Captain James Cook, the famous explorer, was chosen to be the figure on the cover of the Pugh Reference, so to many it has been the most important portrait figure of all. This figure is based on a portrait in the National Maritime Museum, is 7+ inches tall, $2800. Strangely, it is the only figure of Capt. Cook, and has sold for much more in Australia than in the states.
|
John Brown Abolitionist John Brown devoted his life to anti-slavery causes culminating in an attack on the armory at Harper's Ferry in 1859. Soon after, he was captured, tried in Virginia, convicted and hanged. You can learn alot about American history from Staffordshire figures, and it is interesting to note how anti-abolitionist the English were. At one time Harriet Beecher Stowe was the most popular speaker in London and huge crowds waited to hear her lectures. They never did a figure of Mrs. Stowe; perhaps they never had an image. This figure of John Brown is extremely rare, $1100. |
Jumbo This is the largest figure of Jumbo, manufactured by the Thomas Parr pottery, titled, 11" tall. Jumbo was born in Mali in 1861 and arrived at the London Zoo in 1865 where he was a tempermental resident. Tremendously popular, when P.T. Barnum offered to buy Jumbo, 100,000 school children wrote to Queen Victoria begging her not to sell him. $2800 plus shipping.
|
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge The Duke married a commoner, the actress Louisa Fairbrother. Queen Victoria never officially recognized Louisa, thus the figures of her were titled Duchess, period. Louisa was terribly popular and her coffin was covered with flowers from members of the Royal Family when she died in 1890.
If you want the real scoop on this couple check out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Duke_of_Cambridge
14" tall, $895 for the pair.
|
Celebrity figures, titled, from top left: Miss Nightingale and
the Wounded Soldier, a Benjamin Franklin mold from the Parr pottery
titled General Washington, Sir Robert Peel, Lady Hester Stanhope and
Dr. Meryon seated on camels, The Jewish Landlord from the French
opera "Mother Goose", and Captain Cook. |
Clock figures related to William Shakespeare. On the right The Bard is flanked by Lady MacBeth and Hamlet. On the left he is flanked by Comedy and Tragedy, which is described in the Hardings' reference as based upon the Mintons' Shakespeare Clock exhibited in London in 1848 and appeared that year in the Illustrated London News. They look great together or separately, $795 each. The right one is 10" tall, the left one is almost 12". |
|
|
|
|
