Wooden austerity toy : doll's cot

Hard wood doll's cot, painted cream. The four corner posts are cut from 2 cm dowel, to which are screwed upper and lower square section side rails. Joining the upper and lower side rails are lengths of 1 cm dowel - eight lengths on each long side; four to the short sides and nine to the base. These are glued into drilled holes in the side rails.

Wooden doll’s cot made by an unidentified Queensland manufacturer during the Second World War. The simplicity of design and construction reflects Australia’s wartime rationing and austerity policies. Metal, wood and paint were priority military materials, being used in a myriad of applications, and manufacturers had to apply for permits under the War Organisation of Industry (WOI) regulations to use, make and sell products made from these materials – often employing scrap or recycled items.