Friedrich Froebel, the founder of the kindergarten movement. Froebel believed that a variety of geometric shapes was important in children's play and the development of their minds. Richter capitalised on this and on the development of the anchor stone material by the Lilienthal brothers.

The realistic designs that could be created with this material included churches and cathedrals, castles and bridges. Although the Anchor stone concept was used by other manufacturers, none rivalled Richter's anchor stones in their versatility. The sets were marketed worldwide and continued in production until the early 1960s.

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