Winnie the Pooh & teddy bears

AA Milne (1882-1956), the author of the much beloved children's classic 'Winnie the Pooh' was born on Sunday 19th 1882. The Aberdeen Journal published a glowing review (see below) of  'Winne the Pooh' when it first came out in 1926, referring to it as 'a book that all children will adore, and that their elders will pick up by stealth and read zestfully to the very end'.

Ref: Article entitled 'Pooh Bear: A Delightful Milne Fantasy', The Aberdeen Journal, 1926, from The British Newspaper Archive

As well as the wonderfully delightful tales by Milne, it is the evocative illustrations by the talented illustrator EH Shepard (1879-1976), which make Winne the Pooh such an enduring read.

Auckland Libraries holds a number of different versions of Winnie the Pooh in the heritage collections and other related Pooh and friends stories illustrated by Shepard.You can also find out about the Bear Garden in Devonport, North Shore, which never contained bears - including an image of the garden and newspaper articles from the Local History Online database. Despite the vast array of toys now available to children, good old fashioned, low technology teddy bears are still a popular children's toy. Below is a selection of bear related images drawn from Auckland Libraries' heritage collections for you to enjoy, including: tender portraits, children and teddies at play, real life teddy bears and fancy dress bears!

Portraits of children & their teddy bears:

Ref: 1054-341A, Hughes children and teddy, 1919, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 31-73191, Master Plugge, no date, Sir George Grey Special Collection

Ref: 31-64309, Reverend Bond and child, 1911, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 31-74352, full length portrait of a baby in the Partington group, 1915, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 31-63916, McKenzie children, 1911, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 1054-248A-2, Master/Miss ? Simon, no date, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 601-1437A, Missie Lennox, c. 1924, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Children playing with teddy bear toys:

Ref: AWNS-19140709-53-1, 'Its good Ted, Mum made it', 1914, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: AWNS-19151216-42-4, 'My Dear Little Teddy Bear', 1915, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 1043-9712, Robert Emirali and his teddy listening to a crystal set, c. 1920-1929, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Real life teddy bears:

Ref: AWNS-19140709-52-3, mascot of the Shamrock IV, 'Tim Lipton', 1914, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: AWNS-19270908-44-2, a live "teddy bear", 1927, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Fancy dress:

Ref: 31-58438, Mr Wilson dressed in a bear costume, 1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections