{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1124744"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1124744/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010ED1102/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010ED1102/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2010ED1102","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2010ED1101","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2010ED1100","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KE3309","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1124744","accessionNumber":"MISC.407-1981","objectType":"Chafing dish","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"The dish was used by the donors, two sisters, during their childhood.","physicalDescription":"White porcelain circular dish with a blue band around the rim. On the dish is a Mabel Lucie Attwell design depicting a girl holiding a doll and a golly, looking at three green pixies playing around a toadstool. The dish is signed by Mabel Lucie Attwell by the toadstool and above the image is the following text, printed in brown: 'Fairy folk with tiny wings / Playing all over / The plates and things!'. The porcelain dish is set into an aluminium dish with two side handles and a funnel at the top edge. The funnel has a screw top with a small hole in the top. Hot water is poured through this into the outer dish to keep the main dish warm.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Mabel Lucie Attwell","id":"A4167"},"association":{"text":"illustrator","id":"x36173"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Shelley Pottereis Ltd","id":"AUTH405511"},"association":{"text":"manufacturer","id":"x33306"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Porcelain","id":"AAT10662"},{"text":"aluminium","id":"AAT11015"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Children & Childhood","id":"THES48980"},{"text":"Racism","id":"THES282155"},{"text":"Food vessels & Tableware","id":"THES48952"},{"text":"Nursery Equipment","id":"THES257786"},{"text":"Nursery equipment","id":"THES257786"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"YVA","id":"THES48593"},"images":["2010ED1102","2010ED1101","2010ED1100","2017KE3309"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"SR054","id":"THES342084"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Chafing Dish","id":""}],[{"text":"warming dish","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"Yes-racial-stereotyping","note":"Term 'golly' / 'golliwogg'"}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"manufactured","id":"x29350"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1930-1939","earliest":"1930-01-01","latest":"1939-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Mrs P. Massey-Stewart and Mrs A. Dutot  ","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"165","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"38","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"The original golly was a central character in a series of books published between 1895 and 1909. Bertha Upton (1849–1912) wrote the books and her daughter, Florence Kate Upton (1873–1922), illustrated them. They based the character ‘Golliwogg’ (as it was originally spelled) on a doll Florence owned as a child growing up in 1880s America. The appearance and clothing of the doll (see B.493-1997) is based on the ‘blackface minstrel’ figure, a 19th-century racial caricature of African Americans. Blackface minstrel shows were performed by white actors and singers, who parodied African Americans by darkening their skins with shoe polish or burnt cork. These portrayals perpetuated many negative stereotypes and were steeped in racism. The shows originated in the USA, with the first widely known blackface character, ‘Jim Crow’, appearing around 1830. Soon after it became popular in the UK, which developed its own blackface traditions. \r\n\r\nFlorence moved to the UK in the 1890s, where the Uptons’ books became very popular. Their Golliwogg character was not copyrighted, allowing multiple representations of the golly to enter the public domain. The character featured in British toys, games, textiles, ceramics and children’s books, and was used as a mascot by the food manufacturer, Robertson’s, from about 1910. From the 1980s the character’s popularity began to wane as campaigners fought against the racist stereotypes that the golly represented. Robertson’s continued to promote the figure as part of a British ‘national tradition’ until 2001, when they stopped using the golly in their branding.  \n\n[RF:MA//1/D2004]","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Chafing dish with design by Mabel Lucie Attwell, England, 1930s","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Mabel Lucie Attwell","id":"A4167"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["MISC.407-1981"],"accessionNumberNum":"407","accessionNumberPrefix":"MISC","accessionYear":1981,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-04","recordCreationDate":"2009-07-01","availableToBook":false}}