History and Identification of a Steiff Teddy Bear

A private client brought their father’s teddy bear to Museum Textile Services for conservation in late 2019. The bear had blond mohair fur on a cotton ground, excelsior (wood wool) filling, and shoe-button wooden eyes. The bear was characteristically similar to early teddy bears made by Steiff and Michtum. All we had to go on was the father's birth year: 1923. 

Front of Teddy Bear before conservation. Image by MTS. Courtesy Private Client.

Back of Teddy Bear before conservation. Image by MTS. Courtesy Private Client.

To determine the manufacturer of the client’s bear we first closely examined its materials and construction. The fine blond mohair pile and cotton fabric on the paws is seen consistent on the majority of Steiff bears. The earliest of these were stuffed with excelsior and sometimes kapok (a traditional futon filling). Steiff bears have an internal skeleton consisting of cardboard disks and metal pins that allow the head, arms, and legs to move. We could feel the round disks connecting the head, arms, and legs to the body of the bear.

Detail of face of the Teddy Bear with Excelsior visible through hole in nose

As we continued to examine the bear, we located a metal button in its ear with the word “Steiff”. To distinguish their high-quality products from other competitors and cheap imitations, Steiff developed the brand sign “Steiff – Knopf im Ohr” (Button in Ear). ​

​History of Steiff Teddy Bears:
​Margarete Steiff was born on July 24, 1847 in Giengen an der Brenz, Germany. She went to sewing school to became a seamstress. Steiff worked as a tailor and eventually founded a felt clothing business selling garments and household articles. 

The Steiff Manufacture was founded in 1880 and made a variety of stuffed animals including the elephant, dogs, cats, hares, horses, and monkeys. Stuffed bears did not appear until 1902 when Margarete’s nephew, Richard Steiff, designed the first bears with movable arms and legs. The bears became immensely popular in the USA in 1906 under the name "Teddy Bear," in honor of American president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (served 1901-1909). 

Teddy Bear positioned sitting up to show articulated limbs

​For more information about Steiff Teddy Bears and Margarete Steiff check out the Steiff Museum.  Stay tuned for a future blog about the conservation treatment of the teddy bear.

Kayla Silvia is a Conservator at MTS.  She has a BA and BS from (SUNY) at Oneonta, and a MPhil in Textile Conservation at the Centre of Textile Conservation from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. ​