A Chilly Tiny Tuesday!
Have you ever heard the phrase "Jack Frost nipping at your nose" from the Nat King Cole Trio's "The Christmas Song"? I've definitely thought about it whenever I'm riding my bike to work in this chilly weather.
Not everyone is upset when Jack Frost comes around, though! Paddy the Beaver featured in this mini book collection is delighted when his friend Jack Frost comes around. He needs Jack Frost to harden the mud used for his house with his cold breath.
This collection of children's stories from 1914 was created by Thornton W. Burgess. He wrote bedtime stories which featured animal characters such as Paddy the Beaver, Peter Rabbit (yes, like Beatrix Potter's titular character, name copyright was laxer back then), Buster Bear, Jerry Muskrat, Old Mr. Toad, and many, many more.
On to the physical objects, the books are all 59 x 74 mm. The case they come in is measured out to 80 x 60 x 15 mm, and each book is 9 pages. The covers were all illustrated by Harrison Cady who would become well-known for his Peter Rabbit comic strip illustrations. The minis were published in New York by Winthrop Press.
I love when minis come in their own cases. We have a number of minis in their own special housing here at the University of Iowa Special Collections, so I feel very lucky to get to work with them! Banana for scale!
-- Hailee M.
Smith Miniatures Collection PS3503.U6075 A6 1914
