Baby figurine photograph
Title |
Baby figurine photograph |
Subject |
Figurines; Cartoon characters; Cartoons and comics; Ceramics (objects); Popular culture |
Time Period |
1940s 1950s |
Place |
Zanesville (Ohio); Muskingum County (Ohio) |
Description |
This hand-painted ceramic figurine consists of a baby clad in a diaper and riding a gray mule bareback. The figurine was manufactured by the Imperial Porcelain Corporation in Zanesville, Muskingum County, Ohio, and dates from 1945-1950. The figurine could portray either Oncle Rafe, a character in the "Blue Ridge Mountain Boys" cartoon series by Paul Webb, or "Honest Abe" Yokum, the son of Li'l Abner Yokum and his wife, Daisy Mae Scraggs Yokum (characters from Al Capp's "Li'l Abner" series). According to the Zanesville Art Museum, the Imperial Porcelain Corporation manufactured functional and decorative ceramics from about 1945 to 1960. The Imperial Corp made two series of whimsical type figures that were based on popular American cartoon characters of the 1930s and 1940s. They were the Dogpatch Series, which was based on Al Capp's “Li'l Abner" cartoons, and the Paul Webb Mountain Boys Series, based on the “Blue Ridge Mountain Boys” cartoons created for "Esquire" and "The New Yorker" magazine. The cartoon characters were translated into porcelain by P.H. Genter, general manager of Imperial. The figures were cast, fired, hand-painted, and packaged at the Zanesville plant. Mrs. Margaret Lemaster of Newberg, Oregon, donated this figurine to the Ohio Historical Society in 1984. According to the Zanesville Art Museum, Mrs. Lemaster was the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Fred Phillips, who had been investors in the Imperial Porcelain Corporation. |
Creator |
Imperial Porcelain Corporation (Zanesville, Ohio) |
Date of Original |
1945-1950 |
Collection |
National Road Zane Grey |
Source |
H 41335 |
Format |
Object; Picture; Color photograph |
Extent |
8 cm x 4 cm x 10.5 cm |
Submitting Institution |
Ohio History Connection |
Rights |
Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights and reproduction requests or more information, go to http://www.ohiohistory.org/images/information |
Type |
StillImage |
File Name |
H41335.tif |
Image Height |
2597 |
Image Width |
3896 |
File Size |
30366760 Bytes |
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