Child’s Play: 200 Years of Childhood in America
The New Jersey exhibit, curated by our own, Dr. Anthony Cavo, tells the history of American childhood.
A current exhibition at the Ridgewood Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum in Ridgewood, New Jersey, is teaching a fascinating lesson. Set in an 1872 one-room schoolhouse, the show 200 Years of Childhood in America explores the evolving nature of childhood in the United States from the late 18th to the mid-20th centuries. Although the exhibition displays many playful items, such as toys and board games, visitors learn that being a child in America wasn’t always fun.
With the assistance of its diverse selection of playthings and antiques from the show’s selected timeline, 200 Years tells the story of the dark realities of being a young person in early America. During this time, kids were considered as badly behaved miniature adults, with some forced into slavery before the Emancipation Proclamation or employed in mines or factories during the Industrial Revolution. They were also subject to now-rare infectious diseases that skyrocketed rates of childhood morbidity.
However, as the United States found a better economic footing and a growing middle class, alongside the development of cures for once deadly ailments, the modern concept of childhood emerged. The exhibition shows this transition to happier times with objects many visitors will recognize and may hold their own memories of, such as teddy bears, rocking horses, and dolls.
On the public response to the show, curator Anthony J. Cavo explains, “250 Years of Childhood in America has become one of the most popular exhibits for the past six years. A record number of schools have visited for tours. Visitor presence has vastly increased, which has helped raise funds for the museum.” Dr. Cavo is our go-to Collector's Gallery expert.
200 Years of Childhood in America is on view every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm until December 21, 2025, at the Ridgewood Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum in Ridgewood, New Jersey. For more information, visit the website.
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