Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s. The earliest datable figures appear to be of Queen Victoria. Production of earthenware figures continued throughout Victoria's lifetime, but although they were still made after her death in 1901, few appear to have been produced after 1905. During their heyday, however, they were produced in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. They represented a wide variety of subjects, including military heroes, political figures, actors and actresses, and famous poets and playwrights. This figurine of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is one of several versions produced by various Staffordshire firms; the possession of a figurine of Shakespeare would have been considered a mark of taste in many a Victorian household.