BAIRNSFATHER DISH

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1917

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Overview

Commemorative (WW1) ceramic dish (butter dish?), relatively shallow with a frilled finish to the plate edge.
The top of the plate has a brown printed design along a circular motif. The outer rim of the plate has several small images; a rat eating out of a tin, a soldiers hat, a Plum & Appletin, an army water mottle and a holed bucket. The interior of the plate once contained a cartoon, now scratched away, but the words Well, if you knows of a better ole, go to it.
The dish itself is stained and severely scratched on its upper surface from use, with two large cracks, crazing and several chips along the outer edge.
It is part of a Bairnsfather crockery set, made in England after WW1 and based upon cartoons of Bruce Bairnsfather.

Historical information

The plate is believed to be part of the Bairnsfather ware crockery sets produced in England after World War I, based upon the cartoons of English artist Bruce Bairnsfathers Fragments from France, which took a patriotic, light-hearted view of the trench war on the continent. The crockery sets were produced of ironstone ceramic at Grimwade between 1917-1950, and while not especially rare, they are considered quite collectible.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-37-2012.38

Item type

Objects

Material

Ceramics

Width

140 mm

Height or length

175 mm

Depth

35 mm

Inscriptions and markings

The bottom of the plate has an ink marking from a previous museum accession; CH 594, and the makers marks. This includes a green globe stamp with Grimwades England, Stoke on Trent,and brown stamp of a soldier caricature Old Billwith A souvenir of the Great War Commenced Aug 14th1914 Armistice Nov 11th1918 Peace Signed Jun 26th1919written above.
Other marks include a Bairnsfather Ware stamp and a hand-written ink note of 480.

Contextual Information

From the Bairnsfather crockery collection.
Made in England and based upon the cartoons of Bruce Bairnsfather.
Of unknown provenance, it represents a popular form of commemoration from the immediate post World War One era.
The English publication Pottery Gazette wrote at the time “that most people will want to put by pieces of this ware as a reminder to their children and children’s children of the most stressful period in the world’s history”.

Year

1917

Statement of significance

Scientific:

Primary significance criteria

Scientific or research significance

Shire of Toodyay

Organisation Details
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