This large toy paddle steamer shows the extreme sizes that some toy boats reached even by the turn of the century. At 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) in length, Honfleur would have been difficult for anyone to handle, let alone a child, and may have been made as an exhibition piece rather than a working toy. Sadly we do not know who made her.

France, late 19th century
On loan from the Musée national de la Marine, Paris; LOA0913

Tags: Boats and Ships