STAFFORDSHIRE FIGURINES 

 

 

 

 

Written by June Grayson 

 

 

 

For some devotees of Victoriana, nothing so typifies the Victorian Age as that body of collectibles known as Staffordshire figurines. English potters produced these earthenware articles by the millions during the 18th and 19th centuries. Of humble origin, and made as cheap toys for the English middle and lower classes, there is nothing humble now about the prices the best of these original portrait figures command or about the sophisticated collectors who buy them to grace the finest homes. 

These colorful images "...provide a chronicle of an age which included royal births and marriages, glorious victories and stirring defeats, and heroes and heroines that could make every heart swell with the pride of being English," according to Bonita LaMarche, the assistant curator of decorative arts at the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1990, Michigan residents were able to see a traveling exhibit featuring 64 examples of this rare collectible in "Fragile Memories: Staffordshire Figurines from the Jerome Irving Smith Collection," arranged by the Detroit Institute.  

You don't need to be English, however, to succumb to the 

charm of Staffordshire figurines. Do you like animals? Then you can seek the comforter dogs that survey the world through soulful eyes. These spaniel-type dogs have been produced in the hundreds of thousands during the last century and are still being made today. Seen for the first time, they may seem crude and ugly, but they tend to grow on you. Usually sold as a pair of mirror images for mantel decoration, they were made in white and gold, black and gold, red and white, and black and white. The Staffordshire potters also made Poodles, Dalmatians, St. Bernards, Whippets, and Pointers as well as hunting hounds holding dead rabbits in their jaws.  

 

Figurines of exotic animals such as giraffes, camels, elephants, zebras, and monkeys appealed to families on an outing to the zoos and circuses that first appeared in England during the latter half of the 19th century. They were cheap and charming trinkets that parents could buy for their children as souvenirs.  

Figures of common farm animals, however, far outnumbered those of the exotic ones, appealing as they did to a buying populace that was still essentially rural. Cow creamers were useful as well as popular. Milkmaids posed with their cows and milk pails. Sheep were sometimes shown being shorn. Several pairs of figures show a little boy and girl with animal pets.  

Horses were popular, too, but usually appeared as part of a portrait figure, such as a military hero depicted on a massivesteed. One figurine shows Dick Turpin, an infamous 18th century highwayman, mounted on "Black Bess." A figure of Sir Robert Peel show the famous English statesman astride his favorite mare, even though he died from a fall while riding.  

Although Staffordshire figurines were produced from 1720 to 1900 (and indeed yet today), the primary interest of most collectors is the Victorian period, coinciding with the ascent of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837. The figures didn't need to look like the person they were supposed to represent. A famousactress, recently deceased, magically became the new Queen Victoria with the addition of a crown and a different name painted on the base. When Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, the Staffordshire potters immortalized the event. Soon portrait figures including the royal children became popular.  

Almost any current event could provide inspiration for a new series of figures. Admiral Pugh, the foremost authority of Staffordshire figurines, has suggested that figures can be grouped into the following categories: 1) Royalty, 2) Statesmen and Politicians, 3) Military and Exploration, 4) Religious, 5) Entertainment (Theater, Opera, Ballet, and Circus), 6) Sport, 7) Crime, 8) Authors, Poets, and Composers, and 9) Miscellaneous. 

No subject was too gory for representation. Sellers hawked the likenesses of famous criminals to the crowds gathered for their public hangings. Another grouping captured the dramatic moment when a tiger mauled and killed the beloved Ellen Bright, a lady animal trainer.  

Insatiable for subject matter, figurine designers seized upon postcards, newspaper prints, and even the illustrations from the covers of popular sheet music of the day for ideas for their wares. In fact, one way that figurines can be dated is to discover the original print that inspired the figure's design. An interesting feature of Dr. Pugh's book is that the portrait figure is often photographed side-by-side with the printed matter from which the design was taken.  

 

In the early decades of production, such cottage wares and chimney ornaments were hand-modeled by pressing wet clay into plaster-of-Paris molds. After drying, an assembler put the pieces together with a liquid solution of diluted clay called slip before the first firing in a kiln. Then they were decorated all around with colored enamels and glazes before a final firing.  

Some pieces made use of 'bocage', a term referring to the  

stylized green foliage of trees and bushes positioned behind the figures.  

As the years went by and mass production took over, designs and decorations were simplified until by the 1860s only a touch of black and gilt was used for decoration. Since figures were designed to be used on a mantel and only viewed from the front anyway, potters stopped molding and coloring the backs, producing the so-called Victorian 'flatback' figurine.  

	Potters seldom marked or dated their wares, making exact attribution almost impossible. Supposedly, 165 potteries thrivedin the North Staffordshire area itself in 1850. Moreover, potters freely pirated each other's designs and techniques. The molds themselves changed ownership frequently because of bankruptcy, sickness, and death.  

	Itinerant peddlers sold the images door-to-door in far-flung rural areas for only a few pennies apiece. County fairs, open-air markets, tourist attractions, theater lobbies, and with increasing urbanization, local shops provided further distribution. 

Experts say that the quality of Staffordshire figures declined toward the end of the 19th century, losing the vitality and naive charm that was indicative of a true folk art. That is why rare examples in good condition and dating from the 18th century may sell for thousands of dollars when they come on the market today. A current price guide for specimens from the later Victorian period suggests retail buying ranges from $400 to $900, assuming that each piece is unrepaired and in perfect condition. Even a very minor defect can lead to an enormous difference in price. A pair of late 19th century comforter dogs, 15 inches high, from the estate of Bette Davis, sold at auction for $770 in 1990.  

You can find Staffordshire figurines at antique shops,shows, and auction houses. A museum featuring English ceramics will usually have representative samples of such figurines on display. When you tour historical 19th century homes in the United States, be on the lookout for Staffordshire pottery. You can see what appears to be a typical small figurine on a wall shelf in Mrs. Lincoln's bedroom at the Abraham Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois.  

Would-be collectors should be aware that there have always been reproductions of Staffordshire figurines. Many of the original molds still survive and have been used off and on for re-issues of popular models. Bill Saks, an authority on English ceramics who writes for antique publications, says, "Without a doubt there are more problems in dealing with Staffordshire pottery figurines than in anything else at all in English ceramics. About 85% of those figures I am asked to evaluate are modern copies, reproductions, and/or fakes."  

Collectors can study the wonderful reference books now available with many examples of the Staffordshire figurines shown in full color. The "bible" for any serious Staffordshire collector is STAFFORDSHIRE PORTRAIT FIGURES OF THE VICTORIAN ERA, by Surgeon Rear Admiral P. D. Gordon Pugh. Unfortunately, this is a very expensive book to buy, although you can probably borrow it from your public library. The softbound $12.95 book, COLLECTING VICTORIAN STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERY FIGURES, by Kenyon Charles Kies provides a good introduction to the field. All yearly antique price guides and books on British pottery and porcelain have entries under Staffordshire dogs and pottery figures. When you are ready to buy, you can protect yourself by dealing with a reputable antique dealer who specializes in English ceramics as well as by requesting a certificate of authenticity for your purchase.  

Even if you can't find a nearby antique store, you can see modestly priced reproductions of Staffordshire-type dogs and figures imported from Taiwan at small import shops such as the Bombay Company, in your regional shopping mall.  

The owner of an upscale import shop in metropolitan Chicago tells me that she imports current reproductions of Staffordshire figurines made in England today from the original 19th century molds. Nothing,it seems, can dim the collector's attraction tothese beguiling Staffordshire figurines.  

 

#####