Pretend Collection

The Bright Young People - mock Rayner-Ponsonby wedding
A group of Bright Young Things indulging in one of their many silly pranks, in this case a mock wedding where Elizabeth Ponsonby married John Rayner. The best man was Robert Byron

The Party by Muriel Dawson
A little girl in a pink dress entertains her toys with a tea party in her playroom

Monkey driving a toy car
A rather surreal photograph of a monkey driving a model vintage car

Two Babies by Muriel Dawson -- a little girl in a red dress has been bathing her doll. Date: 1930

Bonzo palms the pill by George Studdy
Bonzo palms the pill -- he is given a pill, but only pretends to take it. George Ernest Studdy (1878-1948), was the creator of Bonzo

Queen Mother visiting London evacuees at Horsted Keynes, 1939
The Queen Mother(1900-2002) with evacuated children from Battersea. A little four year old girl called Shirely here is playing " mothers"

Rather wonderful pair (possibly father and son?) dressed as Tom, Tom the Pipers Son. The boy on the right is Tom, while the man on the left, dressed as a yokel, holds the pig that Tom steals

Rock a Bye Baby by Muriel Dawson
A little girl in a charming sun hat, sits in a hammock and rocks her doll to sleep

German U-Boats
Terrified by German U-boats, the English pretend to be neutral (the Norwegian and British merchant navy flags are conveniently similar !)

Opportunists pretending to be gardeners
5616099 Opportunists pretending to be gardeners; (add.info.: Cartoon depicting opportunists pretending to be gardeners in order to excite charity in more affluent classes. Dated 19th Century)

flamingo in a turkey costume
Pink plastic flamingo decorated to look like a turkey and wearing a pilgrim hat

Figures by pink Cadillac, Aladdin's Cave Junk shop and reclamation yard, Lewisham way, London

Human models pretending to be a marble statue
A pair of nude (mostly) human models pretending to be a marble statues, complete with rocky plinth! Date: circa 1910s

Comic postcard, Two boys playing at soldiers, WW2 Date: circa 1940s

Two children in fancy dress; the little boy is dressed as a chef while a little girl makes a very respectable maid or waitress. Date: 1920s

A Gaulish family cooking a bear, illustration from Lets Play History
CHT177842 A Gaulish family cooking a bear, illustration from Lets Play History by Montorgueil, c.1910 (colour litho) by Job, pseudonym for Onfray de Breville

A Pic-nic in the Drawing Room, a capital thing for a Wet Day (coloured engraving)
2818061 A Pic-nic in the Drawing Room, a capital thing for a Wet Day (coloured engraving) by Leech, John (1817-64) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Pic-nic in the Drawing Room)

Page from The British Working Man or One Who Does Not Believe In Him (engraving)
3632452 Page from The British Working Man or One Who Does Not Believe In Him (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Woman perched on a wooden donkey at the seaside, with a pier in the background (unknown location) c. 1925

Holding up the pillar
Three men and two small children pretend to be supporting the weight of a rather precariously leaning pillar - part of quite a grand countryside entrance way. Date: late 1930s

Queen Elizabeth I dancing in her Palace in all her finery
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) is pictured here dancing before a rich man in her Palace wearing a beautiful skirt with a corset and her traditional thick layer of make-up

Pat dressing up a Ghost (engraving)
2786804 Pat dressing up a Ghost (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Pat dressing up a Ghost. Illustration for Chatterbox (1880)

The Grocers Shop (engraving)
6010386 The Grocers Shop (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Grocers Shop. Illustration for The Infants Magazine (1867).); © Look and Learn

Boys playing soldiers with their dog in the country (chromolitho)
975878 Boys playing soldiers with their dog in the country (chromolitho) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Page from a wallpaper sample book, 1885-90 (surface roller or hand block printed paper)
3084435 Page from a wallpaper sample book, 1885-90 (surface roller or hand block printed paper) by English School, (19th century); 26x46.5 cm; The Geffrye Museum of the Home, London

Keeping School (engraving)
6010382 Keeping School (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Keeping School. Illustration for The Infants Magazine (1867).); © Look and Learn

Tale of a Dog (engraving)
1062424 Tale of a Dog (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Tale of a Dog. Illustration for The Graphic)

Proposal, Shall I say, Yes? (colour photo)
3093007 Proposal, Shall I say, Yes? (colour photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Proposal, Shall I say, Yes)

Bogie (colour litho)
3621625 Bogie (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Bogie. Illustration for Chatterbox, 1873.); © Look and Learn

Little grandma (engraving)
6007168 Little grandma (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Little grandma. Illustration for Our Picture Book (S W Partridge)

Beauty Glamour Girl Cleaning House
Angela Waye

The wedding of Spike Milligans daughter Sile to Willie White. Spike Milligan having a joke with a toy pistol, also pictured is Harry Secombe. Church of the Virgin Mary, Monken Hadley, Barnet, London

Childrens Games: The Guardsman that fainted on parade. 60 small boys dressed as Grenadier Guardsmen were busy square-bashing on a beautiful lawn of St

Birkby Infant and Nursery school has a shop that makes maths more palatable. Pupils are seen with teachers Mrs Susan Dean and Mrs Susan Drake during a two-day pilot project on environmental maths

The Oxford and Cambridge boat race crews re enact the race at the Lords Tavener Ball, Grosvenor House July 1952 C3441

Photographer Jimmy Morrison of Bishopsprings, Glasgow. He says he preferes long, lingering kisses to short ones 5th November 1977

Driver, Willie McPeake is down to earth in his attitude towards the kiss. He said, " When I was courting I used to give them the old patter as a lead up to the kiss

Elephant Character

Two Animal Characters

A Clown and a Rabbit

Puppy Dressed as a Cowboy Splattered With Blood

Three French women (pretending to be Spanish) pose in a photographic studio as musician, dancer and (male!) bullfighter !! Date: 1910s

GIRLS & TOY PRAMS GIRLS & TOY PRAMS
Two little girls dress up in scarves and gloves and pretend to be grown-up women, chatting in the street, pushing their dolls in prams. Date: 1940s

Noahs Ark Bridge ove to Treasure Island at The British Empire Exhibition, Wembley Park, London. Date: 1925

Music cover, Pretend, Nat King Cole
Music cover, Pretend, by Lew Douglas, Cliff Parman and Frank Lavere, recorded by Nat King Cole. 1952

Two young girls playing dress-up with a doll, Victorian era circa 1903

A Girl Dressed As A Fairy; Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Child Waters Flowers

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"Pretend: A World of Imagination Unleashed" Step into a world where make-believe reigns supreme, as The Bright Young People gather for the mock Rayner-Ponsonby wedding. With their extravagant costumes and mischievous grins, they transport us to a realm where reality is merely an afterthought. In Muriel Dawson's masterpiece, "The Party, " laughter fills the air as guests revel in the joy of pretending. Monkey driving a toy car adds to the whimsy, reminding us that even our wildest dreams can come true within the realms of imagination. But it's not just humans who indulge in this delightful game. In George Studdy's iconic illustration, "Bonzo palms the pill, " we witness a clever canine pretending to be innocent while hiding his mischief behind those adorable eyes. Meanwhile, Queen Mother's visit to London evacuees at Horsted Keynes in 1939 showcases how they are bring solace during challenging times. Children dressed as Tom, Tom the Pipers Son alongside their rather wonderful pair (possibly father and son) remind us that even amidst chaos, playfulness has its place. Muriel Dawson strikes again with her enchanting artwork titled "Rock-a-Bye Baby. " As babies slumber peacefully on fluffy clouds suspended by moonbeams, they invite us to join them in a land where lullabies become reality and dreams take flight. Yet not all pretend is light-hearted; history reminds us of German U-Boats lurking beneath treacherous waters during wartime struggles. Even then, children find solace through imaginative games that shield them from harsh realities. Nat King Cole serenades our souls with his timeless hit song "Pretend, " transporting listeners into a world where love conquers all obstacles. His melodic voice whispers secrets only known by those who dare embrace pretense wholeheartedly. And what could be more absurdly delightful than a flamingo in a turkey costume.