Street Vendors With Toys Attract A Crowd

The year is 1903 and two toy merchants are showing their products to passerby. The title of the photograph by the Detroit Publishing Co. is “Gutter Toy Merchant.” That is a term I have never heard applied to those who sell merchandise on the sidewalk.

But the method is similar to today, where vendors use the sidewalk to display their wares  which are usually knockoffs of trendy products.

Then, as now, Union Square is a high traffic area. As you can see, the perimeter of the park was frequented by many young people who might be interested in a toy. Nearest to the camera is a newsboy holding his stack of papers. It would be unlikely that a newsboy could spare any extra money to purchase a toy. If lucky a whole day’s work might net him a half dollar.

The location is not given, but the vendor is standing on Union Square West at about 15th Street based on the two distinctive buildings in the background along Broadway on the corners of 17th and 18th Streets.  The buildings have been modified but still exist.

The toys are tin key-wind mechanical figures. Yes, they move.

They are called penny toys because incredibly some of them sold for a penny. Generally the more complex toys would cost anywhere from two cents to a dime. Recognizable among the group of toys below are a pair of acrobats, a female bicyclist, a Black man tin toy, a pony cart,  a hansom carriage and a violinist.

Some of the younger boys are fascinated by the moving toys.

Another boy takes an interest in the Detroit Publishing photographer capturing this moment.

The one thing you may not notice, is that typical of the era, everyone is wearing a hat.