Fantastic Set of Three Very Rare Highly Collected Antique (1920s) English Barker Brothers Pottery Tudor Ware “Crinoline” Hand Painted Bone China Plates (Approximately 7”/18cm, 650g).

Barker Bros Ltd “Tudor ware” is believed to have been originally decorated by the famous, gifted John Guildfold circa 1928. This Clarice Cliff-like decoration is believed to pre-date Cliff’s Newport Pottery ‘Bizarre’ wares.

These are absolutely breathtaking plates. Superbly handcrafted and hand painted with beautiful raised brush marks quite visible. Fantastic pieces of British pottery history. These types of plates are seldom ever being made in the UK or anywhere these days. Work of master potters and painters of the highest order.

These plates are around 100 years old and condition is commensurate with age. There are no chips nor cracks but there are signs of age related crazing. Very rare plates. At the time of listing they are the only plates of its kind on the whole of eBay worldwide!

BARKER BROS LTD (1876–1981) were manufacturers of earthenware and bone china at the Meir Works, Barker St, Longton. Barker Bros was founded in 1876 and incorporated as Barker Bros Ltd in 1882. The business was acquired in 1910 by brothers William, Joseph and Arthur Hewitt and from 1928 to 1945 was owned and managed by William E. Hewitt. Sampson Smith Ltd was acquired in 1939 and from 1941 to 1945 production of the two firms was concentrated at the Barker Bros factory.

Barker Bros Ltd was taken over by Alfred Clough Ltd in 1959, but production under the Barker Bros name continued until the business closed in 1981 following the dispersal of the assets of Grindley of Stoke (Ceramics) Ltd (a successor company to Alfred Clough Ltd).

Barker Bros was an important manufacturer of earthenware tableware under the ‘Meir’, ‘Primrosa’, ‘Tudor Ware’ and ‘Royal Tudor Ware’ names.

The ‘Royal Tudor’ name was also used by successor businesses including Grindley of Stoke (Ceramics) Ltd (1978-1982) and Federated Potteries Co. Ltd (1982-1987). Barker Bros Ltd produced domestic tableware, teapots and fancy earthenware. Virtually all marks include the name Barker Bros.

The “Tudor Ware” name was introduced in 1927. The birth of the famous English porcelain happened in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, commonly known as ‘the Potteries’, the well-known home of the pottery industry in England since the 18th century.

Authentic Tudor Ware was produced in Stoke-on-Trent since 1828. Tudor England tied together all the skills, quality and expertise of a few generations of potters to create highly collectible high class masterpieces.

A “Crinoline” is a stiffened or structured petticoat designed to hold out a woman's skirt, popular at various times since the mid-19th century. Originally, crinoline described a stiff fabric made of horsehair ("crin") and cotton or linen which was used to make underskirts and as a dress lining.

By the 1850s the term crinoline was more usually applied to the fashionable silhouette provided by horsehair petticoats, and to the hoop skirts that replaced them in the mid-1850s. In form and function these hoop skirts were similar to the 16th- and 17th-century farthingale and to 18th-century panniers, in that they too enabled skirts to spread even wider and more fully.

The steel-hooped cage crinoline, first patented in April 1856 by R.C. Milliet in Paris, and by their agent in Britain a few months later, became extremely popular. Steel cage crinolines were mass-produced in huge quantity, with factories across the Western world producing tens of thousands in a year. Alternative materials, such as whalebone, cane, gutta-percha and even inflatable caoutchouc (natural rubber) were all used for hoops, although steel was the most popular. At its widest point, the crinoline could reach a circumference of up to six yards, although by the late 1860s, crinolines were beginning to reduce in size. By the early 1870s, the smaller crinolette and the bustle had largely replaced the crinoline.

Crinolines were worn by women of every social standing and class across the Western world, from royalty to factory workers. This led to widespread media scrutiny and criticism, particularly in satirical magazines such as Punch. They were also hazardous if worn without due care. Thousands of women died in the mid-19th century as a result of their hooped skirts catching fire. Alongside fire, other hazards included the hoops being caught in machinery, carriage wheels, gusts of wind, or other obstacles.

The crinoline silhouette was revived several times in the 20th century, particularly in the late 1940s as a result of Christian Dior's "New Look" of 1947. The flounced nylon and net petticoats worn in the 1950s and 1960s to poof out skirts also became known as crinolines even when there were no hoops in their construction. In the mid-1980s Vivienne Westwood designed the mini-crini, a mini-length crinoline which was highly influential on 1980s fashion. Late 20th and early 21st century designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen have become famous for their updated crinoline designs. Since the 1980s and well into the 21st century the crinoline has remained a popular option for formal evening dresses, wedding dresses, and ball gowns.

Crinolines continue to be worn well into the 21st century, typically as part of formal outfits such as evening gowns, prom dresses, or wedding dresses.1950s and 1960s style net crinolines are a traditional element of costumes for square dancing and clogging.They are also popular garments for attending 1950s and 1960s influenced rockabilly events such as Viva Las Vegas. The steampunk movement has also appropriated cage crinolines along with other elements of 19th century fashion such as corsets and the top hat for its costuming.

In some contexts, the traditional hooped crinoline may be seen as controversial, as in early 2015 when the University of Georgia reportedly requested hoop skirts not be worn to certain fraternity events due to their perceived association with Southern Belles and the slave-owning, upper socioeconomic classes of the American Deep South. The reason for the proposed ban was linked to the SAE racism incident earlier that year, with several articles noting it was a well-intentioned attempt to avoid the University of Georgia fraternities facing charges of racial insensitivity. It was noted that hoop skirts and crinolines had been worn by both black and white women of all classes and social standings during the historical period in question, and that despite popular associations, they were not exclusive to the image of the Southern Belle.