Craze Collection

Playtime at Wimbledon. by William Heath Robinson
The new craze of Jazz Tennis caught in full swing by our extra special artist. A humorous illustration of tennis players dancing the foxtrot on a tennis court

A sketch of the new dance craze called The Stomp (1927) 1927

Bonzos Latest: This Weeks Studdy
Famous dog, just after he had finally been christened with the name Bonzo. He appears with a swollen eye after fighting with a wasp

Toulouse geese with dewlap, cock and hen. Oie de Toulouse a bavette, Anser anser domesticus. Bred by James Watts, winners of five first prizes

Prince George having a tattoo, Japan 1881
" Everybody, it seemed, tattooed, whether belonging to the ward-room, gun-room, or lower deck, including, of course, both the Princes

Tricks on Skateboard
A young man performs a handstand trick on his skateboard Date: 1970s

A Picture WITH Words by Chloe Preston
A studious looking little girl with spectacles balanced on her nose, sits among dictionaries as she works on countless crosswords

London Gin Palace 1820
Tom and Jerry at a London Gin Shop, drinking Blue Ruin with a variety of fellow-customers

Silver spangled Hamburgh cock and hen, Henry Beldons pair, Cup at Allerton 1871, Hen first at Birmingham 1871, and cup at Bristol 1872

The Crossword Craze / 1920
A dashing couple display the growing crossword craze with their checked attire and similarly squared-off small dog!

Garden Ping Pong, 1901
An advertisement for Hamleys ping pong for the garden

Apache Dance, 1908
APACHE DANCERS : by a strange swing of fashion the sinister gangsters of the Paris under- world are seen as picturesque, and their macho dance style becomes the craze of the day

Thomas Ward and Sons, Group of men [workers?] outside Wardonia Works
Note the plus fours.The company began trading in Sheffield in 1927, assuming premises at Chaucer Works on the corner of Countess Road and Clough Road

Bee Jackson dancing the charleston
Dancer Bee Jackson demonstrating the Charleston which she was performing at the Piccadilly Revels cabaret at the Piccadilly Hotel after making a name for herself in America

White-faced black Spanish, cock and hen, Gallus gallus domesticus. Cups for chickens at Bristol 1872. Chromolithograph by Vincent Brooks Day & Son after an illustration by J.W

The Last Word by William Heath Robinson
A motorcyclist, engrossed in a crossword, fails to notice that he is driving over the edge of a cliff just as he discovers the right answer to one of the clues

Golden spangled Hamburgh cock and hen, Gallus gallus domesticus, Henry Beldons pair, cock cup at Birmingham 1870, hen cup at Kendal, Whitehouse and Spalding 1871

Black Hamburgh cock and hen, Gallus gallus domesticus, Rev. W. Sergeantsons pair, first prize at Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester 1871, and Bristol 1872

The passion for crossword riddles (colour litho)
2777623 The passion for crossword riddles (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: The passion for crossword riddles)

Tango craze: The Girl on the Film, 1913
A front cover from The Sketch, 1913, showing Mr. George Grossmith(1874 6 June 1935) and Miss Kitty Mason knee to knee at The Gaiety Theatre, for " The Girl on the Film". 1913

Tango craze: British ballroom version imagined, 1913
" The tango untangled, and made suitable for use in British ballrooms." The Bystander imagines a sanitised version of the tango, suitable for dancing in respectable British ballrooms

Snake Tattoo
The latest craze for feminine beauty is the tattooing of the back with serpents, butterflies, etc. This picture was taken in a London salon. Date: 1929

A Very Cross Word Puzzle by William Heath Robinson
As a golfer manages to hit a passer by forcefully on the head with a ball, the illustrator invites the reader to fill in the crossword puzzle: " Across: A Forceful Exclamation!"

The Rage for Rinking - still raging - roller skating 1912
Snaps of society indulging in the latest craze for roller skating at Holland Park Rink where members of the Sunday skating club includede Lord Churchill, Lady Thurston, Miss Ethel Dane the actress

Silver-grey Dorking hen, Gallus gallus domesticus. Bred by O.F. Cresswell and first prize winner at Ashford, second prize winner at Birmingham 1872

Japanese bantams, black bantams and Pekin bantams. Mrs. Woodcocks Japanese white bantams, first prize at Crystal Palace 1872. E. Cambridges black bantams, cup winner at Bristol 1873. H. B

Ascent of the Montgolfier brothers hot-air balloon before the royal family at Versailles
NUL113330 Ascent of the Montgolfier brothers hot-air balloon before the royal family at Versailles in 1783 (colour engraving) by French School, (18th century); Private Collection; French

A new dance - the Truda-Trott, 1927
Photographs demonstrating a new dance trend in 1927, the Truda-Trott devised in Austria as a compliment to the female Channel swimmer, Gertrude Ederle

The Charleston by Rose le Quesne
Humorous illustration recording the difficulties in mastering the Charleston. Date: 1927

Cartoon commenting on the craze for mediums and table-turning, 19th century
5308860 Cartoon commenting on the craze for mediums and table-turning, 19th century; (add.info.: Cartoon commenting on the craze for mediums and table-turning)

The Pedestrian Hobbies, or the Difference of Going Up and Down Hill, published April 8, 1819. Creator: William Heath
The Pedestrian Hobbies, or the Difference of Going Up and Down Hill, published April 8, 1819. Men riding hobby horses (a forerunner of the bicycle)

Hobbies or Attitude is Everything, Dedicated with permission to all Dandy.. pub. April 17, 1819. Creator: William Heath
Hobbies or Attitude is Everything, Dedicated with permission to all Dandy Horsemen, published April 17, 1819. An accident involving men riding hobby horses (a forerunner of the bicycle)

Everyone His Hobby, plate 1, published April 24, 1819. Creator: William Heath
Everyone His Hobby, plate 1, published April 24, 1819. Caricatures of men riding hobby horses (a forerunner of the bicycle) designed to reflect their profession

Rouen ducks, Anas platyrhynchos, cock and hen. Bred by J. K. Fowler and winner of cup at Aylesbury. Chromolithograph by Vincent Brooks Day & Son after an illustration by J.W

Miss Great Britain, Michelle Hobson, at the Toy Fair in Earls Court. Pictured with a Rubiks Cube. 1st February 1981

White Dorking fowl, cock and hen, Gallus gallus domesticus. Bred by Miss Fairhurst and first prize winner at Colchester 1873

White-crested black Polish chickens, cock and hen, Gallus gallus domesticus. Bred by P. Unsworth and winners of numerous cups and prizes

Black East India ducks and black Cayuga ducks
Black East India ducks, Anas platyrhynchos, and black Cayuga ducks, Anas rubripes. G. S. Sainsburys black East India duck won the cup at Bristol 1872. The black Cayuga duck were sent by Mr

Henny or hennie game birds, Gallus gallus domesticus. Cock and hen. Chromolithograph by Vincent Brooks Day & Son after an illustration by J.W

Malay cock and hen, Gallus gallus domesticus, Rev. A.C. Brookes pair, prizes at Crystal Palace and Birmingham 1871, Dublin 1872

Women playing with a Yoyo on a beach near Dieppe, France
Women playing with a Yoyo, the craze of 1932, on a beach near Dieppe, France. Date: 1932

The Rubik cubes inventor Professor Erno Rubik in the toy department of Harrods, autographing his cubes and new toy the Snake

USA - A stylish 1920s couple Jazz dancing. Date: circa 1908

Poster, Samuel Cody, Velodrome d'Hiver, Paris
EARLY AVIATION PIONEERS - THE SAMUEL CODY ARCHIVE: Extremely rare promotional poster for Cody?s Wild West performing days dated 1895

Poster, Samuel Cody, Velodrome de la Seine, Paris
EARLY AVIATION PIONEERS - THE SAMUEL CODY ARCHIVE: S. F. Cody Wild West Show (c.1893). Known as a showman, sharpshooter, horseman, aviator and aircraft designer

Cyclist & bent cycle fly into the air having hit someone
Early postcard humour by Cynicus a Glasgow artist called Martin Anderson. At the turn of the century bicycling was very much a craze. Date: 1903

Two women playing Diabolo in France while a mechanic fixes their car. Date: 1907

They sit in a window-seat each playing his/her banjo - the instrument is the fashionable pastime of the day. Date: 1886

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Step into the time machine and get ready to be swept away by the craze of different eras. From Playtime at Wimbledon with William Heath Robinson's whimsical illustrations, to the energetic moves of The Stomp dance in 1927, these snapshots capture moments that defined their times. Intriguingly, a Silver spangled Hamburgh cock and hen take center stage, showcasing nature's own craze for beauty. Meanwhile, Bonzo's Latest: This Week's Studdy brings us adorable canine antics that never fail to make us smile. Traveling back further in time, we find ourselves in a London Gin Palace from 1820 - where indulgence and revelry were all the rage. Toulouse geese with their distinctive dewlaps remind us of how even animals can become part of a fashionable trend. Shifting gears again, we witness Prince George embracing his rebellious side with a tattoo during his visit to Japan in 1881. It seems that even royalty couldn't resist the allure of body art. Fast forward to modern times, where Tricks on Skateboard demonstrate the adrenaline-fueled excitement that captivates thrill-seekers today. Chloe Preston's A Picture WITH Words adds an artistic twist as visuals merge seamlessly with language. The Crossword Craze takes us back to the roaring twenties when word puzzles became everyone's obsession - challenging minds while providing endless entertainment. And who could forget Garden Ping Pong? An early version of this beloved game from 1901 shows how fun can be found right outside our doors. Finally, we are transported to 1908 witnessing an Apache Dance - a passionate and daring performance that pushed societal boundaries. These glimpses into various crazes throughout history remind us how human beings have always been driven by curiosity and passion for new experiences. So embrace your own craze; let it define you just as these moments shaped their respective eras.