1 Vulcan Junior Child's Sewing Machine (16 cm x 8 cm) in original box with instruction booklet, table clamp and guarantee.  Advertising panel in box reads, 'She sews as she grows with a Vulcan'. The machine is hand cranked and finished in a steel blue paint with yellow stripes, branding and lettering. 

Part of the Children's Literature Research Collection.

The lady who donated this mint-condition Vulcan miniature sewing machine received it as a gift in the 1950s from her dressmaker mother,  who learned her trade in the 1940s, before she and her husband migrated to Australia from Germany.
The young girl saw this toy as ‘so precious’ she didn’t dare use it but opened the box again and again to admire it, hence, the box is worn but the machine itself is pristine. In the image of the machine still in the box, we can see the original red protective covers still in place on the hand crank and thread spools.

These machines were made in the United Kingdom by The Vulcan Toy Company and came in many different colours. Later larger models were made and were powered by electricity.

Girls were expected to ‘role play’ their future homemaking duties by learning skills like sewing or cookery through play, though here the gift to encourage sewing was received as a captivating ornament to be wondered over for its lovely form and craftsmanship. 

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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