Locomotive, 2019 The latest addition to my budding Vintage Toy series is this beautiful locomotive, built over 100 years ago! The Georges Carette toy company was known for its highly detailed quality toys, and this train - the Model 2350 Locomotive - was built around 1910, specifically to try and break into the US market where the "cow catcher" grill in front of the train was the norm.
In 1893, at the World Exposition in Chicago, Carette introduced a toy train that caused a stir as it was powered by electricity! Incredibly, one version of the Model 2350 was powered by an actual miniature steam engine. You can see one here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDYhmoAYM2U
I am not a toy collector but when I started developing this body of work I started going to vintage toy conventions to try find collectors to partner up with. Its exciting to look at these things, with all their history, and to re-imagine them in a fantasy setting.
One of the funnest parts of shooting this was creating and lighting the foreground. Decades ago I started collecting little bits of unusual looking shrubs and weeds - along with a ton of other little props - to decorate the Glam Bug sets. They are now invaluable for the Toy photos.
