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Christmas in Buffalo, NY. 1917. The year is a guesstimate based on the birth dates of Hermann (1912, on the left) and Johanna (1911). They are enjoying their new toys under the tree lit with actual candles.
In additional to the traditional train by the tree I find most fascinating the horse-drawn milk delivery wagon. This image doesn't show it well but the horse is mounted on a wheeled platform for smoother playtime.
This image was digitized from a 4x5 glass negative.
Tinkertoys were introduced in 1914, and the "star-like" discs do conform to the hole patterns of a Tinkertoy spool hub. But as far as I know Tinkertoys have always used a thicker spool hub. Perhaps this an imitation toy? Their father (and later Hermann also) was a mechanical engineer so finding this type of toy in their house is no surprise.
The stick-like structure in the center of the train track looks like an early version of the Tinkertoy. The sticks seem to be connected by star-like disks. I wasn't aware such a toy existed then, yet, there it is.
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