This is a wonderful old bear by the name of Arthur. He dates from around 1914 and has lots of the characteristics of the early English maker William J Terry. He is very Terry’s like Willian J Terry is one of England oldest soft toy makers, first established in 1890 in London. Their toy dog called Caeser proved to be very popular, and became their company logo, their bears had card labels with the dog logo and the words Terry-er Toys. As they had no sewn in labels, this makes them harder to identify. Caeser was modelled on the small terrier that had been King Edward VII’s favourite dog and followed his coffin in the funeral procession in 1910, bringing him into the hearts of the crowds watching. Arthur stands approx 18 inches / 45 cm tall and even though he has been through the wars, has come through the other side with a few battle scars. His mohair is still in pretty good order, for his age, he retains about 90% coverage with most loss being to the top of his head ( too many night night kisses) and around his muzzle. His nose stitching looks like it has been replaced at some stage, but it must have been many years ago, as the underside is black, so it has faded to brown with time. There are the remains of 5 stitches left to one of his feet, the cotton of which has been recovered in leather His glass eyes have been replaced.

Description

Date 1914 Make William Terry type Label Fabric Mohair Blond Size 18 ins Eyes Glass with painted backs replaced Features Remains of stitching Jointed Fully Jointed Pads Patched paws, recovered pads, large feet Stuffing Woodwool Clothes Growl Number 166A