Victorian Staffordshire Figure of Joseph Paxton and Daughter

• Victorian Period - The Victorian period of furniture and decorative arts design covers the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. There was not one dominant style of furniture in the Victorian period. Designers used and modified many historical styles such as Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan, English Rococo, Neoclassical and others, although use of some styles, such as English Rococo and Gothic tended to dominate the furniture manufacture of the period.
  
  The Victorian period was preceded by the Regency and William IV periods, and followed by the Edwardian period, named for Edward VII (1841 ? 1910) who was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India for the brief period from 1901 until his death in 1910.
• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
• Flatback - As the name indicates, flatback Staffordshire figures are characterized by their undecorated flat backs and are typically designed to be displayed to sit on a narrow mantlepiece. They often made in pairs and depict popular scenes or characters from literature, mythology, or history, and they were prized for their intricate details and bright colours.
  
  These figures were popular in England during the 19th century, and they were widely produced and sold by a number of different Staffordshire based manufacturers.
  
  In the late 1880's to the early 1900s Royal Worcester also manufactured a series of floral decorated jugs which are termed 'flat backs'.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• exhibitions, exhibits and memorabilia - Great Exhibition of 1851, London 71
• Staffordshire Potteries (England), item types
  • cottages and pastille burners 69
  • figures and groups 350