| The first garden gnomes were made in Grafenroda, a | | | | effective to make. |
| German town known for its ceramics, in Thuringia, | | | | Traditional garden gnomes are made from terracotta |
| Germany in the mid-1800s. It was called "der | | | | clay slurry which is poured into molds. The statue is |
| Gartenzwerg" and made of clay. Their first recorded | | | | removed from the mold, allowed to dry, and finally fired |
| appearance in England was around 1840 at the estate | | | | in a kiln until it has hardened. The last step is, of course, |
| of Sir Charles Isham, the 10th Baronet of Lamport Hall. | | | | for them to be painted with great detail and sent to the |
| He had a great love of rock gardens, so he built an | | | | stores to be sold to customers. Modern day garden |
| enormous one and covered it with little porcelain | | | | gnomes are often made from schwau resins or similar |
| figures - the first garden gnomes, as we know them. | | | | materials. |
| Philip Griebel and August Heissner were two of the | | | | Today, garden gnomes are thought of as being small |
| first individuals to produce these figurines in quantity. | | | | (typically male), bearded, wearing pointed conical |
| Philip made terracotta animals as decorations and | | | | (usually red) hats, colorful waistcoats and are known |
| produced garden gnomes based on local myths. By | | | | to smoke pipes. They live in natural areas close to the |
| doing this, people could enjoy the stories of gnomes' | | | | Earth and care for wildlife. Some were thought of as |
| willingness to help in the garden at night. The garden | | | | being tiny miners. These figurines are made in a variety |
| gnome quickly spread across Germany into France | | | | of poses as they pursue various activities such as |
| and wherever gardening was a serious hobby. | | | | fishing, often napping, and gardening, etc. |
| Currently, there are an estimated 25 million of them in | | | | Despite their aristocratic origins, garden gnomes have |
| Germany alone. These little creatures have always | | | | trickled down the fashion scale until they ended up on |
| been considered more than mere decorations. In fact, it | | | | suburban lawns often made of concrete and plastic. |
| is considered good luck to place one in the home and | | | | These little statues have come full circle and have |
| garden. | | | | firmly established their spot in many homes and |
| With the onset of World War II, all of the German | | | | gardens around the globe. However, they are often |
| gnome manufacturers disappeared as their | | | | the target of pranks, know as gnoming, and the |
| workshops and factories were taken over and used | | | | practice of stealing them has become known as |
| for other purposes by the military. Around the early | | | | "Gnome Hunting". People involved with such pranks |
| 60s, several companies sprang up producing plastic | | | | obviously won't be blessed with the good luck of a |
| garden gnomes that were much easier and cost | | | | gnome. |