Milk maid at work
This apparently unique figure group, circa 1825, portrays a once-common sight in parks and on street corners across Britain. In the era before refrigeration, milk cows had to be located within quick reach of consumers. As the French-born American merchant Louis Simond tells in his journal in 1811, in London women bearing milk pails went door to door dispensing a quota of milk that was “as big as an egg, being the allowance of a family; for it is necessary to explain, that milk is not here either food or drink, but a tincture,— an elixir exhibited in drops, five or six at most, in a cup of tea, morning and evening.”
More Figures of the month
Queen Victoria
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of Queen Victoria, standing 8 3/4” tall and dating to approximately 1855. The Queen stands holding the staff of a flag in her left hand and a scroll in her right hand.
Victor Emmanuel II
This is a rare Staffordshire military figure of Victor Emmanuel II, standing 17” tall, dating to approximately 1855. It is titled in gold, raised capital letters, “KING OF SARDINIA”.
Dr Dulcamara and Adina
This is a rare pair of Staffordshire theatrical figures, standing 8 ½” tall and dating to approximately 1848. The male character represents Dr Dulcamara, as portrayed by Luigi Lablache, in Donizetti’s comedic melodrama L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love). The female actress, playing the role of Adina, is unidentified.
John Liston
This is an early Staffordshire figure of the actor John Liston, portraying the role of Van Dunder in the play ‘Twould Puzzle a Conjuror’ or ‘The Two Peters’, by John Poole.
Robert Raikes
This is a very rare Staffordshire bust of Robert Raikes, an Anglican layman and English philanthropist. The figure is titled in gilt script as “Founder of the Sunday School”, but it would be more accurate to say he was a pioneer, or promoter, of Sunday Schools.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of a woman seated on a couch, with her dog beside her. It is generally believed to represent Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and her dog Flush. This figure stands about 5 ¼” tall and dates to approximately 1846-1850.
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Wherever you are in the world, whether you are an experienced collector, a researcher interested in the folk art of England, or just someone who is intrigued by Staffordshire figures, please join us and get the rest of this year for free! Stay with us next year and pay an annual fee of £45 / $50 per household in January.
