Postcard Image

Postcard Image
As the Victorian era passed into the Edwardian and Roaring Twenties, a market developed for bisque and china bawdy novelties and figurines of women in revealing outfits. Although now most of these figurines seem more coy and cute than ribald and risque, in their time they symbolized the casting off of the perceived restraints of the Victorian era.

These little lovelies included bathing beauties, who came clad in swimsuits of real lace or in stylish painted beach wear, as well as mermaids, harem ladies, and nudies, who were meant to wear nothing more than an engaging smile. Also produced were flippers, innocent appearing figurines who reveal a bawdy secret when flipped over, and squirters, figurines that were meant to squirt water out of an appropriate orifice.

Most were manufactured in Germany from the late 1800s through the 1930s, often showing remarkable artistry and imagination, with Japan entering the market during World War I.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Bathing Beauty of the Week


Although Ms. #504 wears a pale yellow beach towel rather than a gown and goes bare-legged rather than clad in black stockings, she certainly appears to be from the same series as the voluptuous belles from the preceding three weeks.  Not only does she display the same sharp bisque and similar modeling, behind her is also a little attached container in green precolored bisque, again molded to resemble a wicker basket. Clad in an oversized bathing cap and a skimpy swimsuit, this bathing beauty is 5.5 inches tall and is marked underneath with an incised "5193"  and freehand "34" in orange.

No comments:

Post a Comment