[Educational cabinet], four wooden trays containing various specimens, housed within card cups with printed labels, including examples of various leathers, papers, fur, indian rubber, cocoon of silkworm, acorns, shell lac, sealing wax, gum arabic, cinnamon, porcelaine, sponge, oyster, halfpenny, pen knife, copper ore, lead ore, rhomboid of calcspar, coral and many others, some specimens lacking or broken, trays housed within a wooden box with hinged lid, printed paper label "A Catalogue of Scientific and Other Educational Cabinets Sold by Thomas Varty, 31, Strand" to base and inside lid, box 178 x 303 x 118mm., Thomas Varty, [mid 19th century].

⁂ A rare survival, intended for the instruction of children in various natural and man-made materials. We cannot trace a similar example at auction. An example is held at the Young V&A.

Thomas Varty was a London-based bookseller, printer, stationer, and bookbinder, active c.1829-56. In the London Directory of 1843 he was recorded as a stationer with Roake and Varty, although he later became the sole owner. Varty was best known for producing natural history and educational prints, particularly the series Graphic Illustrations of Animals. He died in 1856.

The design of the cabinet was based on the education theories of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827) who advocated a child-centred approach that would pre-empt the work of Maria Montessori.