Chinese Girl...Here is an exquisite carving of a beautiful
Chinese girl. Her hat has been pushed back and she is wiping
her brown since the day is very hot. She has just taken off
her shoes and is ready to step into the cool water. A screw
nutcracker, carved in Austria, circa 1890.
Hand With Mouse...There are a number of carved hand
nutcrackers, and nearly all of them are clutching a walnut.
This one, however, is tightly holding a squirming mouse. A
screw nutcracker, carved in France, circa 1870.
Nutcracking Shoes...This is a pair of "nutcracking shoes"
used for commercial nut cracking before any mechanical
cracking machine was invented. Spikes on the shoes are
covered with tiny little hooks that would peel and crack the
nuts. A nut pierced by the spike, if not broken, would be
pushed up as a new nut was pierced, until finally broken by
the increasing size of the spike. From France, about 1650.
The Nutcracker Museum is
handicap accessible.