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