Monday, March 22, 2021
Whitman Stationary Set
Monday, March 15, 2021
Zaccagnini First Draft Complete
I just completed the first draft of one of the most difficult sections in the ceramics chapter, that for Zaccagnini. Not counting the years it has taken me to acquire all the various information and references, I've spent hours just to create 2000 words. Gotta pick up speed...
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Weatherby & Sons "Falcon Ware" - Walrus and Queen of Hearts
This is my first pass at the section on this manufacturer in my in-progress book. As I (hopefully) unearth more information on this company and figures, this section will expand. Or not. Who knows?
-------
Falcon Ware by J.H. Weatherby and Sons (UK)
Falcon Ware was a company located in the English town of Stoke-on-Trent, home to Weetman and approximately all the other pottery companies in the UK. This company had a long and storied history, dating all the way back to 1891 under the parent name of J.H Weatherby and Sons, Ltd., and closing permanently in April, 2000 after 109 years of continuous operation as a family run business. Sadly the buildings themselves no longer exist.
Image courtesy thepotteries.org |
Falcon Ware takes its name from the name of the pottery works itself, which was an existing, though disused, pottery works when purchased by Weatherby in 1891. The majority of its output in the first half century were traditional table ware, but in the 1950s they began to make nursery items, and novelty animal figures. Enter Walt Disney.
In 1958 Weatherby planned a series of at least seven figures based on Disney's Alice in Wonderland. On February 2-6 of 1959 they exhibited at the Blackpool Gifts and Fancy Goods Fair at the Imperial Hotel. By this the range had been reduced to six figures consisting of Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Walrus, the Queen of Hearts, and the Cheshire Cat. The figures and their appearance at Blackpool was advertised in at least one periodical in the UK (Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review, February 1959), and price sheets from Weatherby are known to exist.
![]() |
Advert from Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review, February 1959 |
Sadly the deal seems to not have been completed or perhaps canceled, and most of the range never produced. But, there does exist an archive photo from the Weatherby family that I have reproduced below. I have been unable to contact either the author or the Weatherby family, and the publisher is no longer in business.
![]() |
Image courtesy of Susan Jean Verbeek, The Falcon Ware Story, (Pottery Publications, 1996) |
The Walrus
This was the first Weatherby Falcon Ware figure I acquired. While I had no idea what it was, and it was not sold as Disney, it just looked right. The design and style of him just screams Disney, and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Weetman figure. Not surprising given that the two factories were less than four miles apart.
Scarcity: ππππ
Value: π²π²π²
The Queen of Hearts
This figure of the Queen of Hearts is what led to my discovery of the history of the Weatherby Falcon Ware. The auction listing actually referenced the Verbeek book in the description, and I was able to get a copy of the book even before the auction closed. The look of this figure marks it as clearly Disney. I am not aware of any other incarnation of the Queen that has the same color scheme and design as in the Disney version. All this figure is missing is the black stripes in the front of her dress!
Scarcity: πππππ
Value: π²π²π²
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Monday, February 15, 2021
In-Store Advertising Poster for Walt Disney Presents & Disneyland Records 1959
Alice in Wonderland has had a love affair with Christmas throughout the years. Most fans know that Disney's first TV show was One Hour in Wonderland on Christmas Day in 1950, and the film (edited) was broadcast on the second episode of the Disneyland TV show in 1954. But did you know it was on TV a second time on Christmas Day? In 1959 on Walt Disney Presents (the next incarnation of the Disneyland TV show), Alice in Wonderland was again broadcast. And for whatever reason, promotional adverts were created for stores that sold the various Alice records. This is one such poster, about the size of a lobby card, advertising the show itself on Christmas, and the records for sale in the shop.

Sunday, February 14, 2021
Friday, February 12, 2021
Better Living Magazine - September 1951, Featuring McCall's Sewing Patterns


So, thirty years later, was it worth the wait? Probably not. But I am glad to have it.
Monday, January 25, 2021
Key Matching Cel and Master Background
Yeah baby! One of the final holy grail items for the collection is now safely ensconced in the Tulgey Wood: a key MATCHING cel and master background! Woohoo! Great scene of Alice running through the Tulgey Wood following the Mome Rath path, just before she encounters the Brush Dog. What a treat. A great beginning to a new era.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
New Year, Renewed Hope
It's finally 2021, and given EVERYTHING that has been going on in the world, and especially here in the US, the blog has suffered even more than usual. The past five years have been busy for me, what with starting my own business, a couple of exhibitions, and numerous other crises seemingly at every corner.
But, hope springs eternal, and with the new year fresh upon us, I too remain hopeful and plan to be more active here on the blog.
With that, I thought I'd share one of the more terrifying things that happened in 2020, just to give you an idea on what's going on here in the Tulgey Wood. Not quite one year ago, Jan 14th to be precise, we had a pipe burst under our foundation, and the bottom floor of our house flooded. Which coincidentally is where the collection is housed. Fortunately my wife was actually in the room when it happened, and was able to get the water shut off before it rose too much, but it was pretty scary. More so for me as I was out of town on business and just had frantic phone calls to decipher what was going on.
This room needed a more aggressive 'flood cut', this is where the collection is housed. As you can see, both this and the previous room are empty... |
... and stored in every room of the house, starting with the kitchen... |
Main room today. Nearly completely put back in place, the bins you see in the front are to go in the barrister bookcases in the back left and back right of the photo. Then we'll be done in this room. |