Figurine
ca.1840 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s, and the earliest datable Staffordshire figures appear to be those of Queen Victoria. Images of royalty proved lucrative and during the 1840s countless other royal figures were issued by Staffordshire pottery firms. Although some Staffordshire portrait figures were produced after Victoria's death in 1901, few appear to have been produced after 1905. During their heyday however they were made in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. As well as the royal family they represented a wide variety of subjects, actors and actresses being especially popular.
This represents Will Watch, a legendary smuggler who was believed to have come from the Sussex area of England and who featured as a hero in a number of melodramas, the best-known being Will Watch and his Black-Eyed Susan. Several different versions of Will Watch were produced by Staffordshire firms, his popularity due to his romantic swashbuckling appearance.
This represents Will Watch, a legendary smuggler who was believed to have come from the Sussex area of England and who featured as a hero in a number of melodramas, the best-known being Will Watch and his Black-Eyed Susan. Several different versions of Will Watch were produced by Staffordshire firms, his popularity due to his romantic swashbuckling appearance.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
| Brief description | Flat-back figurine of Will Watch, the smuggler who featured in Victorian melodrama including Will Watch and his Black Eyed Susan. Glazed earthenware, Staffordshire, c.1840. |
| Physical description | Glazed earthenware figure of Will Watch standing with his legs apart, by grey barrels, on an integral base with gilt line decoration on which the words WILL WATCH feature in gold paint. He wears a large hat featuring magenta and blue plumes and wears an open-necked white shirt and jacket, a sash with a cross-hatched pattern in ochre, green and blue, pale lemon knee-length breeches with green and ochre floral detail, magenta stockings and black boots with red tops. In his right hand he holds a pistol and in his left a rifle. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | WILL WATCH Note Letters raised in the mould and gilt |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Almaza Gertrude Morton |
| Object history | Will Watch was a legendary smuggler and privateer who featured in a Dickens short story and on the stage in melodrama. |
| Summary | Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s, and the earliest datable Staffordshire figures appear to be those of Queen Victoria. Images of royalty proved lucrative and during the 1840s countless other royal figures were issued by Staffordshire pottery firms. Although some Staffordshire portrait figures were produced after Victoria's death in 1901, few appear to have been produced after 1905. During their heyday however they were made in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. As well as the royal family they represented a wide variety of subjects, actors and actresses being especially popular. This represents Will Watch, a legendary smuggler who was believed to have come from the Sussex area of England and who featured as a hero in a number of melodramas, the best-known being Will Watch and his Black-Eyed Susan. Several different versions of Will Watch were produced by Staffordshire firms, his popularity due to his romantic swashbuckling appearance. |
| Associated object | S.957-1996 (Object) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.198-1998 |
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| Record created | February 22, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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