Which Regency toy do you think you would have loved as a child?

A Regency child would have had dolls, wooden animals, hobby horses, or perhaps a favorite rag doll, but never a teddy bear tucked beneath the covers—that beloved toy wouldn't be invented for nearly another century!

Instead, nurseries were filled with treasures that reflected everyday life.

Little girls cherished beautifully dressed dolls, sometimes with miniature wardrobes to match the latest fashions. Many dolls weren't just toys, though. They were fashion dolls first! Before fashion magazines were widespread, elegantly dressed dolls were sometimes used to display the latest styles. Children's dolls, thus, reflected contemporary clothing rather than fantasy costumes.

Boys, meanwhile, might command regiments of toy soldiers, sail miniature ships across imaginary seas, or gallop through the house on a hobby horse.

Children of both sexes also enjoyed puzzles, puppets, drawing materials, hoops, marbles, and a surprising number of wonderfully crafted wooden toys.

The next time you picture a Regency nursery, imagine wax dolls in tiny muslin gowns instead of plush teddy bears!