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.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Bathing Beauty of the Day; Day 15

#375 actually has two misses, each admiring, according to the caption, "A Very Fine View."  The wind whipping up the ladies' short skirts gives a fine view of a different sort.  Of excellent sharp bisque, this 3.75 inch tall comic bisque pin dish is by the German firm of Schafer and Vater, which often employed this sort of naughty wordplay.  The back is incised “3745.”


And here is the same figurine pictured in a Schafer and Vater catalogue page from 1920.  Note the model number is "3745."

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