Dan Fern (British, B. 1945) "Toy Building Blocks" Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of the Great Britain 27p Toys and Games stamp issued May 16, 1989. A simple child-sized block of wood. Sometimes square, sometimes rectangular. Other times shaped like an arch or pillar. Or decorated with the letters of the alphabet. No one knows when toy building blocks were first enjoyed by children. But we definitely know when they became popular with adults. In the 19th century, revolutionary educational methods such as those of Montessori and Froebel, with their precepts of learning by doing, taught that an interested child is a happy child. Formal, planned educational methods -- especially kindergarten methods -- began influencing the pattern of toys. These methods popularized building blocks and their more modern development, the constructor set, because they helped build motor skills and depth perception, while allowing children to imaginatively interact with their environment. Soon, the humble toy building block grew more complex. As adults became involved, children found themselves playing with magnificently ornamented building blocks of wood and stone from Germany, and cabin logs from the United States. On both sides of the Atlantic, clever construction games were patented. Later, so were structural metal engineering sets. The toy building block might or might not have gotten better, but it had certainly become more elaborate. Image Size: 16.75 x 20.75 in. Overall Size: 20.75 x 22.75 in. Unframed. (B12018)