Dupenny’s ever so slightly risqué burlesque illustrations can now be found on a range of ceramics.
The Dupenny Burlesque Dinner Plates feature four designs, Scarlet, Gigi (against red backgrounds), Peaches and Ophelia (against teal backgrounds). The plates measure 26cm and cost £25 each, or you can buy a set of four, containing one of each design for£100. The same lovely ladies also appear on side plates (£20 each) or mugs (£12).
Visit the Dupenny website to view the whole range.
The new range from Kiss Her by Bianca Hall takes its inspiration from Penny Girl dolls. Penny dolls were small dolls made entirely from bisque, mass produced in Germany and Japan from the late 1800s up until about 1930. They were called penny dolls because that was what they usually cost in the sweet shops where they were sold.
This range reproduces images of the dolls onto homewares, initially tea towels and tote bags but soon to be available on cushions and prints too. The photographs are reproduced in bright pinks and purples or like a photographic negative giving a more contemporary look to the very old fashioned subject matter.
The price for the bags start at £8.50 while the tea towels cost £12 each.
Buy them online
Moomin products are as popular now as they were when they were originally created in the 1950s, and whilst many fans of the originals have criticised the recent glut of products for being too commercial, some of the products retain the charm of the original illustrations.
A great example is the Moomin Adventure Jar, which features a Tove Jansson illustration from the 1954 book “Moominsummer Madness” from the Adventure series. The monochrome illustration shows Moomin with a house and forest scene in the background, which looks kind of spooky.
The jar measures 16cm high by 12cm diameter and costs just under £36 from SCP.
Etsy seller Ninainvorm specialises in ceramics and is particularly fond of mid-century designs. Many of her products are vintage ceramics that she has updated with colourful, playful twists as is the case with her Folklore and Fun Plates.
Here she has taken vintage 1960s breakfast plates and added some brightly coloured circles, hearts and bunting to the existing pattern of people in traditional Dutch folk outfits. You can buy an individual plate for around £26 (although postage from the Netherlands will bump this price up considerably) or you can order a set of six plates to be customised for you, priced around £156. Alternatively, if you don’t mind a few imperfections, there are also some “seconds” for sale, where the printing hasn’t come out quite right, priced just under £19.
Visit Ninainvorm’s Etsy shop to order.
Scrabble has been around since the 1930s so the design of its tiles are now instantly recognisable and has been finding its way onto an increasing number of products, the latest of which being this set of Scrabble Espresso Cups.
The set consists of four cups which together spell out the word CAFE. Each letter has its Scrabble points value printed below it and the off-white colour of the china is a good match for the classic tile design.
The set costs £24.95 from Graham and Green.
Shire Publications specialises in small potted guides to history and hobbies, with an emphasis very much on the quaint and British. Published this month is The 1960s Home, the latest in their series documenting the British home throughout the Twentieth Century.
The 1960s was a rise in owner-occupiers which led to an increased interest in furnishings and luxury goods. Whilst there are many books out there already that focus on the designer furniture and styles of this period, the Shire book looks at the housing and interiors that would be typical of the average home. The little book is just 56 pages long, but covers architecture, textiles, pottery and glass, kitchen and bathrooms, mixing informative text with illustrations.
You can buy The 1960s Home directly from the Shire website, priced £6.99.
