Let's Talk About Pottery & Collectables
Pottery => Studio Pottery => England => Topic started by: Buddydazzler on December 20, 2009, 12:05:55 PM
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Hi,
I am a collector of 'original' Kitty Macbride mice figures. Not the ones mass produced by the Beswick factory - but the original studio pottery figures made and signed by Kitty Macbride herself - from her studio in Berkeley Square, London, during the 1960s and 1970s. I am trying to do some research on Kitty Macbride. If anyone can help me with information I would be very grateful. Also I am always looking for 'original' Kitty Macbride mice figures to add to my collection. If you have or know of anyone who wishes to sell any of these figures I would be very interested. Thanks.
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Hi and Welcome Buddydazzler :cheerleader:
I did not know what these were (my excuse = I AM Canadian :bzy: ) but I did some gaggling on the net and found these. Is this what you are meaning? Or are these ones the ones that ARE mass produced...(??)
http://www.mddoultons.on.ca/Storybook_figures.htm#Kitty%20MacBride ( a list of some)
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5254547 ( there were some more there, I just forgot to put that link in - Sorry
Found these on E-bay ------> Click For Mice Here (http://pottery.shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=kitty+macbride&_sacat=112867&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1311&_dmpt=UK_PotteryPorcelain_Glass_PotteryPorcelain_China_SM&_odkw=&_osacat=112867)
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Hi Antiquerose123,
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. You're my first response - so thanks for that!
Unfortunately all the links you have posted lead to Kitty MacBride figures made by the Beswick factory and were mass produced - very easy to get hold of.
'Original' Kitty MacBride figures are very hard to find because they are unique, one-off figures made by the artist herself.
Very little is known about Kitty MacBride and how many 'original' figures she made. I'm trying to research her life at the moment - but I'm not getting very far I'm afraid!
If you look on www.studiopottery.com you will see some examples of 'original' Kitty MacBride mice and the hand signed mark.
Thanks for your help. Keep in touch.
Buddydazzler.
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Hi - and welcome.
Will keep an eye open for any for you.
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Hi Anne E.B.
Thanks for that. Very much appreciated.
Buddydazzler.
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Hi there:
I have never heard of Kitty MacBride -- I am wondering IF maybe some things might be on the net with a different spelling
Eg: Kitty MacBride or Kitty McBride (No *A* )
As so many times I find people put stuff on the Net, with an incorrect spelling. Look at Ebay, and you can find something spelled so many different way...
It is just a thought one might try....to see if anything else comes up. Funny even when I tried google images for original Kitties, nothing came up......Hm-m-m-m-m-
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Is this her? http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/tribute/macbride/2092586
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Hi Anne, sorry no - your link is not her. She died in 1983. I've managed to trace the names of her husband, children, brothers and sisters and where she died. My research has come to a dead-end at the moment. I need a new lead!
Antiquerose, the name is spelt MacBride - capital M and capital B.
There are a couple of her figures just been listed on e-bay - being sold from America. I may bid - but they are not very good examples of her work!
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OK, so not that one... :) How about these from The Times (via their digital archive)...
The Times, Friday, Oct 03, 1975; pg. 28; Issue 59517...
Kitty MacBride announces that Happy Mice of Berkeley Square have moved to her studio in Bradwell (Derbyshire) near Sheffield, S30 2SU (0433) 20487 or John Brown, Borough House, Borough Lane, Eastbourne (0523) 23756.
The Times, Tuesday, May 24, 1983; pg. 30; Issue 61540...
MacBride. The funeral of Kitty MacBride will take place at Durham Crematorium, on Friday, 27th May at 11.00 am. Flowers to J Smurthwaite & Sons, Neville Street, Durham.
She got about a bit didn't she...?! :bny:
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Hi Anne, Thanks for your latest effort! I have the information about her funeral, but the connection to Derbyshire and Eastbourne may be a new lead - I'll give it a go. Appreciate your efforts. Thanks.
Buddydazzler.
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Keep us posted, and if I find any other mentions of her I'll flag it up.
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Hi Buddy, I was looking for information on a Kitty MacBride figurine I have had since I was a little girl and stumbled on your post. The one I have is of a single mouse holding a fan sitting on a playing card (Ace of diamonds). It is signed "Kitty MacBride England" on the bottom. It is very detailed compared to the usual Kitty MacBride pieces I have seen. I would love to know anything about it ... Thanks, Karen
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Hi Karen,
I'm afraid I know very little about individual pieces that Kitty MacBride made. Part of my research is to catalogue all of her pieces - but I'm beginning to think that it's going to be an impossible task! I am trying to contact members of her family at the moment - hoping they may be able to help.
How did the piece get to America? I'd love to see a photo of it - if you have one? All 'original' Kitty MacBride figures are much more detailed than the ones mass produced by the Beswick factory - that is part of their charm!
If you ever think of selling it - I'd be very interested. Keep me in mind please.
Best wishes. Buddydazzler.
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Yeah! Managed to get a new Kitty MacBride piece to add to my collection. Got it all the way from Australia - how it ended up there I'll never know. Really pleased to bring it back home to England!!!
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My name is lucy Birbeck and I am Kitty's grand daughter. She had 2 children my mother Angela and my uncle Hugh. They are both alive and Im sure my mother would be happy to give any infomation they want. In the family we have some of her originals but I don't think any are for sale. My mother who's 82 and an artist does'ent do email but she can talk for England!( and write.)If you contact me I will give you her address.... Kind regards lucy
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Lucy, welcome to the board and for your offer of information. I'm sure Buddydazzler will be taking you up on that.
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Hi Lucy --
I am sure that Buddy dazzler, and KarenP will be interested to hear that.
Would someone be able to post some of the *original* Kitty MacBride here for us to see.......and maybe a comparison as to what the other *mass* produced ones look like also.
I do not think I have seen one...so would like to see some (if possible).....PLEASEEEEEEEE
tHXS
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Hi Antiquerose123,
I'm afraid I cannot post photos of any of my own Kitty MacBride collection as I do not have a digital camera.
However if you look at http://www.studiopottery.com (http://www.studiopottery.com) then click on the link 'potters' and then 'Kitty Macbride' you will see examples of original figures and her hand-signed mark. You can see lots of the mass produced Beswick examples on e-bay.
Cheers.
Buddydazzler.
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Gee Thanks for that....Can't say that I have ever seen them, or that mark. Learn something new everyday.
A digital camera is a must (lol)....I HAD to go out and get one too so that I could post pics here, then I had to LEARN how to use it, post pics, etc myself. Was hard to teach a OLD dog new tricks....but i did learn, with the help of the Board here.
And... As they say "A picture is worth a 1000 words."
Well worth the investment for ME -- everything in my household ends up on the camera, then on here..... :24: :thd:
Santa brought me mine.... ;)
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Hi ...
Thanks for starting this post!
My sisters & I just went through our Mom's old mice collection. All old Kitty MacBrides - the orginals - hand signed. I was curious about them and did some searching and found this post. Nice to hear someone else is interested too!
We did split them up, but I'll work on taking photos of the ones I chose and post here. We did have a few that none of us fancied - so if you are interested, please let me know.
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Hi there and Welcome ShoeLover :cheerleader: :gcheer:
The more *pics* to add to this post the better.......would love to see more
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Thanks ShoeLover,
I'll be in touch.
I've recently been in touch with Kitty Macbride's daughter and grand daughter, who have been very helpful in filling in some of the gaps in my research - and I'm also waiting for her son to get back in touch with me.
None of this would have happened without the help from this site/forum, so a big thank you to the people who set it up and give up their time running it. I'm so glad I joined!
Also, a massive thank you to Lucy - I hope we can keep in touch...
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. :clap2: :clap2:
Yes, it is amazing what can happen on this Forum/Board. I too SALUTE this Forum/Board..........and Buddydazzler, we ARE so glad you joined too......And Every *NEW* member. So glad you are here.
:cheerleader:
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I have just received a lovely letter from Kitty MacBride's son, detailing an accurate outline of her life and career.
This has proved to be extremely useful to my research and has filled in all the gaps that I was struggling to find answers to.
My research is now complete and I can continue to collect Kitty MacBride mice with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the potter who made them. Yeah!
A big 'Thank You' to this site for making it happen...
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Hi Buddydazzler.... :cheerleader:
Would you be able to provide some of the details of her life and career here so that we can keep this info here for other members.
That would be nice - as like I said - I had not hear of her.
;) Thanks
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How lovely to have such a great response from her son, and please do add some details here if you can, as I'm sure it would be of great interest to others as well. :cheerleader:
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Yes. As soon as I have time (and work out how to do it!) I shall be adding information about Kitty MacBride and some photos of her work.
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Thank you - look forward to hearing that... :gcheer: :gcheer:
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INFORMATION ON KITTY MACBRIDE from Buddydazzler (as promised).
Kitty MacBride was an exceptional woman. It was not until the late 1950s, that she began to make her 'Happy Mice'.
Born in 1904, in Derbyshire, England, she had already been a successful Fleet Street journalist, fiction writer and illustrator, before her career as a potter began.
As a hobby, she spent long, patient hours sketching and drawing mice, kept in a glass fronted cage in her garage - until she had the inspiration to begin modelling them in clay - using a tiny, nine inch kiln.
In 1963, a London antique dealer offered to sell them for her, from his premises on the corner of Berkeley Square, London, (where the nightingale sang).
The little figures proved to be very popular, and because her work was so finely detailed and artistically sound, she aroused considerable interest and enthusiasm amongst those who appreciated craftsmanship in pottery.
Occasionally, she made one-off figures for people in public life - such as: former British Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath; International Ballet Dancer, Sir Robert Helpmann; and even HM. The Queen.
Around 1975, she approached Royal Doulton/Beswick, and they commissioned eleven of her character mice to be produced from their factory in the heart of 'the potteries', Stoke-on-Trent. These figures were produced commercially :mse: :mse: for a number of years.
However, she continued making 'original' versions of 'Happy Mice' (as they became known), despite suffering from increasing arthritis in her hands, right up to the time of her rather sudden death in 1983.
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Thank you SO MUCH -- Beautiful. Hats off to you Buddydazzler for getting the info, for informing us, and for the beautiful pics.
Thank you :clap: :sign_gj:
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Indeed, thank you so much. it's great to be able to see the mice and find out about their maker too.
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Yeah! Managed to get a new 'original' Kitty MacBride figure to add to my collection.
Another mouse coming all the way back home from Australia. Can't wait for it to arrive!
That's two figures now that I've managed to obtain through the use of this site.
There must be more people who wish to sell figures from their collections? If you do - get in touch - always willing to pay good prices for the right figure!
Looking forward to hearing from you...
Buddydazzler.
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.....Another mouse coming all the way back home from Australia. Can't wait for it to arrive!
That's two figures now that I've managed to obtain through the use of this site.
Buddydazzler.
That is Super to hear both news-- that you have found more, and this site has helped you obtain them. :clap2: :clap2:
:sign_thanks:
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In unpacking some of my grandmother china I came across a Kitty MacBride piece of two mice in bed together. I'd like to learn more about her work and share pictures with you if interested.
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Hi and Welcome to the Board USAcollecter :cheerleader: :cheerleader:
We would love to see your pictures of your items. Let us (or Anne) know if you have any trouble posting a pic....and Again Welcome my Southern neighbor.
:gcheer:
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Hi everyone,
Sorry for dragging up an old post, but need a little advice and this seems the only site I have found discussing Kitty Macbride figures.
My Mum showed me a mouse figure that I had found when I was six (1978) and has kept all this time, no one ever took any notice of it untill today when we started doing a clean up for her.
It is a mouse holding a rose but it doesnt have a signiture on it it just has kitty macbride written on the side, but what seems unusal after doing some searching is, its not made of pot its made of bronze! its not painted but does have a felt pad on the base.
It might just be something mass produced but it may also be something else so any input or advice on it would be welcomed.
Dan
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Dan welcome to the board. Your figure sounds interesting, and I'm sure Buddydazzler will be along to add more as soon as possible. :cheerleader:
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Kitty MacBride did not make any figures out of metal - only clay. The bronze figure you speak of is a reproduction. I have seen a few of these figures sold on ebay over the years - not worth much money I'm afraid!
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Things seem very quiet at the moment. Always looking for 'original' Kitty MacBride mice figures to add to my collection. There must be someone out there who has some they'd be interested in selling - or know someone else who does. Always willing to pay top prices for the right figure! Get in touch please...
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Hi I'M NEW TO THIS SITE (ONLY FOUND IT BY ACCIDENT),I SAW THE LINK RE KITTY MACBRIDE AND THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW THAT I WAS A LOGER WITH HER WHEN SHE LIVED IN RAINTON VILLAGE IN COUNTY DURHAM AND I HAVE A BRONZE FIGUERINE THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME PERSONALLY BY KITTY WHEN I LEFT TO GO AND LIVE IN YORKSHIRE, SHE GAVE ME THE BRONZE WHICH HAS TWO MICE ON IT WITH THE MESSAGE "BE MINE" ON IT AND IS SIGNED ON THE BOTTOM WITH HER NAME.
I LOST CONTACT WITH HER AFTER I LEFT AND I BELIVE SHE WENT TO STAY WITH HER SON ON HIS FARM NEARER DURHAM CITY.
I WILL TRY AND POST A PHOTO FOR YOU TO SEE LATER ON.
DAVE.
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Kitty Macbride gave a talk to our Ladies Circle Meeting in th early 80s and gave a hand crafted mouse for the raffle prize which I was lucky enough to win. I may be persuaded to part with it for the right money
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I've split daisydooda's post about her item for sale off and moved it to the Sales forum instead. :)
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Yeah!
Just bought EIGHT original Kitty MacBride mice to add to my collection. Some lovely examples of her work. Really delighted. My collection is looking rather substantial now! ;D
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Ooohhh congratulations! May we see pictures of your new ones please?
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Just bought another mouse to add to my collection. Quite an interesting little story behind it. Kitty MacBride was the guest speaker at a Women's Institute meeting in the early eighties. She donated a super, little mouse as the raffle prize. I bought it from the lady who won the raffle, so I was able to speak to her about Kitty and add a little bit more information to my research. Yeah!
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Had a good year 'collecting wise' in 2011, and I now have 35 'original' Kitty MacBride mice.
Always looking to add to my collection and willing to pay good prices for the right figures.
If anyone has any please get in touch. :mse:
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Wow! You're doing really well. :)
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Hello Hello!
I have my grandmother's collection of Kitty Macbride mice (2 mass production, 21 signed using glaze, or cutting into the clay). They remind me of her, and I don't want to sell them, but I would like to know a bit more about them, if anybody has any information. For instance, some are signed and lettered and numbered (with the same hand as the signature), but most are simply signed. It seems that I have entered this chat a bit late in the game, but if anyone out there can point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if someone out there is still cataloging, I would be happy to provide pictures if that is of any help, although a few of the pieces are chipped. :(
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If you are still interested in finding out more about Kitty MacBride (creator of the Happy Mice), her son and daughter have just published a book called ?Siblings? Haven? which gives a lot of information about this extraordinary woman. The book is available from Halsgrove email: sales@halsgrove.com.
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Hello, I have an original Kitty MacBride mouse. She embroidered "Amor Vincit Omnia." And there is little scissors beside her or him :) Let me know if you are interested.
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Hi Buddy. Are you still in the market for original Kitty MacBride Mice and info, re Kitty.
I have two originals which Kitty made personally for my daughter together with a personalised small dish, for Julie.
These are from Kitty's time in Bradwell where I am from and are circa 1975 all are signed Kitty MacBride England.
Look forward to hearing from you. Regards. Merry legs.
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Hi Merry Legs,
I have sent you a personal message.
Regards,
Buddydazzler.
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Hi Buddy
I also have a couple of original Kitty MacBride figures - both signed 'Kitty MacBride England'. One is a bashful mouse on her own called 'I'm Engaged'; the other looks like the happy fiancée (same pink scarf) with her other half. Let me know if you're interested - even just for logging them in your research!
Thanks
Ness
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Hi Ness,
I have sent you a personal message. Please get back to me.
Buddydazzler.
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July 2015.
Always on the lookout for 'original' Kitty MacBride mice figurines to add to my collection. Good prices paid. Get in touch!
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3rd September 2015.
I have created a web site with information about Kitty MacBride and photographs from my collection of her original work.
www.kittymacbride.co.uk
Take a look!
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http://www.kittymacbride.co.uk