Toy Locomotive c. 1940

Charles Henning made this watercolor painting of a "Toy Locomotive" sometime during his career. The subject matter, a child’s toy, may seem unassuming, but it opens up a fascinating window onto the culture of childhood at the turn of the century. Made in the United States, the toy locomotive is rendered with a surprising degree of realism. The artist pays close attention to the textures and colors of the painted metal. This suggests an interest in documenting the material culture of the time. Henning’s image presents a machine, which was a symbol of progress and modernization in the 19th century, but it also reduces it to a child’s plaything. Does it critique the institutions of art? Further research into Henning’s biography, alongside studies of toy manufacturing in America, could reveal more about the social history embedded in this deceptively simple image. By understanding the context, we can reveal art’s complex relationship to culture.