Ironstone china pieces were common domestic items during the 19th to mid 20th century in many Australian households. This kind of china is not porcelain but porous earthenware, made of clay mixed with feldspar. Patented in 1813 by Charles James Mason in Staffordshire, England, it was an immediate success and became widely produced by a range of Staffordshire potters. J & G Meakin Pottery dates back to 1845 when James Meakin started a pottery business at Lane End in Staffordshire.nIn 1848 he moved the business to Hanley in Staffordshire, before retiring in 1852 and handing the business over to his two sons James and George, who carried on with the pottery, trading as J & G Meakin. The "SOL" and sun face trademarks were registered in 1912. The firm was taken over by the Wedgwood Group in 1970. In 2000, production under the Meakin name ceased. W. H. Grindley was founded at the Newfield Pottery in 1880 by William Harry Grindley (principal partner). Mr Turner and Mr Alfred Meakin were also involved. Early advertisements stated that they produced Earthenware and Ironstone China - particularly for the Canadian, United States, South American and Australian markets. The mark on this jug was used from c1891 until 1925. W. H. Grindley China was manufactured until 1991, making it one of the last Stoke on Trent potteries.These items are representative of a common domestic item used by households in the Wodonga district and throughout Australia, many manufactured specifically for the Australian market.A white ironstone jug and bowl. The jug features a leaf design embossed on the surface. The bowl has a small circle pattern around the rim. They are not as set as the jug bears the mark W. H. Grindley and the bowl was made by J & G Meakin.Underneath Bowl: above and below image of the sun: "IRONSTONE CHINA/ REGD. SOL 391413/ J & G MEAKIN/ENGLAND Underneath jug: above and below the royal insignia: ROYAL IRONSTONE CHINA / W.H. GRINDLEY & CO. / ENGLAND"ironstone, domestic items, staffordshire pottery

Coloured photograph of the Maple Street Primary School Grade Prep - 1K 1999 class and the teachers. Their names are: 3rd Row L-R: Michael Robertson, Tahni Logan, Jasmin Vickers, Kestrel Kentish, Danielle Stokes, Jasinta Bergman, Trent Jackson. 2nd Row L-R: Callum Muir, Sheena Dewar, Jory McDowell, James Elliott, Kayla Plunkett, T.J. O'Dea, Bradley Sing, Alissa Argus. Front Row L-R: Taelor Sloan, Jake Cardinal, Alex Craig, Brock Fordham, Zachary Ritchi. Teachers: W Neve, D Kent. Principal: Mr David Robins.Arthur Reed Photoseducation, primary, golden square laurel st p.s., golden square maple street p.s. collection - photograph - grade prep - 1k 1999, michael robertson, tahni logan, jasmin vickers, kestrel kentish, danielle stokes, jasinta bergman, trent jackson, callum muir, sheena dewar, jory mcdowell, james elliott, kayla plunkett, t.j. o'dea, bradley sing, alissa argus, taelor sloan, jake cardinal, alex craig, brock fordham, zachary ritchi, w neve, d kent, mr david robins, arthur reed photos

Johnson Brothers were a British tableware manufacturer and exporter that was noted for its early introduction of "semi-porcelain" tableware. It was among the most successful of the Staffordshire potteries which produced tableware, much of it exported from the 1890s through the 1960s. They were also important manufacturers of large bathroom ceramics. The company was founded in 1883, but from 1968 to 2015 it operated as a part of the Wedgwood Group. However, after the Wedgwood Group was acquired by Fiskars in 2015, the production of Johnson Brothers was discontinued. The company's name derives from the names of the company's founders. The four original "Johnson Brothers" were Alfred, Frederick, Henry, and Robert. Their father married the daughter of a master potter, Alfred Meakin. In 1883, Alfred and Frederick Johnson began production at defunct pottery, known as the Charles Street Works, that they had purchased at a bankruptcy sale in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. At first, they specialised in the manufacture of durable earthenware, which they called "White Granite". The success of this venture led to rapid expansion. In 1888, the Rev. Henry Johnson joined them, followed ten years later by a fourth brother, Robert Johnson. Having established a solid reputation producing basic "whiteware", the company developed a product known as "semi-porcelain", a range of pottery that had the characteristics of fine china, but the durability of ironstone ware. This kind of tableware soon became very popular in the United States due to its durability and low cost. In 1889, the Hanley pottery was opened, later the Alexander pottery, and in 1891 the Imperial Works Pottery. In 1896, the Trent Sanitary Works was opened for the production of non-tableware products, and Alfred Johnson left the business to establish his pottery. By 1898, Robert Johnson had relocated to New York City to manage Johnson Brothers' rapid expansion into the North American market. An item that gives a snapshot into the emerging market for tableware that was reasonably priced and serviceable. The company produced "whiteware" but the innervation of the pottery line called semi-porcelain changed the industry. This allowed potteries to produce fashionable pottery items that were affordable to all social classes of the time. Bowl white ceramic decorative with floral decoration around lip. On base, "Royal Ironside China, Johnson Bros England" & crest of lion and unicorn flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, bowl, china bowl, lion and unicorn crest, table ware, kitchen ware, white ware, johnson brothers

Burleigh Pottery (also known as Burgess & Leigh) is the name of a pottery manufacturer in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent. The business specialises in traditionally shaped and patterned domestic earthenware of high quality. The business was established in 1851 at the Central Pottery in Burslem as Hulme and Booth. The pottery was taken over in 1862 by William Leigh and Frederick Rathbone Burgess, and traded from that date as Burgess & Leigh. The trademark "Burleigh", used from the 1930s, is a combination of the two names. Burgess and Leigh moved to different works, first in 1868 to the Hill Pottery in Burslem and then in 1889 to the present factory at Middleport, that at the time was regarded as a model pottery. Its scale and linear organisation was in contrast to other potteries constricted sites and haphazard layout of their working spaces. In 1887 Davenport Pottery was acquired by Burleigh primarily for its moulds. These historic moulds are still used today in the production of Burleigh ware. Leigh and Burgess died in 1889 and 1895 respectively, and were succeeded by their sons, Edmund Leigh and Richard Burgess. On Richard's death in 1912, the business passed entirely into the ownership of the Leigh family. In 1919 it became a private limited company, Burgess & Leigh Ltd. The years between the wars are often regarded as the company's "golden age", with a number of extremely talented designers and artists such as Harold Bennett, Charles Wilkes and Ernest Bailey. Perhaps the best known was Charlotte Rhead, who worked between 1926 and 1931, noted particularly for her work in tubelining. By 1939, the factory was employing over 500 people. The business took great pains, from as early as 1897, to build up a thriving export network, concentrating primarily on the Empire later becoming the Commonwealth and American markets, focusing later on Europe. After a run of financial difficulty, the company was sold in 1999 to the Dorling family, Rosemary and William Dorling, and traded as Burgess Dorling & Leigh. In 2010 it was acquired by Denby Holdings Ltd, the parent company of the Denby Pottery. A significant company producing pottery over many generations and exporting their products all over the world. Its designs are still in use today demonstrating the longevity and significance of the Burleigh Ware trade mark.Gravy Boat & plate-willow pattern Burleigh Ware "WILLOW" within a floral decoration & Made in England flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, willow pattern

Josiah Wedgwood (1730–95), came from an established family of potters and trained with his elder brother. He was in partnership with the leading potter Thomas Whieldon from 1754 until 1759 when a new green ceramic glaze he had developed encouraged him to start a new business on his own. Relatives leased him the Ivy House in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, and his marriage to Sarah Wedgwood, a distant cousin with a sizeable dowry, helped him launch his new venture. After an extensive and systematic program of experiment Wedgwood in 1765 created a new variety of creamware, a fine glazed earthenware, which was the main body used for his table wares thereafter. After he supplied Queen Charlotte with a tea set for twelve the same year, she gave official permission to call it "Queen's Ware" (from 1767). This new form, perfected as white pearlware (from 1780), sold extremely well across Europe, and to America. It had the additional advantage of being relatively light, saving on transport costs and import tariffs in foreign markets. Wedgwood developed several further industrial innovations for his company, notably a way of measuring kiln temperatures accurately, and several new ceramic bodies including the "dry-body" Stoneware, "black basalt" (by 1769), cane ware, and jasperware (the 1770s), all designed to be sold unglazed, like "biscuit porcelain". In the later 19th century the company returned to being a leader in the design and technical innovation, as well as continuing to make many of the older styles. Despite increasing local competition in its export markets, the business continued to flourish in the 19th and early 20th centuries, remaining in the hands of the Wedgwood family, but after World War II it began to contract, along with the rest of the English pottery industry. After buying several other Staffordshire ceramics companies, in 1987 Wedgwood merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood plc, an Ireland-based luxury brands group. After a 2009 purchase by KPS Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm. Wedgwood has always been associated with fine china, porcelain, and luxury accessories, the entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood rapidly became successful and was soon one of the largest manufacturers of Staffordshire pottery. Wedgwood is a significant pottery manufacturer as the company is especially associated with the "dry-bodied" (unglazed) stoneware Jasperware in contrasting colours, and in particular that in "Wedgwood blue" and white that has become a trademark. Teapot and lid, Wedgwood blue Jasperware with white patternImpressed name Wedgewood and date letter "S" = 1890flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, teapot, wedgewood blue, wedgewood teapot, tea pot, kitchen ware, josiah wedgwood, staffordshire potteries

The Asiatic Pheasant pattern is a transfer design and was the most popular design of the 18th & 19th centuries and is still being produced today. The design was produced as high quality, decorative dinnerware by the potters in the Staffordshire area of England, from the late 1830’s, but no-one is sure exactly who the original designer was. This particular example was made by William Adams of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire at the Greengates Potteries probably after or around 1863 and is believed to have been part of a passengers goods. The Adams family have a long line of making pottery since 1584 until 1966 when they were acquired by the Wedgewood group of companies. But this items pattern is attributed to the Adams potteries. History of the Loch Ard: The Loch Ard got its name from ”Loch Ard” a loch which lies to the west of Aberfoyle, and the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic. The vessel belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many vessels from England to Australia. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curle & Co. in 1873, the vessel was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship that measured 79.87 meters in length, 11.58 m in width, and 7 m in depth with a gross tonnage of 1693 tons with a mainmast that measured a massive 45.7 m in height. Loch Ard made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, who was newly married. The ship was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were other items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. Then at 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land. But the Loch Ard was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4 am the fog lifted and a lookout aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head-on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and Loch Ard's bow swung back towards land. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold its position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time the ship was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves subsequently broke over the ship and the top deck became loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as Lochard Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael a passenger had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke the open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a complete state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached Loch Ard Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the Lochard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Lochard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some items were washed up into Lochard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in March 1982. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton majolica peacock- one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne 1880 International Exhibition in. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register. The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck of which the subject items are a small part. The collections objects give us a snapshot of how we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. Through is associated with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. Plate recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ard. Earthenware dinner plate with blue and white transfer design (Asiatic Pheasant) with a clear over-glaze. The outer rim is scalloped. Stickers with inscriptions "Rec 373 A" "L 102" "From Loch Ard Wreck (1878) - - -" Design logo [Floral wreath with ribbon and text "Asiatic Pheasant" and text below "- - - -"}flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, asiatic pheasant, china dinner plate, earthenware plate, w adams potteries

The ink bottle was made by the Royal Doulton company which began as a partnership between John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Wattis an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer founded in 1815. Operating initially in Vauxhall, London, it later moved to Lambeth, In1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, in the centre of English pottery. The business specialised in making salt-glazed stoneware articles, including utilitarian or decorative bottles, jugs and jars, much of it intended for inns and pubs. The backbone of the business was a wide range of utilitarian wares, mostly stoneware's, including storage jars, tankards and the like, and later extending to pipes for drains, lavatories and other bathroom ceramics. From 1853 to 1902 its wares were marked Doulton & Co., then from 1902, when a royal warrant was given, wares were marked Royal Doulton. The company always made some more decorative items, initially still mostly stoneware, and from the 1860s the firm made considerable efforts to get a reputation for design, in which it was largely successful, as one of the first British makers of art pottery. Initially, this was done through artistic stoneware made in Lambeth, but in 1882 the firm bought a Burslem factory, which was mainly intended for making bone china table wares and decorative items. History of the Loch Ard: The Loch Ard got its name from ”Loch Ard” a loch that lies to the west of Aberfoyle, and the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic. The vessel belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many vessels from England to Australia. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the vessel was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship that measured 79.87 meters in length, 11.58 m in width, and 7 m in depth with a gross tonnage of 1693 tons with a mainmast that measured a massive 45.7 m in height. Loch Ard made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, who was newly married. The ship was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrellas, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were other items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. Then at 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land. But the Loch Ard was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4 am the fog lifted and a lookout aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head-on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and Loch Ard's bow swung back towards land. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold their position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time the ship was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves subsequently broke over the ship and the top deck became loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as Lochard Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael a passenger had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke the open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a complete state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached Loch Ard Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the Lochard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Lochard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some items were washed up into Lochard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in March 1982. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton majolica peacock- one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne 1880 International Exhibition. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck, it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register.An early utilitarian stoneware item made by a well-known company that specialised in making salt-glazed items that later earned a reputation for making stoneware art objects. Of additional significance is that it was recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ard. A shipwreck that is of additional significance as it is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulations of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck of which the subject items are a small part. The collections objects give us a snapshot of how we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. Through is associated with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. Salt glazed stoneware ink bottle, large capacity, tapered lip and body, two-tone brown with some encrustation on surface, still sealed with cork. Inscription in clay. Recovered from the wreck of the LOCH ARD.Stamped into clay "DOULTON LAMBETH"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, ink bottle, bulk ink bottle, writing accessory, stationery, stoneware, doulton lambeth, royal doulton, writing equipment

Royal Doulton as part of the Minton Miniature series produced this stork model in 2001. A limited edition of 1,793 pieces were made, and this stork is number 118. The stork is a scaled down model of the original life-size piece first produced by John Henk, c. 1870, as a walking stick and umbrella stand. A rare miniature stork demonstrates the artistry and skill required to produce Majolica ware during the 19th century and the present.A miniature white stork standing on one leg atop a rocky mound, an eel clasped in its beak, a frog beneath its foot, the stand formed by tall bullrushes & water-lily pads.Inscribed at the base Minton founded 1793, artist mark: 6, made in Englandminton & co., majolica, miniature model, flagstaff hill maritime museum, stoke upon trent, john henk, staffordshire

Royal Doulton as part of the Minton Miniature series produced this heron model in 2001. A limited edition of 1,793 pieces were made, and this heron is number 89. The heron is a scaled down model of the original life-size piece first produced by Paul Comolera, c. 1892, as a walking stick and umbrella stand. Comolera was a French artist and sculptor, renowned for dramatic naturalistic forms, and life-size renditions of birds and animals that won him admiration in public and artistic circles. The Warrnambool Art Gallery (WAG) has a life-sized Heron in its collection. A rare miniature heron demonstrates the artistry and skill required to produce Majolica ware during the 19th century and the present.A miniature grey heron standing by bulrushes and holding a struggling fish in its beak, its plumage naturalistically coloured, on a circular base glazed in tones of grey and green and applied with further leaves and water lilies.Inscribed at the base Minton founded 1793, made in Englandminton & co., majolica, miniature model, flagstaff hill maritime museum, stoke upon trent, paul comolera, staffordshire

Johnson Bros. was founded by two brothers named Alfred and Frederick who purchased a pottery factory in Hanley, England, in 1883. They were grandsons of a renowned English potter, Alfred Meakin. They were later joined in the business by their brothers Henry and Robert. Their business grew rapidly, as they were one of the world's largest pottery factories by the turn of the 20th century. By 1970, Johnson Bros. obtained the Royal Charter to become the official provider of china for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. More than 1,300 patterns have been created throughout Johnson Brothers' history. Due to their growing success, manufacturing plants were established overseas including the establishment of a tableware factory, Johnson Brothers Australia in 1957 in Croydon, Victoria operated through a company known as Sovereign Pottery Ltd. Due to rising competition, Johnson Brothers became part of the Wedgewood Group in 1968. In 2015, following the acquisition of Wedgewood by Finnish company Fiskars, the Johnson Brothers branding was discontinued. The trademark on this bowl was used by Johnson Brothers between 1913 and 1942. An item which reflects the changing market for tableware that was reasonably priced and serviceable. Their innovation of the pottery line called semi-porcelain changed the industry. This development allowed potteries to produce fashionable pottery items that were affordable to all social classes of the time. Their use became widespread in Australia, especially following their establishment of a tableware factory in Melbourne, Victoria. A shallow white bowl with gold trim, probably used for serving vegetables at the table. The underside of the bowl bears the mark of Johnson Bros England. The mark is composed of a green crown above the words "Johnson Bros England" also in green.On under side of bowl, beneath a green crown "Johnson Bros/England"johnson brothers ceramics, domestic utensils, kitchenware