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Information about Edith Cavell from the Imperial War Museum
Recollections of War > Records
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell
c. 1915Overview
Hollow, off-white china ornament depicting a statue of Edith Cavell, based on the memorial to her in St Martin's Place, Westminster. A graduated plinth supports the figure of Nurse Cavell, who stands erect and with a determined expression, dressed in her nurse’s uniform.
The colourful crest of the City of London covers the plinth. The rest of the statue is off-white, except for two small areas of black, one representing a bow around her neck and the other her belt, and some gold accents at the base of the figure and statue. The words 'Sacrifice' and 'Humanity' are written on the sides of the plinth.
On the base is the maker's mark for Podmore China, Hanley.
Historical information
The death of British nurse, Edith Cavell, by German firing squad on 12 October 1915 was used as a propaganda tool to encourage men to enlist to avenge her death. She became a martyr - a woman who was unafraid to face death for the belief in her cause.
Her story is detailed in an attached link to the Imperial War Museum.
Crested china collecting became a craze in the Victorian period when tourists bought small, hollow, off-white coloured porcelain ornaments decorated with the coats of arms of the towns they visited to take home as a souvenir.
Before World War One, pottery companies including Adderleys, Arcadian, Carlton, Clifton, Florentine, Grafton, Podmore, Savoy, Shelley, Swan, Willow Art, and W H Goss, mainly from the Stoke -on-Trent area, made miniature collectibles such as vases, plates and other crockery, houses, public buildings, cars and replicas of visitor attractions. During the war, the range of souvenirs was expanded to include military caps, equipment and vehicles.
Crested china ornaments are also known as ‘Heraldic China’ or ‘Heraldic Souvenir Ware’.
There are several examples in the collection made by a variety of makers.
Details
Details
Registration number
cwa-org-119-RoW00049
Item type
Material
Width
50 mm
Height or length
140 mm
Depth
35 mm
Inscriptions and markings
Beneath the figure:
"EDITH CAVELL
BRUSSELS
DAWN
OCTOBER 12th
1915"
Beneath crest:
"DOMINE DIRIGE NOS" (Master, guide us)
"CITY OF LONDON"
On one side of the base:
"SACRIFICE"
On other side of the base:
"HUMANITY"
On the base:
"PODMORE CHINA
HANLEY"
Keywords
Place made
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Year
Primary significance criteria
Artistic or aesthetic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Comparative significance criteria
Interpretive capacity
Related Objects
Related Objects
Sibling records
Other items from Recollections of War
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Photograph of the grave of Edith Cavell in Brussels
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Edith Cavell Mourning Card
-
Edith Cavell silk postcard 1
-
Edith Cavell silk postcard 2
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Poem dedicated to Edith Cavell by Lewis V. Baker
-
Edith Cavell portrait postcard
-
Edith Cavell postcard - 'To Her Assassins'
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Edith Cavell postcard - 'Remember'
-
Postcard of Edith Cavell Memorial in Norwich
-
Postcard of Edith Cavell's Grave in Norwich
-
Postcard of Edith Cavell Memorial in Brussels - 1
-
Postcard of Edith Cavell Memorial in Brussels - 2
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell - front view
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell - oblique view
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell - side view
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell - back view
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell - other side view
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell - other oblique view
Podmore China crested ware statue of Edith Cavell - base view
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