Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840

I have admired this little pearlware figure on John Howard's site. I resisted buying him because social history is at the heart of my collection, so this man eating his slab of beef and drinking his pint seemed too random. 

This rare little figure stayed in my brain. Who does it portray? What message does this time capsule from the past carry?  And then I found another example. Not in quite as good condition as John's, I think, but for this collector there was more-than-offsetting compensation.

If you look at the front of the base, I. BULL is impressed into the figure. Why I. BULL? Well, our figure represents John Bull (An 'I' was sometimes used for uppercase J in that period). 

John Bull is the national personification of the Englishman---he fills the same role that Uncle Sam  does in America. Whereas Uncle Sam is lean, John Bull is usually portrayed with a  pot belly, which can be blamed on hearty meals of beef and many mugs of ale.

I have recorded only four examples of this figure. Each time John Bull's face has red dots. Warts? Acne? Pock marks? I haven't a clue. But determining this Staffordshire figure's identity earned it a spot in my collection.