Random Collecting Feature
Royal Commemoratives and Royal Souvenirs on a Shoestring
To many people, the thought of ‘royal commemoratives’ conjures up a vision of rows upon rows of ceramic mugs, each bearing a royal crest, or, maybe, a picture of the queen. But it doesn’t have to be like that. I’ve collected royal memorabilia for many years, and go out of my way to seek out the quirky, often slightly disrespectful pieces! I look around for cheaper royal commemoratives too; things like eggcups, keyrings, tins, cards, hankies, scarves, mascots, jigsaw puzzles and cruets. Much of this tends to be referred to as ‘kitsch’ – but let’s face it, part of the fun of any royal or patriotic event is the plethora of bunting, stickers, flags, posters, badges and other colourful items which normally we wouldn’t give house room to. And maybe that is the key, because as nearly all of this stuff is soon discarded, you find that after a few years it starts to become collectable, often worth more than the few pence or pounds you originally paid. These cheap and cheerful collectables are the kind of items which tend to end up in charity shops and boot sales, and might not look much; yet when they are grouped together, maybe in a bookshelf or on a side table, they can make an amusing and eye-catching focal point. A major royal occasion will spawn all kinds of ephemera, so it’s worth looking out for patriotic paper napkins, tablecloths, plastic hats, programmes, toy windmills, periscopes, chocolate wrappers, souvenir grocery packets and much else. I’ve accumulated foil milk bottle tops from the Investiture of Prince Charles in 1969, paper napkins from the 1977 Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and an interesting thin cardboard box, which originally contained cupcakes, celebrating the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. This box is printed with a ‘Corgi Racin’ Game’, a colourful design of corgis and a finishing post. The idea was to cut out the corgis, glue them to coins and then flick them along the table to the finish. Almost certainly the majority of these boxes would have been thrown out when the cakes were eaten, so packaging such as this makes an interesting find. Other cheap and cheerful items often discarded after the event include pencils, tins, rulers, badges, notebooks, children’s paint boxes and pens. I have a pretty baby’s bib printed with pictures of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, issued for their 1981 wedding, presumably to prevent tots getting jelly all over their party frocks at the street parties which were held all over Britain on the big day. Also in my collection is a super 1980s’ stand-up cardboard Sarah Ferguson, with a note pad attached. She is drawn as a caricature, dressed in a ski suit and sporting a ‘hello, sailor’ badge as a reference to Prince Andrew. Another unusual piece is a royal family set of wooden stacking dolls I snapped up recently at a bootsale for £5. This super piece shows the Queen, while nestling inside is Charles, inside him is Diana, inside her is Fergie, who contains a tiny Andrew. One of my favourite royal commemoratives is quite recent, making its appearance last year. It’s a set of ‘wind-up royals’. Made by Paladone, the box contains four clockwork characters – the Queen, Price Phillip, Prince Charles and Camilla – and the idea is just to wind them up and see who moves the fastest. They stomp along, regally waving to us lesser mortals as they go, and the first one to reach the finishing line gets to rule the country! With character faces and colourful costumes, this hilarious, colourful plastic set of royal people is worth every penny of the £10 or so which they cost, and they are available from various gift and novelty shops. Commemorative headscarves and handkerchiefs can be bought cheaply, and these are frequently very attractive, bearing pictures of the royal coach, the processional route, soldiers and members of the royal family. Usually they are found unused as they would have been intended as souvenirs rather than functional items, which is just as well, because many fabric items used non-fast colour dyes. Don’t wash them unless it is really necessary, especially if they are silk, or you might end up with a crumpled, sorry-looking object in which all of the colours have run. I’ve often seen these scarves and hankies, still in pristine condition, for £10 or under. Mascots are sometimes sold for royal occasions. At one time they consisted of small celluloid dolls, dressed in red, white and blue ribbons, which could be pinned to a coat or a dress. Nowadays, mascots are more likely to be small red, white & blue teddy bears or character animals. Other slightly more permanent souvenirs include jigsaw puzzles and moneyboxes. Small metal crown-shaped moneyboxes appeared in 1953 to commemorate the coronation, and various tinplate pillar-box shaped types crop up from time to time, including one issued for the 1937 coronation of George VI. Jigsaw puzzles are always colourful; amongst my collection are some very attractive coronation versions, including one made from wood which shows a complete map of the coronation route, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Don’t forget tins, some of the royal related ones are stunning, and apart from the usual tea caddies and biscuit tins, smaller tins can be found which contained peppermints, chocolate or other sweets, Years ago, my parents gave me the thermos flask they bought to celebrate the 1953 coronation. Made from bronze-coloured metal, it is printed with a portrait of the Queen, as well as a sketch of the royal coach in a procession. These flasks can still be found today for well under our shoestring limit, and it’s fun to imagine the tourists sipping tea from their royal flasks as they lined the processional route, waiting for the newly-crowned Queen to emerge form the abbey. Over the years Viewmaster handheld 3D screens have appeared with hundreds of different film reels and the company have often produced commemorative reels for royal occasions. […]
The Doughty Sisters – Freda and Dorothy
When it comes to innovative design there are two sisters that instantly spring to mind, Freda and Dorothy Doughty. Between them they were not only responsible for creating some of the most spectacular ceramic figurines but also for saving one of the UK’s best loved factories – Royal Worcester. Dorothy had a passion for nature which is evident in her bird figurines but Freda’s designs of enchanting loveable children at play changed the way Royal Worcester was perceived being not only hugely successful back in the 1930s but also highly sought after by collectors today. Born to the wife of the famous explorer and Poet, Charles Doughty, in San Marino, Italy, Freda and her sister Dorothy were brought to Kent in the UK when they were still small children. In 1926 their father passed away leaving the girls, who were unmarried, to run the family home. Dorothy was a keen naturalist and ornithologist who also had a talent for painting. She attended the Eastbourne College of Art where she excelled. Very little is known about Freda’s early life but we do know that she also had a keen interest in art and ran ceramic modelling classes for children, from the house. These children became great inspiration for Freda and she would frequently create ceramic models of them, totally unaware at the time of what impact her child figurines would have on saving one of the most reputable British ceramic factories from demise. In 1930 the Royal Worcester factory was having financial difficulties and was on the brink of closing. Businessman, Charles Dyson Perrins saved the day by purchasing the factory and paying the workers out of his own pocket until the company was stable again. Another initiative that he introduced was a new group of modellers who were mostly women. They were responsible for helping enlighten the factory once again. One of the Directors of Royal Worcester saw Freda’s child figurines whilst staying with her cousin and so asked if Freda would submit something to the factory. This was to be the start of a flourishing career for Freda both as a modeller and designer. The first four models were exhibited at a London Art Gallery along with offerings from the other freelance designers. In comparison to the more ‘avant-garde’ designs that were created by her colleagues, Freda’s children were very simplistic and considered to be old fashioned. However the public absolutely loved them and as a result Freda quickly became one of the most prolific and successful artists at the factory. During her long career with Royal Worcester, Freda produced over 100 different models, most of which were produced many times over. Each piece showed children either playing in the garden, on the beach or simply enjoying their youth. ‘Grandmother’s Dress’ and ‘Boy with Parakeet’ were two of the most popular and so were created in various colourways. Other successful ranges were ‘Days of the Week’ and ‘Months of the Year’ which were also produced over a long period of time. By 1934 Royal Worcester decided to introduce a range featuring Birds of America in order to re-establish themselves in the American market. A series of cabinet plates illustrating images from the Audubon Birds of America book were issued in limited edition sizes and proved to be a huge success. The Art Publisher of the book, Mr Dickens, then approached Royal Worcester again about the possibility of creating three dimensional bird figurines. His requirements were specific and the figurines had to have a matt finish which would help create a realistic feel. Freda was by now very popular with the public and had released many models of her children. So the Art Director, Mr Gimson approached Freda to see if she would be interested in sculpting the new range of bird figurines. Although a talented and versatile modeller she introduced Mr Gimson to her sister Dorothy who, Freda believed, would be perfect for the job. Dorothy already had a sound knowledge of birds, a fine artistic flair and also a legendary photographic memory for small details so this particular project was ideal. There was no doubt that Dorothy was skilled in watercolour and sketching but needed to learn the art of producing models for ceramics. Freda spent time teaching her how to create plasticine models and cut them to produce the required moulds for slip casting. The first few bird figurines were produced by studying photographs but these earlier models lacked the vibrancy of her later pieces which were created by modelling from life. It became apparent to Dorothy that the method of slip casting was unsuitable for making finer details such as flowers, so a workshop was set up and Dorothy along with a team of trainees began to hand mould the details. The bird figurines were all extremely complex to create and so were produced in limited edition sizes, a culture that was being adopted as it appealed to the public. On many occasions Freda was asked if she would like to make some limited editions of her child figurines, but she declined. She was a believer that her particular figures were to be bought and enjoyed by everyone and so be easily accessible rather than limited to just a few lucky people. Throughout the war years much of the factory production ceased as the staff concentrated on the war effort. Dorothy still worked on some of her bird figurines but also became an ambulance driver and was involved with secret experimental work with aircraft production. Sadly she then fell very ill and so together with her sister Freda, moved to Falmouth in Cornwall although together they continued their work for the Royal Worcester factory. By the 1950s Royal Worcester once again was experiencing financial difficulties and it is said that Freda’s child figurines especially ‘Grandmother’s Dress’ and ‘Boy with Parakeet’ were a contributing factor to the company’s survival. Dorothy continued to create her bird figurines but sadly in 1962 was taken seriously ill again and […]
Carnival Glass – The American Influence?
The United States was the home of Carnival Glass. It was developed there, and though other countries soon began to produce their own versions, most collectors today begin with American glass as it is the easiest to obtain. A previous article described the manufacture and appearance of this beautiful product, but briefly, it is a living glass – vibrant and bright – which reflects colour rather like spilt oil on water. Although the patterns are formed in a mould, unlike pressed glass Carnival Glass needs a lot of hand- finishing and decorating, and the iridescence (created by adding metallic oxides to the hot glass) means that the finished product doesn’t have that somewhat flat appearance often noticed in pressed glass. Pictured left is a Northwood fruit and flowers electric cable ice blue small bowl. Carnival Glass didn’t really become of interest to collectors until the late 1950s, and consequently the history of many of the early companies is still not fully-researched, so many dates are vague. A trawl through textbooks throws up a variety of dates – it seems that no-one is absolutely certain when the various manufacturers first developed their Carnival Glass products, though it is known that by 1905 the first cheap, iridised glass to rival the expensive Tiffany’s was in production. Pictured right is a Noryhwood Rosette rare green bowl. The Northwood Glass Company was founded by English-born Harry Northwood, son of a talented glass manufacturer. Harry left England to work in America in 1880, when he was twenty years old, and founded his own factory in 1887 in Ohio, before eventually moving to Wheeling, West Virginia. Many people believe that it was Harry who brought the technique of iridisation to the USA, having seen it at his father’s glassworks. By 1908 he was producing a range of iridised glass, using moulds from earlier pressed glass. He began by making a range of marigold Carnival Glass, which he called ‘Golden Iris’. Iris is from the Greek word for rainbow, and Harry thought that this was a good name for a glass which seemed to contain and reflect so many colours. Pictured left is a Northwood grape and cable plate.. Northwood proved to be a very productive factory, introducing designs such as grape and cable, fine cut and rose, beaded cable, wild rose, singing birds, peacock at the fountain, leaf and beads, nippon and rosette. Of all its designs, grape and cable was the most popular, and at one time could be obtained in over seventy shapes of dishes, vases, plates and bowls. Other companies, noting the popularity, copied the designs, which seemed to be quite a common practice at the time. Harry Northwood also introduced some lovely pastel carnival glass, which came in delicate shades of ice blue, ice green and white. Today, the pastels are highly sought after but are quite rare. White is perhaps the easiest to find and is very pretty with a delicate pearly sheen. Later, in 1915, a range of iridised custard glass appeared. This opaque and cream coloured glass has a pastel iridescent overlay, and is now very rare, commanding high prices. Most Carnival Glass is unmarked, but the Northwood company regularly marked their products with a letter ‘N’ in a circle, which makes them easily identifiable even by novice collectors. For a round ten years the Company was at the forefront of the Carnival Glass industry, but then, sadly, Harry contracted a fatal disease. He died in 1918, and without him the company seemed to lose direction, finally foundering to a halt in 1925. Harry Northwood at one time leased the Dugan Glass Company (when under a different name), and was related to Thomas Dugan, one of the managers. When Harry left, the name was changed to Dugan, and in 1910 the company began to produce Carnival Glass, often using old Northwood moulds. Normally it marked its pieces with a ‘D’ set inside a diamond shape, which is probably why, in 1913, it again changed its name, this time to the Diamond Glass Company. Based in Indiana Pennsylvania, Dugan was responsible for many wonderful pieces of iridescent glass with opalescent edges, using patterns such as fan, cherry, apple blossom twigs, butterfly and tulip, farmyard, fishnet, starfish stippled, pastel swans, raindrops and heavy grape. This company continued production right up until 1931, when the factory was destroyed by a disastrous fire. Pictured right is a Dugan grape delight amethyst rosebowl. The Imperial Glass Company, Ohio, was set up in the early 1900s, though the iridised glass didn’t appear till 1910 . Before then, it made pressed glass tumblers, water sets, cruets, pickle trays and other items of table ware. When the company finally introduced its range of Carnival Glass, it was an instant success and huge quantities were manufactured. It was so prolific in its output that most collectors today have some Imperial pieces in their collections. This company decided to specialise in geometric designs rather than the naturalistic patterns favoured by many of the other Carnival Glass companies, and it continued to produce items of practical use as opposed to the more decorative glassware which Northwood, Dugan, Fenton and Millersburg preferred. Pictured right is an Imperial grape marigold tumbler. Imperial experimented with many types of glass, often producing unusual base glass colours such as clambroth (a pale ginger-ale) and smoke (light blue-grey). They also managed to achieve an exceptionally brilliant iridescence on their wares, while their purple glass was a very deep, rich shade which no other manufacturer could accomplish. Much of their work resembles the Bohemian glass of the same period. At the time it was apparently quite common for a complete workshop group to decide to emigrate, and Imperial employed many Bohemian German-speaking workers who brought their expertise and ideas with them. The Company also produced a tremendous amount of marigold Carnival Glass, the commonest colour, and so one of the most affordable. Pictured left is an Imperial heavy grape one-handled dish. Glass from Imperial was sold […]
Vladimir Tretchikoff and His Art
Retro and vintage have become the new buzz words with those eagle eyed collectors who seek out all things dating from the middle of the twentieth-century onwards.
The Life and Cats of Louis Wain
Louis Wain Cats Louis William Wain was born on August 5, 1860 in Clerkenwell in London. His father was a textile trader and embroiderer, his mother was French. He was the first of six children, and the only male child. None of his five sisters ever married. At the age of thirty, his youngest sister was certified as insane, and admitted to an asylum. The remaining sisters lived with their mother for the duration of their lifetimes, as did Louis for the majority of his life. Pictured: The Contented Cat signed ‘Louis Wain.’ – bodycolour 11 x 9¼ in.. Sold for £5,250 ($8,022) against an estimate of £700 – £900 ($1,070 – $1,375) at Christies, London, July 2010. Wain was born with a cleft lip and the doctor gave his parents the orders that he should not be sent to school or taught until he was ten years old. As a youth, he was often truant from school, and spent much of his childhood wandering around London. Following this period, Louis studied at the West London School of Art and eventually became a teacher there for a short period. At the age of 20, Wain was left to support his mother and sisters after his father’s death. Pictured: A Louis Wain Pottery Model Of ‘The Laughing Cat’, Manufactured By Royal Staffordshire, Early 20th Century, modelled seated wearing a bow tie printed and painted marks 7½ in. (19.1 cm.) high. Sold for £563 ($1,018) at Christies, London, September 2008. Wain soon quit his teaching position to become a freelance artist, and in this role he achieved substantial success. He specialized in drawing animals and country scenes, and worked for several journals including the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, where he stayed for four years, and the Illustrated London News, beginning in 1886. Through the 1880s, Wain’s work included detailed illustrations of English country houses and estates, along with livestock he was commissioned to draw at agricultural shows. His work at this time includes a wide variety of animals, and he maintained his ability to draw creatures of all kinds throughout his lifetime. At one point, he hoped to make a living by drawing dog portraits. Pictured: An early 20th Century Amphora (Austrian) pottery figure of a cat in the “Cubist” manner designed by Louis Wain, the octagonal head and angular body decorated in yellow, orange and black on a turquoise ground, 10.5ins high x 9.5ins overall (green printed mark to base with registration No. 637132 and signed in black). Sold for £8200 at the Canterbury Auction Galleries, June 2008 a then record for a Louis Wain ceramic cat figure. At the age of 23, Wain married his sisters’ governess, Emily Richardson, who was ten years his senior (which was considered quite scandalous at the time), and moved with her to Hampstead in north London. Emily soon began to suffer from cancer, and died only three years after their marriage. It was during this period that Wain discovered the subject that would define his career. During her illness, Emily was comforted by their pet cat Peter, and Wain taught him tricks such as wearing spectacles and pretending to read in order to amuse his wife. He began to draw extensive sketches of the large black and white cat. He later wrote of Peter, “To him properly belongs the foundation of my career, the developments of my initial efforts, and the establishing of my work.” Peter can be recognized in many of Wain’s early published works. In 1886, Wain’s first drawing of anthropomorph ised cats was published in the Christmas issue of the Illustrated London News, titled A Kittens’ Christmas Party. The illustration depicted 150 cats, many of which resemble Peter, sending invitations, holding a ball, playing games, and making speeches over eleven panels. Still, the cats remain on all fours, unclothed, and without the variety of human-like expression that would characterize Wain’s work. Under the pseudonym George Henri Thompson, he illustrated numerous books for children by Clifton Bingham published by Ernest Nister. In subsequent years, Wain’s cats began to walk upright, smile broadly and use other exaggerated facial expressions, and wear sophisticated contemporary clothing. Wain’s illustrations showed cats playing musical instruments, serving tea, playing cards, fishing, smoking, and enjoying a night at the opera. Such anthropomorphic portrayals of animals were very popular in Victorian England, and were often found in prints, on greeting cards and in satirical illustrations such as those of John Tenniel. Pictured: The choristers signed ‘Louis Wain’ (lower left), watercolour and bodycolour, 7 x 9in. (17.8 x 22.8cm.). Sold for £7,050 ($9,976), Christies, London, December 2001. Wain was a prolific artist over the next thirty years, sometimes producing as many as several hundred drawings a year. He illustrated about one hundred children’s books, and his work appeared in papers, journals, and magazines, including the Louis Wain Annual, which ran from 1901 to 1915. His work was also regularly reproduced on picture postcards, and these are highly sought after by collectors today. In 1898 and 1911 he was chairman of the National Cat Club. Wain’s illustrations often parody human behavior, satirizing fads and fashions of the day. He wrote, “I take a sketch-book to a restaurant, or other public place, and draw the people in their different positions as cats, getting as near to their human characteristics as possible. This gives me doubly nature, and these studies I think [to be] my best humorous work.” Wain was involved with several animal charities, including the Governing Council of Our Dumb Friends League, the Society for the Protection of Cats, and the Anti-Vivisection Society. He was also active in the National Cat Club, acting as President and Chairman of the committee at times. He felt that he helped “to wipe out the contempt in which the cat has been held” in England. Pictured: The Cat in his Garden, 287 by 320mm., fine watercolour and gouache drawing, signed in lower right corner “Louis Wain”, mounted, framed and glazed. Sold for £15,000 at […]
Della Robbia Art Pottery Birkenhead 1894 – 1906
The Della Robbia Pottery was established in Birkenhead in 1894 and took its name from the celebrated Italian renaissance sculptor Luca Della Robbia whose colourfully glazed creations had graced Florentine churches since the 15th century. This Merseyside Company was founded by Harold Rathbone and the sculptor Conrad Dressler at a time when the Birkenhead area was witnessing a dramatic influx of workers seeking employment in the shipbuilding industry. In 1820 the village of Birkenhead numbered 200, however by the time Messrs Rathbone and Dressler opened their doors for business the “town” boasted a population of close to 100,000 souls. Pictured: Della Robbia Chalice and cover decorated by Cassandia Annie Walker Harold Rathbone, (1858-1929), had the benefit of being a member of the wealthy Liverpool merchant family of that name – a name which to this day still figures prominently in the financial sector based on Merseyside. He was also a man of vision at a period in time that had begun to witness the emergence of the Arts and Crafts Movement. This radical cause was essentially a reaction against the products of debatable taste emerging from the factories and dark satanic mills of that machine age. In contrast the Movement’s mission was to re-establish the importance of hand crafted objects of unquestionable artistic merit at affordable prices, and consequently to re-affirm the position and importance of the craftsman or woman. Rathbone was unquestionably a man on such a mission and it was his aim to supply the growing wealthy classes setting up home on the southern shores of the river with beautiful hand crafted “art” pottery. He did not however limit his parameters to the domestic and soon began executing commissions for public buildings and churches – this was a time when the growth in church building exceeded that witnessed last during the 15th century. Rathbone has been described as a painter, designer and a poet. Pictured: Della Robbia two handled albarello decorated by Marianne de Caluwe after Peruginos 1902 His father Phillip Rathbone was not only the head of a wealthy and socially wellconnected family but also the Chairman of the Arts and Exhibitions Sub- Committee at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery between 1886 and 1895. His son would have accompanied him to the studios and workshops of some of the most respected artists and craftsmen of that time and almost through a process of osmosis would have been influenced into recognising the talented and the brilliant in later years. The fact that the celebrated pre- Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt painted his portrait gives a reasonable indication of the circles within which he made regular orbits. Add to this the non-conformist leanings of the Rathbone clan and you soon begin to appreciate that young Harold was, at least at an aesthetic level, also a man of his time. Here was also a man determined to achieve and maintain high artistic standards that within a short period of time attracted the patronage of Queen Victoria, the Prince and Princess of Wales and that great patron of the arts, Sarah Bernhardt. Outside the pottery he was able to call upon the services of such artistic luminaries as William Morris, Walter Crane, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Lord Leighton and not forgetting William Holman-Hunt. But it was inside the pottery that he was able to establish a team of talented designers and decorators that collectively provided the individual spark which ignited a range of wares that made strong use of incise carved (sgraffito) decoration complemented by colourful glazes. Subject matter tended to be dominated by floral and figural themes that also provided the staple for many of their contemporaries both in the United Kingdom and the United States. Rathbone was determined to provide a working environment that allowed for individual interest and dignity, which contrasted starkly with the harsh conditions and mindless toil personified by the Victorian factory system that was the lot of the working masses. These “Utopian” ideals attracted a loyal artistic workforce that included several lady decorators such as Cassandia Annie Walker, Ruth Bare, Emily Margaret Wood, Liz Wilkins and Annie Smith. Pictured: Della Robbia twin handled bottle vase decorated by Ruth Bare When it comes to value, size and quality of decoration is always an important factor, with collectors often paying a premium for portraits and Art Nouveau inspired subjects. All decorators tended to sign their work using a painted signature or monogram on the base of a pot near the incised ship trademark motif flanked by the letters D and R. In Conrad Dressler he had a co-director who was keen to establish the company’s credentials as a supplier of fine quality architectural pottery and who initially shared Rathbone’s artistic ideals. This was made manifest in a lecture Dressler gave to the Liverpool Ruskin Society in1896 titled “The Curse of Machinery”, which in all honesty fails to sit well on the epitaph of a man who in later years was to invent the revolutionary “Tunnel Kiln” that allowed for the continuous gas firing of tiles and pottery with great energy savings. Regrettably Dressler was unable to achieve any meaningful success and left the pottery in 1897. The name of the sculptor Carlo Manzoni, originally a native of Turin, is also synonymous with the Birkenhead venture, having opened his Hanley Granville Pottery in about 1894 with limited success and which appears to have terminated as the result of a disastrous fire. In 1898 he accepted the invitation to join the company and stayed until the pottery’s closure after which he continued to work in Birkenhead where he provided headstones and crosses until the need for the same with his death in 1910. Even so, Manzoni’s artistic contribution is difficult to determine, as only a few pieces appear to survive bearing the painted letter M. From all accounts this most mild mannered of men appears to have stoically endured Harold Rathbone’s apparent eccentricities and is credited with maintaining a presence that contributed artistically whilst helping to maintain a fragile solvency issue. As a result of this on-going problem, in 1900 Rathbone joined forces […]
William de Morgan at the Ashmolean Museum Oxford
If you are a fan of the works of William de Morgan, then a visit to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford should be on your itinerary. The De Morgan Foundation has on semi-permanent loan, since 2017, a fine collection of William de Morgan works. The display includes tiles, dishes, and vases, and works from different periods and factories. Below are some images from the collection. William de Morgan Related Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – https://www.ashmolean.org/ De Morgan Collection – https://www.demorgan.org.uk/ William De Morgan – the Arts & Crafts Pioneer William De Morgan Price Guide
Muriel Spark, Her Novels and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Dame Muriel Spark (née Muriel Sarah Camberg) was born in Edinburgh on the 1st February 1918, and 2018 is the centenary of her birth. She is most famous for her sixth novel, published in 1961, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, with its eponymous title character, the free spirited Miss Jean Brodie. She was placed placed her eighth in The Times list of the ‘50 greatest post-war writers’. Muriel Spark began writing poetry in her early teens at school. At the age of 19 she left Scotland for Southern Rhodesia to marry Sydney Oswald Spark, thirteen years her senior whom she had met at a dance in Edinburgh. In July of 1938, she gave birth to a son Samuel Robin Spark in Southern Rhodesia and having left the marriage, Spark supported herself and her son there. Spark began writing seriously after the war, under her married name, beginning with poetry and literary criticism. In 1947 she became editor of the Poetry Review. In 1953 Muriel Spark was baptised in the Church of England but in 1954 she decided to join the Roman Catholic Church, which she considered crucial in her development toward becoming a novelist. Her first novel, The Comforters, was published in 1957. It featured several references to Catholicism and conversion to Catholicism, although its main theme revolved around a young woman who becomes aware that she is a character in a novel. Spark was to publish four more novels Robinson (1958), Memento Mori (1959), The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960) and the The Bachelors (1960) until The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1961. Brodie was to become the novel that she would forever synoymous with. In the novel Spark displayed originality of subject and tone, making extensive use of flash forwards and imagined conversations. Muriel Spark Novels and Price Guide These prices are a reflection of the market as of 15th January 2018. As with most modern first editions condition of the dust jacket is critical to the valuation. The Comforters (1957) Robinson (1958) Memento Mori (1959) The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960) The Bachelors (1960) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) The Girls of Slender Means (1963) The Mandelbaum Gate (1965) The Public Image (1968) The Driver’s Seat (1970) Not To Disturb (1971) The Hothouse by the East River (1973) The Abbess of Crewe (1974) The Takeover (1976) Territorial Rights (1979) Loitering with Intent (1981) The Only Problem (1984) A Far Cry From Kensington (1988) Symposium (1990) Reality and Dreams (1996) Aiding and Abetting (2000) The Finishing School (2004) Reference Celebrating Muriel Spark and writing about post traumatic stress – Radio 4 a look at the work of Muriel Spark and discussion with William Boyd and Alan Taylor (14 January 2018) Dame Muriel Spark – A great British novelist, and the waspish creator of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – obituary on The Guardian (17 April 2006)
Doll Decades 1910 -1919: Bolsheviks, Battles And Brassieres
A decade of tragedy; in the space of a few short years, almost ten million young men died on the battlefields of Europe, with 200,000 losing their lives on the fields of Flanders. Yet it was also a decade of triumph and creativity. Pictured right: Ernst Heubach 1910 bisque When King Edward VIII died in 1910, he was succeeded by his son George V and his wife. George’s elder brother had died of pneumonia in 1891, and so George not only took over as heir to the throne, he also appropriated his brother’s fiancée, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. It seems to have been a happy marriage and by the time they were crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1911, they had six children, amongst them the future George VI, father of our present Queen Elizabeth. George V and Queen Mary (as she was now known) reigned for twenty-six years. Not long after Edward died, the skies were illuminated by a bright light when Halley’s comet made a spectacular reappearance. At one point the earth actually passed through its tail, causing the press to weave sensational tales of cyanide poisoning as the tail contained a poisonous gas. Naturally, it was a false alarm, though some people maintained it was a bad omen, nodding with satisfaction a few years later after two major disasters of the decade – the ‘Great War’ and the sinking of HMS Titanic – seemed to have proved them right. HMS Titanic was launched with great ceremony on 1911, but just a year later struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sunk with a loss of 1502 lives. Pictured left: Vectis Effanbee Miss Coquette 1912 During the earliest years of the decade, beautiful German dolls filled the toy shops. Manufacturers such as Simon & Halbig, Schoenau & Hoffmeister, Heubach and Armand Marseille produced vast numbers of bisque china dolls, often finely painted and exquisitely dressed. The Germans had cornered the market at this time, their faster production methods and flair for business gradually squeezing out the French dolls, but when the war started, there were importation restrictions on their goods, including dolls and toys, which meant British and ‘friendly’ countries needed to fill the breach. Pictured right: Vectis WW1 AM Sailor with medals Half-dolls were beginning to be popular during this decade, often referred to as ‘tea-cosy dolls’ or ‘pin cushion dolls’. Some of them were very delicate, made by famous porcelain manufacturers, and they topped items such as cakes, brushes, pin cushions, powder puffs and tea-cosies. In 1913 Mary Phelps Jacob, an American socialite, constructed the first brassiere from two silk hankies and some ribbon, to wear under a sheer evening gown. At last women could discard their restricting whale-boned corsets (though not without a fight by many shocked ladies). That same year, the zip fastener appeared, honed to perfection from a much earlier invention, as well as the crossword puzzle, which at last gave people something to do during their coffee break. And in 1915 a character was dreamed up by Johnny Gruelle, who would bring pleasure to generations of children – Raggedy Ann. Pictured left: Japanese Bisque Doll 1910 The assassination of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his pregnant wife in Sarajevo 1914 was the trigger for hostilities to start. Young men rushed to sign up to fight, all believing it would be a bit of ‘harmless sport’ and be over by Christmas. It wasn’t, of course, and as those fresh-faced youths faced the horrors of the war trenches, their women folk back home had to take over the mens’ jobs in factories, banks, farms and businesses. They were also marshalled to act as auxiliary workers in the armed forces, so freeing the men-folk to fight at the front. The majority of the women had never worked before, and this was an unknown freedom. Not long after the end of the war, women over thirty were given the vote for which the suffragette movement had long been campaigning. The gap in the market due to the hostilities with Germany was swiftly filled by Japan who sent bisque and celluloid dolls to Britain. The majority of these dolls were crudely made of a coarse white bisque. Many little girls enjoyed assembling collections of the smaller dolls which were sold cheaply in toyshops and newsagents. Sometimes the dolls were made completely of bisque, but often their bodies were cloth. These unsophisticated Japanese dolls have a charm of their own, though some of their dolls were very fine and beautifully painted. Pictured right: Deans Rag Dolls Various patriotic dolls, often made from cloth, appeared during the war years, dressed in uniforms such as a ‘Tommy Atkins’ figure to represent a soldier. Sometimes a mother would dress a bisque doll for her child in a replica of her father’s uniform, as a reminder while Dad was fighting at the front. Britain tried to emulate the unavailable bisque German beauties but with little success, with manufacturers such as Goss making various china-headed dolls. Goss dolls were quite pricey, and once the war ended and German dolls were imported again, Goss ceased production. In 1917, the Russian Revolution had led to the abdication of the Tsar, Nicholas II. Refused refuge in Britain, he was murdered by the Bolsheviks six months later, along with his wife and children, as symbols of the old Russia. Over the years, several women have claimed to be Anastasia, the youngest child, who was rumoured to have survived the shooting. Other notable events included the invention of traffic lights in 1911 and parachutes in 1912. In 1919 speedy breakfasts were achieved by the creation of the pop-up toaster. Three years before, the first Women’s Institute in Britain was established in North Wales, while young girls were able to emulate their Boy Scout brothers in 1910 when the Girl Guides’ Association was founded by Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Six years later, he completed the hat-trick by founding the Cubs for younger boys. All in all, this was […]
Collecting Pop Star Dolls
This is an ideal time to begin collecting pop star dolls, because at the moment the shops seem to be full of them; stars include Steps, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Five and S-Club 7, but perhaps the most notable dolls of recent times have been the Spice Girls. These certainly hit the headlines when they were first produced in 1997 because they were expensive when compared to Barbie and as most girls wanted the set of five, parents were faced with a bill of around a hundred pounds. Nevertheless, the dolls sold in large quantities at first, though sadly they soon became relegated to the bargain section of toy-stores, where they might still be found. Such is the price of fame! These Spice Girls dolls were nicely modelled and bore a reasonable likeness to Scary, Posh, Sporty, Ginger and Baby, aka Mel B, Victoria, Mel C, Geri and Emma. Manufactured by Galoob, the dolls appeared in several sets. The first set, ‘Girl Power’, featured Geri in her notorious Union Flag dress. Emma wore a pink silky mini, Victoria a black mini, Mel C a sporty black jogging suit and Mel B leopard print pants and matching crop top. Each doll had an accessory such as a dog-shaped bag for Emma and a handbag for Victoria. The most interesting thing about the Spice Girls range is the way they kept up with the style of the group – the most obvious being, of course, Geri’s sudden departure, which meant that she was swiftly dispatched from future sets! However, she featured in the ‘On Tour’ set and also in ‘Spice It Up’ (in which she wore a super long white dress emblazoned with the words ‘Girl Power’!) The later ‘On Stage’ set, in which the girls wore velvet trouser suits was Geri-free! With so many of them about, it is unlikely that they will ever change hands for mega-prices, but if you’re collecting for pleasure, not for investment, then these well-made dolls will make a great display. In the 1980s, sets of Take That dolls were issued. The five lads, Mark, Jason, Howard, Gary and Robbie were casually dressed in jackets, jerkins and jeans. Made by Vivid Imaginations, these are now beginning to become collectable, changing hands for around £20 or so, if mint and boxed. (It’s best to keep these character dolls packaged and unplayed with.) A few years later came Boyzone and already these dolls are sought after; Shane, Stephen, Michael, Ronan and Keith also wore casual styles in leather or denim. Look out too for Vivid Imaginations’ 1997 Peter Andre doll. Dressed in black trousers and white T-shirt, this bore a super likeness to the singer. Dolls from the world of pop are nothing new – in the 1960s there were Beatles dolls, Sonny and Cher and Elvis. The Seventies gave us the very collectable 1978 Abba set, made by Matchbox, which featured Frida, Benny, Anna and Bjorn dressed in typical stage clothes – Frida and Anna in a short white minis and boots, Benny in a gold jacket and white satin flares and Bjorn in a blue satin shirt under white bib-top dungarees. Extra outfits could be purchased separately. Teen idol Donny Osmond and his sister Marie were made by Mattel, and made an attractive pair – Donny wore a purple and fuchsia jumpsuit with a silver belt, while Marie’s tiered dress was in similar shades. Boy George, too, was available as a soft-bodied doll, complete with typical hat and long beribboned locks, and is very collectable today. Recently, a fabulous collectors series by Mattel featured Elvis Presley, and he was also Barbie’s hero in the ‘Barbie loves Elvis’ set. The ‘Barbie loves Frankie’, set also by Mattel, would be great for fans of Frank Sinatra. Beatles figurines have recently been issued by McFarlane Toys commemorating the Yellow Submarine film, and also the Sergeant Pepper LP – though not strictly dolls, they would still be at home in a pop collection. In 1995, Triumph International issued an excellent Michael Jackson doll. Not only did this bear a striking resemblance to the star, it boasted a musical chip which played ‘Black and White’ (extremely loudly!) Michael was dressed in black trousers, white jacket and white top. An additional clothing set consisting of a super red leather jacket, black trousers and vividly-coloured T-shirt was also available. This too contained a musical chip, which, when plugged into the doll played ‘Beat It’. An earlier Michael Jackson doll, by MU Productions, wearing a red leather suit, is today keenly sought after. The current wave of dolls mentioned earlier include an excellent Britney Spears series, in which she wears typical outfits such as her schoolgirl gear, or a smart white trouser suit. Made by Play Along Toys, these are well-modelled. In addition there are deluxe sets which contains CDs, as well as Britney dressed in trendy outfits such as a fur-trimmed pink dress or a pink top and tartan skirt. Vivid Imaginations have produced a singing Britney, also dressed in her schooolgirl get-up of red crop-top, white blouse, short navy skirt, grey cardi and long grey socks. You can get other outfits too, complete with slot-in sound packs. Steps dolls, again by Vivid Imaginations, are attractive and can be obtained as ordinary fashion-type dolls, or containing a ‘real working Boom Box’ which plays ‘Tragedy’. The dolls bear excellent likenesses to Faye, Claire, Lee, H and Lisa and are dressed in Steps ‘uniform’ of white tops and trousers. The Christina Aguilera doll by Vivid Imaginations can also be obtained in both singing and non-singing versions. This pretty doll wears such outfits as denim jeans and matching jacket over a brown suede top, or red pvc trousers and a blue, silver- bordered top. Hasbro’s S-Club 7 – Jo, Rachel, Tina and Hannah – can be obtained in various brightly-coloured trendy outfits, and Vivid Imaginations’ Five dolls – Abs, Ritchie, Scott, Sean and J – are also available at the moment from toy stores. No […]