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| Mr. Barton as Gaffeir, the Pasha of Abydos Staffordshire, 1847-50 The Victoria & Albert Museum |
Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration first came to be produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s with the earliest models depicting Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. As these figures rose in fashion, other subjects were depicted ranging from the political to the theatrical.
This figure from Staffordshire represents the actor, “Mr. Barton” who played the moustachioed “Gaffeir, the Pasha of Abydos,” in “The Bride of Abydos” at Astley's Circus in 1847. Based on Byron’s 1813 poem, the play was adapted for the stage William Dimond and it was first performed at Drury Lane Theatre in 1818.
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