Rare c1939 Pit-a-Pat Garden Couch-Hammock

This really is a rare Pit-a-Pat item for the serious collector, needless to say that it was snapped up immediately it went up for sale.

I have handled many Pit-a-Pat pieces of furniture and accessories during my 23 years of trading, but this was a first for me...and to be honest, I had not been aware that Pit-a-Pat had ever made a garden couch-hammock!

I understand that this was listed in a Pit-a-Pat advert in the March 1939 Toy Trader magazine under "New Lines" as a Garden Couch-Hammock. It measures 4 3/4" wide x approx. 2" at deepest point  x 4 1/4" high. The seat really does swing!

The seat is constructed of green stained wood and upholstered in floral material.  In the photo above you can see the instantly recognisable black ink square Pit-a-Pat stamp. 

The seat is hung by the same coloured thread seen on the Pit-a-Pat cutlery stands, and is looped through metal hooks on the underside of the canopy. This same blue/red/white floral material has been seen on some of Pit-a-Pat's fireside chairs. 

The top consists of a wooden stained canopy with further floral material that is fixed over the top and drapes down the back. The front edge and side edges of the canopy are edged in brown fringing. 

The main structure of the canopy consists of four silver painted doweling legs which are fixed to the underside of the canopy, with two narrow wooden doweling side supports. 

The doweling pieces are quite fragile and in young hands I am not sure how well they would have survived. 

The bottom of each edge of the fabric drape are fixed to the legs by a metal stud. 

What a curious item this is. 

I had been torn on whether to keep this or not, primarily because it was so rare. But I had nowhere to display it properly so decided that it could not sit in a box any longer and took the plunge by putting it up for sale. As I said earlier, it was snapped up immediately by a lovely customer called Margaret. And I am delighted that Margaret emailed me a photo of it in situ in its new home. 

And here it is, with a doll having a lovely time balancing on it! Margaret has created this little scene on the roof of her Tri-ang No.53 and managed to find room for the Garden Couch-Hammock amongst the many other old treasures she has there. 

Am chuffed to bits that it has found such a brilliant new home, and hope that it goes on to give even many more years of pleasure. Special thanks to Margaret for giving me permission to use her photo on KT Miniatures Journal.

And as a final footnote...for those of you who like to know such things, other pieces that were listed as New Items in the same Pit-a-Pat advert in the March 1939 Toy Trader magazine, were as follows: TAPESTRY 3 PIECE SUITE, DIVAN BED, BILLIARD DINING TABLE, NURSERY PIANO & STOOL, TELEVISION SET & ENAMELLED TOP CUPBOARD. 

How curious some of those sound, particularly the billiard table which in the advert states that it has a lift off top, and comes complete with balls and cues! As all these items, including the garden couch-hammock, are being advertised as new items just a few months before WW2, then I am assuming that not many of them were made as they would not have been in production for very long?  Which would make them more rare and rather desirable.

Celia
KT Miniatures