Category Archives: Powder Bowls

Illustrator, Jennie Harbour, Powder Bowls, Pretty Lady

The inspiration behind Royal Doulton’s Lady and Blackamoor!

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Jennie Harbour’s influence on Royal Doulton’s HN collection is relatively unknown. Certainly her name does not readily crop up in their company records, which detail when they bought many ‘sole rights for reproduction in china’ images from greetings card manufacturers and even artists directly. However, Harbour I have yet to find reference to….

Nevertheless her influence can be seen throughout the 1930s and Leslie Harradine clearly drew inspiration for many of his classic figures from her work including Miss Fortune, Lady Clare, Modena, Annabella etc….

Here we have a very early and rare figure Lady and Blackamoor together with the Harbour picture that inspired the group. Like a handful of bell-shaped figures from the time the model has been adapted as a powder bowl for a lady’s dressing table. Although unattributed here, these powder bowls were typically produced for Dubarry.

It will interest collectors to know that the head on the group illustrated was also remodelled for this bowl. Here is her original head from an early group photograph. The model number also differs model 267 being the original one piece group and the powder bowl model 273. Also note the differing position of the fan and hands.

This wonderfully early figure is coming up @ Lion and Unicorn auctions 21 April 2024. Visit http://www.lionandunicorn.com for further information!

Animals, Art deco, Powder Bowls

Collecting Doulton Powder Bowls.

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It seems hard to believe today that powder boxes and their like we’re once a staple on every well-to-do dressing table. These halcyon times seem a very long ago now, but back in the 1920’s and early 1930’s Doulton were producing such boxes for well-heeled ladies!

  
Elephant finial on base featuring the Veridian seriesware pattern. 

Even before the 1920’s a couple of early figures in the HN collection were adapted as powder bowls, typically with the bowl being the lower part of the figure’s skirt. The Flounced Skirt and Lady and Blacksmoor are two such figures that were adapted as powder bowls, with examples of the former turning up bearing the Dubarry name to her base; the famous perfumier and cosmetics manufacturer. The name Dubarry may be familiar to Doulton collectors as Doulton also produced ceramic atomisers and some specifically for Dubarry.

  
Early character bird on a typical lustre bowl. 

Other powder bowls featured figures simply incorporated into the lid of the piece, such as Cassim or The Japanese Fan. 

  
The Japanese Fan as a powder bowl finial. This figure can be found on a rounded bowl too. 

Still further examples feature early Doulton animals including these charming, rare character birds that lend them perfectly to this purpose and as decoration to many desk accessories and even place setting or menu holders.

  
Character Bird and Kingfisher finials.