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If ‘Puttin' on the Ritz’ was the epitome of 1920’s life, then Royal Doulton certainly embraced it with both arms open!

Royal Doulton’s group of 1920’s figurines were the nucleus of Arthur Leslie Harradine. After completing his apprenticeship with Doulton as a ‘learner modeller’ under such greats as George Tinworth and Mark Marshall, the brilliantly versatile Harradine began working for Doulton as a freelance artist before the outbreak of WWI and refused to rejoin the company on any other basis in the post war period.

With him Harradine brought a new style of figure production to Burslem. Gone were the sculptural imposing figures such as Elizabeth Fry HN2, to be replaced by a smaller size of figure with vibrant colourings. Indeed the use of such a varied palette

was something very specific to Doulton at this time, as figures would be fired several times to achieve just

the right tones.

Puttin' On The RitzBy Christopher Evans

As we know Harradine successfully interpreted many Raphael Tuck Greetings Card images from the 1920’s and 1930’s, but this early group of figures really can claim a much wider influence. My impression of Harradine is the stage Bohemian, with a string of muses, including his three wives. Interestingly many figures in this selection of 1920’s figures often have reddish-blonde,

bobbed hair, just like Siesta HN1305 or Circe HN1249 and her smaller scale self Susanna HN1233.

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Were these figures modelled on his wife or model? Unlike his predecessors, Harradine used current fashions for inspiration and so we have Dulcinea HN1343 reclining in her fringed dress and wearing a bolero hat, Scotties HN1281 pictured with her obligatory Scottie dogs and of course Miss 1926 HN1205, with her Eton crop haircut, her stylish ermine trimmed jacket and her rouged lips.

The 1920’s is acknowledged as Broadway’s busiest decade and it is no surprise to find a multitude of figures inspired by the theatre. Consider the

figure Dreamland HN1473, a reclining flapper with a pierrot seated next to her. Today who would guess that Dreamland was actually the title of a musical

comedy of 1921, about a girl who falls in love with a pierrot.

Pierrot and Pierette, his female equivalent, are stock personalities in theatres the world over and a well known name to Doulton figure collectors too. Interestingly, on stage Pierrot is usually a sad figure, pining for the love of Columbine, who eventually leaves with Harlequin. Here

we have two further names used by Royal Doulton. The first of Harradine’s 1920’s style ladies to be introduced was in fact Harlequinade HN585 in 1923, depicted in contemporary dress. Royal Doulton’s Pierette was introduced in 1924 and as can be seen from the costume, she

too is based on contemporary dress as can be seen from an advertisement from the 1920’s. Pierette was later produced in earthenware in a larger size and a handful of miniatures in scale with Doulton’s ‘M’ range have also been discovered. A figure of Columbine HN1296 too was introduced by 1928, a lady perching coquettishly on a column, no doubt waiting for her Harlequin! The stage also provides us with Chorus Girl HN1401, again a lady reflecting the last peak in popularity of the musical revue just after the Great Depression and before the advent of the ‘talkies’ in cinema.

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ROYAL DOULTON INSIGHT

The 1920’s also saw the revival of the Masquerade Ball, and keeping up with the latest trends Royal Doulton produced a selection of figures to fulfill every taste. These very attractive ladies command even higher prices today simply because of their quality and their representations of this exciting period! In this group we have The Mask HN656, Clownette HN717, Mam’selle HN724, Lady Jester HN1285 and Folly HN1335. To this group we must also include Marietta HN1341, the title is that of the heroine from the operetta "Die Fledermaus". This figure is closely copied from a press photograph of the French singer and actress Alice Delysia as Lucifer in the play "As You Were". The theatre also provided the inspiration for Mephisto HN722, a play on the traditionally devilish character Mephistopheles from the German legend of Faust. One final figure we can include in this section is Butterfly HN719, which takes inspiration from the costume design for Adeline Genée from "A Dream of Butterflies and Roses" from 1915. The ballet was also the inspiration for Carnival HN1260, who is portrayed in contemporary ballet costume.

In the 1920’s advertisements began to play an important role in influencing the figure range, again something new with the advent of Harradine. One of the first major discoveries by Jocelyn Lukins when researching the original Royal Doulton Figures book, was this advertisement for Cyclax bath salts, the inspiration for The Bather HN687 introduced in 1924 and the advertisement from that same year. Further

advertising discoveries have come to light in recent years, for example Lido Lady HN1220, Celia HN1727 and Negligée HN1219, all of whom are taken from these Celanese Advertisements from the period.

The fascination with bathing beauties and also the popularity of the lido or outside swimming pool in the art deco period, provided yet more inspiration for Harradine. Along this theme we can add Babette

HN1423, The Swimmer HN1270, the seductive Bather HN773 and also the very desirable

Sunshine Girl HN1348. This last figure takes her name from the musical play of the same name, the story of which revolved around the love affair between

Lido LadyHN12206.75"H$2,700

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a factory girl and the factory owner. As you can see from the illustration the style of costume was popular throughout the

western world in the 1920’s. The idea of the bathing beauty was not limited

to figures, and Royal Doulton even introduced a seriesware pattern

‘Surfing’ based on this popular theme in 1926.

Finally just as this period of freedom and fun was gradually drawing to a close, the figure

range reflected this perfectly with new found prudery demanding

the ‘dressing’ of that early Bather HN687, to become the Bather HN1708 with the addition of a swim suit, signaling the end of an era.