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Picture courtesy of Antiquarian Auctions

Anglo-Boer War Ivorine Figure, Souvenir of British Soldier with a bandaged head holding a rifle ready to face the enemy. From a painting tilted A Gentleman in Khaki by British Artist Richard Caton Woodville. Mounted on fine turned walnut wood base. With legend on the front. Size 4.5 inches in height.

Thought to have inspired Kipling's poem, the image became so popular that it was used on cups, saucers and copper plaques and in many other forms throughout the war.

One of the most famous patriotic songs of the Anglo-Boer war was The Absent-Minded Beggar by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling had visited South Africa before the war and later became a friend of Alfred Milner and Cecil Rhodes. When war broke out he was a war correspondent with the Daily Mail.

Overall Condition: Very good
Size: 4.5 inch

Mr Thomas Atkins has always been a firm favourite of mine, examples seem to have become much harder to find over the last decade than once they were, gone are the day when plates, paper weights and similar could be found for a couple of quid, with the rarer pieces often commanding a considerable sum.

It is very seldom that you find one of these figures especially made from the early types of plastic where the tip of the rifle is not broken off..... There is even a pottery one where the metal rifle is missing in most cases...… Here is my favorite next to the tea set..... Mike

A truly magnificent example, Mike, not easy to come by these days, there was a time when you could find really good pieces in the very many provincial antique shops, without any difficulty, times have certainly changed.

Took some pictures of the tea set...…

Mike