~ Bruce Bairnsfather “Sea-Lions” Wall Plaque ~
The plaque is from the Bairnsfather Ware series by Grimwades. The series is based on cartoons produced during World War I by Bruce Bairnsfather.
The stand has a flat gilded edge with a blue circle.
The cartoon is of two soldiers in the trench overlooking a third, who is reading a newspaper in a muddy trench. It is captioned “What time do they feed the sea-lions, Alf ?”.
The reverse has a Grimwades makers stamp.
It is pierced with 2 holes for wall hanging.
~ Bruce Bairnsfather ~
Captain (Charles) Bruce Bairnsfather (9 July 1887 – 29 September 1959) was a prominent British humorist and cartoonist. His best-known cartoon character is Old Bill. Bill and his pals Bert and Alf featured in Bairnsfather’s weekly “Fragments from France” cartoons published weekly in “The Bystander” magazine during the First World War.
~ Grimwade/Bairnsfather Ware ~
Towards the end of 1917 the owners of The Bystander granted Leonard Grimwade permission to reproduce a limited number of Fragments From France cartoons on items from the Grimwades range of pottery then in production.
Bairnsfather Ware was an immediate success, and for the remainder of the duration of the war, the Grimwades factory churned out thousands of pieces featuring the Fragments from France drawings.
Although no records survive from Grimwades, it has been possible to establish, through identification of shapes of pieces and later backstamps, that Grimwades continued to produce various items featuring Fragments from France cartoons for several decades after the end of the First World War.
~ Dimensions ~
The stand has a height of 1 inch (2.5cm) and a diameter of 8 inches (20.3cm). It weighs 320g.
~ Condition ~
Some minor age wear, but the stand remains in an overall good condition.