VERY RARE 1898-1914 BRITISH PATRIOTIC PROPAGANDA DOLL OF LORD HORATIO KITCHENER

Description

Royal House Antiques

Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare circa 1898 to 1914 British Patriotic Propaganda Doll of Lord Horatio Kitchener.

If the face looks familiar, he was the chap on the Your Country Needs YOU posters as pictured, these dolls are exceptionally collectable, they never come up for sale, you can see one example in the Imperial War Museum London. 

Description Large scale doll featuring bisque head, hands and feet; with a painted character head in the likeness of Lord Kitchener. Doll is supplied with an officer’s cap made from khaki cotton drill, leather, gold braid and red felt on a thick card base. The tunic and knee-length breeches are also made from cotton drill and feature four patch pockets, with nickel-plated paper fasteners for buttons, real leather Sam Browne belt and holster, red felt collar tabs and a length of scrap medal ribbon under a blue band sewn to the left breast to represent Kitchener’s medals. A length of 13 mm wide cotton tape is wrapped round each leg to represent puttees. The bisque boots are painted dark brown. The doll’s body is cloth with a wadding fill, to which the bisque hands, feet and head have been sewn.

History / Summary A product of the Lord Roberts Workshops in England, which were set up during the First World War to provide employment to disabled soldiers and sailors, this doll was a popular feature of their “Patriotic” series. 

Kitchener initially rose to prominence upon becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian army and taking the city of Khartoum in 1898 after a two year battle which earned him the nickname of “Kitchener of Khartoum”.

He cemented his reputation towards the end of the Boer War, during which time Australian troops came into contact with him. 

From 1902 -1909, Field Marshall Viscount Kitchener commanded Britain’s Indian forces. In 1909/10 he visited Australia at the invitation of Prime Minister Alfred Deakin to inspect and advise on the country’s defence preparedness.

Kitchener’s report, submitted in February 1910, recommended the introduction of compulsory military training which was immediately adopted, as was the establishment of the Military College, Duntroon. His visit was accompanied by popular outpourings of sentiment and the production of countless souvenirs.

The British government had no hesitation in appointing Kitchener the Secretary of State for War in 1914, employing his face on the now famous “I Want You” recruiting posters and handing him the administration of all British Forces. 

Against his better judgement, and under considerable pressure from Winston Churchill, Kitchener agreed to support the Gallipoli campaign in February 1915, but its disastrous outcome damaged his military reputation. His tour of Gallipoli on 13 November 1915 included meeting Australian troops and their commanders. Kitchener died on 5 June 1916, when the cruiser he was sailing on was sunk by a German mine off Scapa Flow.

Dimensions & weight to follow.

Any questions please feel free to ask before you bid.    

ABOUT US

Royal House Antiques is a privately owned family ran business founded in Wimbledon SW19 and now based in Pulborough RH20. We specialise in finding, restoring very fine luxury antique leather seating, along with every single other type of antique ranging from the 16th century to the 20th century. We also stock a number of designer brands such as Fritz Hansen, Ralph Lauren, Cavalli, Charles & Ray Eames, Vitra, David Linley, Rolex, Tiffany, Jager Le Coulter and so on     

PAYMENTS

We accept payment via Bitcoin, Bitcoin cash, Ethereum, Bacs, Chaps, PayPal or Card, we would kindly ask that all items are paid for within 48 hours and collected within 7 working days, we can hold all paid items for 14 days free of charge, there after a £20 a week storage fee will apply. We have long term storage which is very economically priced, we are happy to hold stock for as long as needed providing it is arranged prior to the purchase 

If sold items aren’t collected within three months and no arrangements have been made for long term storage you will forfeit the item and payment

CONDITION

Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition. Please also ask any questions before you bid and not after, all of our items are sold as seen and as listed

Royal House Antiques cannot be held liable for any independent assumptions made regarding the items we sell, if you are unsure on any point, please feel free to ask for clarity  

Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade   

IMPORT DUTY

Most countries charge some kind of import duty however almost all of our items won’t incur any charges as the items are exempt from tax due to the age and materials used

For European deliveries the price you will be quoted will include all clearance documentation and any customs charges so there won’t be any additional fees

For international deliveries such as the United States there can be some import duty to pay and or a clearance fee, I would estimate that 99% of all deliveries clear customs without being stopped for either

All duties are the responsibility of the purchaser who is the importer, they can’t be covered by the seller or shipping agent or factored in with additional retrospective discounts

RETURNS

Royal House Antiques offers a no quibble return policy if the item is not as described, if there are any issues with the piece you will be refunded in full once the item has been returned and inspected within 14 days, alternatively if there is a small issue, we can discuss finding a mutual resolution that makes all parties happy

We don’t offer a sale on approval service which means you can purchase the item, have it delivered and if you simply don’t like it, return it, this comes under change of mind or doesn’t fit. There is a lot of time, money and work involved in transporting goods around the world, the costs incurred can be vast so my advice would be if you are unsure on a piece please ask as many questions as you like to make sure you understand everything before you buy, if you are still unsure then please either arrange a viewing in person or if that’s not possible then don’t buy from an online retailer, perhaps look for a local gallery instead