Margarete Steiff (July 24, 1847 – May 9, 1909), was a seamstress who in 1880 founded Margarete Steiff GmbH, making toy stuffed animals.
Born in Giengen, Germany, Margarete was the daughter of building contractor Friedrich Steiff and his wife Maria Margarete, née Haehnle. At eighteen months, Margarete contracted a high fever that left her legs paralyzed and right arm difficult to raise. After three years, doctors finally diagnosed her with polio. Her parents were keen that she live a full life and investigated many medical treatments with little success. As a child she was taken to school in a small hand-pulled cart by her sisters and other neighborhood children. In her later reminiscences, she recalls ‘All the children gathered around me and I organised games in which I was the center of attention. However, the older children often ran off and then I was left babysitting the tiny tots’ Rerference: Wikipedia
Steiff animals are recognisable by a button in the ear. On antique bears this is often missing but the hole normally remains.
LARGE STEIFF CLOWN TEDDY BEAR
Brown tipped mohair, original nose stitching, glass eyes, trailing F with caps button, original hat and ruff, extremely rare. Includes baby book showing teddy bear was given on April 1911. Provenance: Bower’s Estate, Mannington, WV, Founders of Standard Plumbing Fixtures. 19″ t.
Sold for $32,500 at Bertoia Auctions in 2017
White mohair plush fully jointed teddy bear. The eyes are black boot button and the nose, mouth and claws stitched with black wool. The stuffing is wood wool.
This is an early example of a Steiff bear. Its long slender limbs, pointed muzzle and slight hump on the back are all typical of a Steiff bear of this age and type. This bear is called Whitie and is made from white mohair, which is quite unusual. The bear has worn a little girl’s dress for many years and has had many repairs.
Reference: © Victoria and Albert Museum
A LIFE SIZED STEIFF PLUSH MOHAIR ‘RIDE ON’ GROWLER BEAR ON WHEELS Circa 1950 Upholstered in mohair, on rod frame with red painted wheels, ‘Growler’ pull handle to centre back 90cm high
Sold for AU$ 3,416 (£ 1,888) inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2019
A STEIFF ROD BEAR, (28PB), jointed with metal rods, blonde mohair, black boot button eyes, gutta percha nose, pink stitching under nose, seam from ear to ear, black stitched claws, elephant button and steel and leather collar, circa 1904 –15in. (38cm.) high (bald areas down right arm and left leg, some other wear and fading); and an x-ray of the internal joints
Sold for GBP 7,500 at Christie’s in 2010