Staffordshire figures provide a wonderful reflection of the Victorian age, as their period of production coincided almost exactly with the reign of the Queen herself. Made in great quantities by the pottery factories expressly for working people and either sold for only a few pennies each or given away as 'fairings' (particularly the tiny figures), they allowed most working-class householders and cottagers to own a cheerful piece of ceramic ware that suited their interests and pockets. By the standards of quality factories such as Chelsea or Derby, Staffordshire figures were crudely modelled...