Child’s Toboggan

Description

This toboggan made of wood was known here in Basel as a Kessler, and elsewhere as a Brettlischlitten (lit. “board sledge”). Its sole purpose was to enable children to have fun in the snow in winter. A strap attached to holes or rings in the toboggan allowed it to be pulled up the hill again. One typical feature of these toboggans were tie rods with bells attached to them. It was the clanking of metal that gave this type of toboggan the name Kessler, which translates as “boiler-maker.” The tie rod and bells unfortunately are missing here.
The toboggan is painted red with landscapes on either side and a posy of lilacs along with the name of its former owner on the seat. Hedwig Weber (1891–1969), whose father painted this toboggan for her, grew up in Reigoldswil. Hedwig married in 1929 and was henceforth called Heiniger. It follows that the toboggan was built – or at any rate painted – in Reigoldswil shortly after 1900.