Rubber Toys Production in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Part 1

Based on archival records of Russian State Historical Archive, Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg and technical literature, the authors analyze the composition of rubber toys produced at the factories of Russian-American Rubber Manufacturing Company (TRARM, since 1908 - under “Triangle” company), Moscow Rubber Manufacturing Company (MRTM, subsequently “Bogatyr”), as well as the Riga factory “Conductor”, and the technology of their manufacturing in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The research focuses on issues related to pigmentation and staining of products, as well as their operational properties. The authors attempt to reconstruct the list of materials and methods of toy production used in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. A toy is understood as an object intended for the children entertainment (doll, ball, pacifier, balloon). Special attention is paid to natural rubber, as the basis of rubber compounds.