Garden gnome

A garden gnome, or lawn gnome, is a figurine of a small humanoid creature, usually wearing a pointy hat, displayed for the purpose of ornamentation on front lawns or in gardens. These figurines originated in 19th-century Germany, where they became known as Gartenzwerge (garden dwarfs). The application of the term gnome in English is first attested in the 1930s.

History

Garden statuary has been common in Europe at least since the Renaissance. Among the figures depicted were gobbi (Italian for dwarfs or hunchbacks). In particular, Jacques Callot produced 21 designs for gobbi, engraved and printed in 1616. By the late 18th century, porcelain "House Dwarfs" had begun to be produced, and they remained popular ornaments throughout the 19th Century. In addition, wooden statues of gnomes had been made in Switzerland, around the town of Brienz. Even so, the claim to be the manufacturer of the first garden gnome is hotly contested, but it is possible that Baehr and Maresch of Dresden produced the first ceramic gnomes, having them in stock as early as 1841. From around 1860 onwards, many statues were made in Gräfenroda, a town in Thuringia, Germany, known for its ceramics. Philip Griebel made terracotta animals as decorations, and produced gnomes based on local myths about the gnomes' willingness to help in the garden at night. The garden gnome quickly spread across Germany and into France and England, and wherever gardening was a serious hobby.