Hummel Barn- A Part Of History

By Author: Larry Donald
Total Articles: 7
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You might know a hummel child by sight, but do you know their history? This post explores the history of the figurines and the artist behind the figurines none other than Berta Hummel.

Hummel children (Hummel barn) have their forerunners in ancient Greece. The Tanagra figurines of the 4th century BC Greece depict real people in true activities. This was revolutionary. Until that discovery, any figurines that we have unveiled have been depiction of animals, god and goddesses.

The figurines are named after the Boeotian town of Tanagra.

Technologically, they were quite advanced. They were coated before firing and then painted afterward.

Tanagras depict true people in regular clothes, wearing hats and carrying objects. So far the instances found are mostly women, but there are figurines of men and kid, boys generally. They run almost 4 to 8 inches high. It is difficult to say what their purpose was behind the introduction of a maileg . Some scientists contemplate that they were utilized in religious ceremony.

Sounds familiar, isn’t it? ...
... Hummels are almost of the same size as Tanagras. They share the same subject matter and both are vibrant. It makes you marvel if in a thousand years, archaeologists will marvel why we have Hummel figurines and cat neck rainwear (Kattnakken regntøy) in our houses.

Berta Hummel, born in Germany in the year 1909, was a talented painter. As a hobby, she created drawings and paintings of little Bavarian kids. She entered a convent in the year 1931, after graduating from Art School in Munich. She expected to be kept busy at the convent with teaching drawing and design to convert students. She did not expect that her art would keep the convent open during the Nazi regime.

After entering the convent, she took the name of Maria Innocentia. Her drawings became postcards as a way to generate money for the convent. The postcards led to a book which led to the figurines. Franz Goebel, who owned a porcelain factory, saw the book and his factory started creating the Hummel children (Hummel barn). They were successful; consumers were thrilled by the innocent bright faces on the figurines.

During the same period, the Nazi party was on the surge in Germany. With the growth of their power, things became hard for the convent. Nazis were not kind to religion and the nuns were forced out of their buildings. As the figurines were so popular, the figurine production and the convent were permitted to continue, and the Nazis took half the money. Even then, Sister Maria kept drawing.

Unfortunately, she died at a young age of just 37, due to tuberculosis, just after the war ended. Her thousands of drawings, sketches and paintings still inspire the Goebel artists that are striving to keep the collection fresh.