Vintage Porcelain Lenox Gibson Girls Lady Figurine - Strolling Through newest the Fair - circa 1980s Collectibles - 8.5" Tall *Rare*
BIT O' DESCRIPTION:
As a perfect addition to your vintage figurine or Lenox collection, this beautiful figurine is just begging for a new home! She measures 8.5" tall, just under 4" wide at the bottom, and 3" deep. Close examination suggests this beauty is in perfect vintage condition as there are no detectible chips or cracks. Across the bottom reads "The Lenox Gibson Girls - Fine Porcelain Collection - Strolling Through the Fair - Lenox Japan - copyright Lenox Collections" Zoom in on the included images to see more details about this beautiful figure, and pick it up today before it is gone!
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BIT O' HISTORY:
What follows is a compilation of internet research and personal historical knowledge. Lenox, Inc., is the oldest and most famous manufacturer of fine china in the United States. The company has filled orders for American presidents, a desert prince who needed enough tableware to throw a banquet for 1,000 revelers, and sent a delegation around the world to sketch pheasants from various countries for a customer who wanted the images to decorate his service plates. Lenox china has become so famous and highly valued that it was selected by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art for its 1989 exhibit on American porcelain, and it is the only American china ever shown at the renowned Ceramic Museum in Sevres, France.
The founder of Lenox, Inc., was Walter Scott Lenox, born in 1859 in Trenton, New Jersey. Trenton was a focal point for pottery and ceramics in the United States, and Lenox, as a result, was inspired to become a ceramicist. After a stint as an apprentice at the Willetts Manufacturing Company, he concentrated on problems of ceramic design and decoration. Lenox was recognized for his hard work and talent, and during his 20s, he was hired by the Ott and Brewer Company to serve as art director for its factory. By the time he reached the age of 30, Lenox had saved enough money to enter a partnership with Jonathan Coxon, Jr. and opened his own firm, the Ceramic Art Company, in 1889.
Lenox dreamed of producing china as good as or better than any other ceramics company in the world. During the 19th century, the American ceramics and pottery industry produced unrefined goods due to unsophisticated manufacturing techniques. As a result, wealthy Americans turned to famous European manufacturers for their fine china. Lenox's goal was formidable: he had to master the difficult techniques involved in making fine china, overcome American prejudices against domestic china, and secure sufficient backing to finance his operations.
By the early years of the 20th century, Lenox's health was deteriorating. Gradually becoming paralyzed and blind, he continued to work at the factory on a daily basis, with his chauffeur carrying him to his desk, and began to monitor the production of porcelain with his hands rather than his eyes. Although Lenox still made all the decisions regarding production, he relied more and more on his assistant and secretary Harry Brown, who had been with Lenox since the early 1890s.
In 1906, with Brown's help, Lenox established Lenox, Inc. The company's first big break came when the firm filled an order from Shreve and Company, a retailer located in San Francisco, which was delivered just in time to be destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. However, dug out of the ruins of Shreve's store was a glazed Lenox plate that looked as exquisite as it had on the day it was produced. The plate soon became the cornerstone of Lenox's marketing campaign.
Harry Brown approached Tiffany's in New York City with the surviving plate and other examples of Lenox china, and Tiffany's agreed to become Lenox's first account. The company began to grow rapidly, and, by the time World War I began, Lenox was had gained wide respect as a manufacturer of quality china. In 1917, the company came to the attention of the White House, which was trying to fulfill a Congressional mandate of 1826 stipulating that everything used in the White House should be newest domestically produced. Presidents had been unable to find domestic china suitable to serve guests at the White House table, and they remained dependent on foreign-made tableware. Woodrow Wilson broke this precedent by ordering a 1700-piece tableware set from Lenox at a cost of $16,000. (Subsequent orders for complete sets for the White House came from Roosevelt in 1932, Truman in 1951, Reagan in 1981, and then Bush in 2000.)
Fast forward to the 1980s and Lenox begins to produce figurines and collectibles starting in 1981. Iconic fashion culture was the focus of these beautiful collectibles, one of which is offered here.
Take a look at the included pictures for more details, and add to your collection today!
We invite you to browse our growing inventory at https://www.etsy.com/shop/PickerzNGrinnerz?ref=profile_shopname - new items added almost every day!
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BIT O' RED TAPE:
***All items are sold as-is based on the pictures included in the listing.
***Our home is non-smoking, but we do share our home with a couple of amazing kitties.
***Please message us with any questions *before* purchase.
***Real colors may vary slightly due to monitor calibrations.
***Combined shipping is always an option for multiple purchases.
***Any overages in estimated shipping will be applied to packing and handling, as we do not have a separate handling charge.