Unusual Artifacts: The George Robey Toby, c. 1930

Toby Jug
Royal Doulton, 1930
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This earthenware Toby Jug features a bowler hat as a lid. This is among a popular line of Toby Jugs which was manufactured in the 1930s and based on music hall performers.  This example is modeled on George Robey (1869–1954), who is considered one of Britain’s most successful music hall comedians--a master of comic songs, caricatures and sketches, who became known as “the Prime Minister of Mirth.”

George Robey was known for his trademark stage appearance, a costume which is captured in this jug - a long collarless frock coat, a semi-clerical bowler hat, a walking stick and enormous black eyebrows which he raised quizzically to “great comic effect.”

This glazed earthenware jug  boasts a pale green handle and base, and depicts George Robey, dressed in his usual black suit, a white shirt and a red spotted handkerchief, and carrying a cane under his left arm. His nose is glazed in a reddish hue and he has his trademark crescent-shaped eyebrows. The plinth of the toby bears the incised inscription “GEORGE ROBEY” and the initials “AHCH.F.F.RA.”  It was made in Stoke-on-Trent, England by Royal Doulton.

And, yes, for the last twenty minutes I've been muttering "Robey Toby, Robey Toby, Robey Toby..."

Unusual Artifacts: The George Robey Toby, c. 1930

Toby Jug
Royal Doulton, 1930
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This earthenware Toby Jug features a bowler hat as a lid. This is among a popular line of Toby Jugs which was manufactured in the 1930s and based on music hall performers.  This example is modeled on George Robey (1869–1954), who is considered one of Britain’s most successful music hall comedians--a master of comic songs, caricatures and sketches, who became known as “the Prime Minister of Mirth.”

George Robey was known for his trademark stage appearance, a costume which is captured in this jug - a long collarless frock coat, a semi-clerical bowler hat, a walking stick and enormous black eyebrows which he raised quizzically to “great comic effect.”

This glazed earthenware jug  boasts a pale green handle and base, and depicts George Robey, dressed in his usual black suit, a white shirt and a red spotted handkerchief, and carrying a cane under his left arm. His nose is glazed in a reddish hue and he has his trademark crescent-shaped eyebrows. The plinth of the toby bears the incised inscription “GEORGE ROBEY” and the initials “AHCH.F.F.RA.”  It was made in Stoke-on-Trent, England by Royal Doulton.

And, yes, for the last twenty minutes I've been muttering "Robey Toby, Robey Toby, Robey Toby..."

Object of the Day: A Royal Doulton Commemorative Mug

Royal Doulton has been producing exceptional tableware, china and collectables since 1815. The very name is revered for its quality and it has become associated with fine English style and culture. The artists at Royal Doulton have also been known to participate in the tradition of producing Royal souvenirs such as this gold-rimmed China mug made to commemorate the 1911 coronation of King George V and Queen Mary.


I’ve written at length about my appreciation of Mary of Teck. In fact, as I write this, she’s glowering down at me from a lovely photograph. She’s beautifully represented on this mug as is George V who looks far more handsome than he really was. A notable bit of trivia is that the artist has taken great pains to represent the Royal badges and insignia worn by the King and Queen Consort. For example, the Badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert is clearly identifiable amongst the jewels on Mary’s sash.

Queen Mary's Badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert
The Royal Collection