Special forces
Higgins displays toys not just for tots
by Leon Nigrosh
FIELD OF DREAMS: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF COLLECTING TOY SOLDIERS At the Higgins
Armory Museum, 100 Barber Avenue, through September 5.
Toy soldiers. These two words alone bestir the child in us. Yes,
Virginia, all of us -- just ask my daughter. For a few fleeting moments, we can
indulge in the fantasy of being omnipotent and omniscient and in total control
of others' fate. We move beyond our mundane lives, flooded with the power to
send minions off to face glorious victory or certain death, even if the troops
are tiny and made of lead. But for the connoisseur, there is considerably more
to the art of collecting toy soldiers than this.
Of course, there's the obvious glee at staging skirmishes across tabletops,
but what becomes even more important is the accuracy in how these struggles are
portrayed. Serious collectors are involved in the stages of acquiring and
displaying their miniature combatants involved in historical skirmishes.
First there is the research into the actual engagement to be reconstructed,
which often consists of scouring books and records to find out which troops
were actually involved. As exhibited in the Higgins Armory Museum gallery, one
of the incidents from the British Zulu Wars of 1879 shows that spears and
animal-hide shields were no match for the rows of expert riflemen protected by
sand bags. Hordes of Zulu tribesmen are whittled down by the accurate fire from
three ranks of the red-coated Queen's Men (the Cameron Highlanders 79th
Regiment), with officers controlling the fusillades as bagpipers skirl from the
rear.
To complete such scenes, collectors search for specific pieces or that missing
bit, like those in the showcase that includes a WWI mobile Spanish field
kitchen and a British medical unit, complete with horse-drawn ambulance and
stretcher bearers who carry the wounded. The network of collectors often
assists in corroborating the credibility and accuracy of specific pieces, such
as the diorama filled with lead "flats" made in the mid-19th century. These
soldiers, arranged to depict the battle of Kahlenberg Mountain in 1683, are
hand-painted, flat cast-lead silhouettes of Duke Francis of Lorraine's army and
are shown defeating the Ottoman soldiers of Kara Mustafa. Look closely at the
battle and you will find the Grand Vizier leading his charging troops.
Occasionally a sharp-eyed collector will discover a historical anomaly, like
the set of flats purportedly depicting American soldiers made by Heyde in
Germany in the early 1900s. These tiny figures are shown in a campsite,
complete with tents, cooking fires, and laundry hanging on the line; there's
even a soldier yawning. The only problem is that since the Germans hadn't yet
encountered any American troops, they had painted the uniforms red.
In the search for accuracy, collectors also seek unique, quality crafted
miniatures, which are usually twice the size of the lead figures and often
constructed from several different materials. For example, Charles Caldwell's
contemporary figurines of Union and Confederate soldiers are individually
sculpted in a clay compound, and then heated and painted. Painstakingly
detailed works like these, often commissioned to depict a particular
individual, take a step beyond the arena of toys. Other contemporary European
and American artists included in this exhibition imbue their sculpted figurines
with amazing vitality, precision, and detail. A Run for the Colour pits
two mounted French carabiniers against three British cavalrymen, swords
flashing, as they race across the battlefield. All of this is a space of less
than five inches.
According to director Kent dur Russell, this marvelous exhibit adds another
dimension to the museum's introductory and educational programming. "While the
museum collects individual examples of arms and armor, we can't show a parade.
The toy soldiers can do that. We have a cuirass of a Vatican private guard, but
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace shows which troops are
wearing them." In fact, the show's centerpiece, Scotland For Ever,
brings Lady Elizabeth Butler's (1844-1933) famous painting of the 1815 charge
of the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons at Waterloo to life with clarity. Look
closely and you can pick out specific troopers rendered in hand-painted cast
lead that match figures in the painting.
It is the historical accuracy, the antique authenticity, and the detail of the
figures and scenes such as this that make "Field of Dreams" a remarkable show.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and
Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 853-6015.