Collectors crave vintage Osborne Ivorex wall plaques

by Christopher Proudlove©
Español | Deutsche | Français | Italiano | Português

Things we take for granted, number 42: Bossons plaster of paris wall plaques, more correctly termed character masks. Okay, so perhaps they're not antiques in the true sense of the word, but they are collectable. And they are collected, particularly in the United States and Australia, where rarities can make hundreds of pounds. See them at a car boot sale, where they rarely cost above a few quid, and they are instantly dismissible. Indeed, the Business Manager (Mrs P) remembers using a damaged one discarded by her mother to chalk out the squares in the playground for a game of hopscotch.

It doesn't help that we were both born in the town where they were made (Congleton, in South Cheshire) and knew quite a few of the ladies who painted the lifelike caricatures of such characters as Buccaneer, Smuggler, Syrian, and Arab, at least one of which I can remember hanging on the wall in my childhood home. I also knew Ray Bossons, the son of a founder of the company who took it over on the death of his father, and I remember the sadness in the town when the factory closed in 1996. It was a personal loss for Ray and he died three years later, although by then well into his retirement.

However, one thing I didn't know was that Bossons also made wall plaques like the ones illustrated here. In fact, they are virtually identical to those made by the Osborne Company, under the brand name Ivorex. It turns out that when the Kent company founded in 1899 by Arthur Osborne ceased trading in 1965, entrepreneur Ray Bossons stepped in and bought the assets and the rights to produce Ivorex products of his own. He even tried to continue employing Osborne decorators to paint Bossons plaques, but in practice the idea proved untenable.

The result is a fascinating quandary for today's collectors drawn to the amazingly detailed and decorative wall plaques, some of which fetch serious money today. Point is, some of these wall plaques appear in three variations: the originals made by Osborne; copies made by Bossons but painted in Kent and copies produced entirely in South Cheshire.

Telling Osborne originals from Bossons copies is easy: all the former are marked with the AO (for Arthur Osborne) copyright mark, usually on the bottom right front of a plaque and various trademarks on the reverse, while Bossons removed the AO copyright mark and used self adhesive labels instead of the trademarks on the back. Being able to spot the difference in the colour palettes used is down to comparing the two side-by-side and plenty of experience.

Arthur Osborne was born in Ospringe, a village near Faversham, Kent, the son of a book and print seller in 1855. The boy showed early artistic talent and went to South Kensington Art School in London. He subsequently emigrated to Canada, but settled in America, working as a designer for the J and J G Low Art Tile Comapny of Boston, Massachusetts.

He married there but returned to Kent in 1898 to found the Osborne Ivorex company producing three-dimensional plaques and other decorative plaster of paris knickknacks in a business that went on to thrive and become a major employer, particularly paintresses drawn from the local population.

I am grateful to collector John Smith, whose Southampton home is a shrine to Osborne Ivorex plaques, for supplying the pictures for this week's column. John points out that values can vary a great deal. An average price for an 11 x 6 plaque is about £35, while the large Pickwick plaque illustrated averages around £500 and the rarer Death of Nelson ranges from £800 to £2000. The smaller plaques average around £25, although he adds that the least he has paid is 50p at a car boot sale.

"Incredibly Osborne made very low batches of some scenes in the hopes of securing a larger order in the future so we don't really know what is the rarest piece. If he only made a dozen of a particular scene they may never see the light of day again, and it is believed that he actually carried out some private commissions of one-off' pieces," so keep an eye out!

Read more on John Smith's website at www.ivorex.btinternet.co.uk.

Among the most popular products were those depicting well known tourist destinations. Working from picture postcards from around the world, Osborne produced highly detailed copies carved into clay which were used as masters to make moulds for the plaster of paris. After painting, the plaques were given their distinctive "ivory" finish by dipping them in the heart paraffin wax which was then buffed to give them a dull sheen.

Subjects covered included historical places of interest, such as cathedrals, castles and tourist destinations from both the UK and overseas; the birthplace or home of notable individuals such as Shakespeare; a range of characters and scenes from Dickens, fairytales and other moments in literature; portraits of famous people and many more. Today's collector has plenty of scope. It is thought that well over 800 different subjects were covered.

At the height of their popularity, it is said that around 45,000 pieces left the factory annually with thousands being shipped abroad weekly to meet demand. Although copyrighted, the products were copied ruthlessly, notably by those named "IvorArt" but they lacked quality and were a poor imitation.

Labour and material shortages, rising costs and a dwindling market during the Second World War proved to be a major hurdle for the company and Arthur Osborne's death in 1943 heralded the end of the company. His daughter, Blanche, managed to continue production but it eventually ceased trading and closed in 1965.

Pictures show, top:
"Mr Pickwick addressing the members of The Pickwick Club - The proudest moment of his existence", an Osborne Ivorex plaque sold recently for £520

Below, left to right:
The Rows, Chester. Bossons' version of this Osborne Ivorex plaque is virtually identical, apart from the Bossons label on the back. Towards the end of their Ivorex production Bossons did 'adjust' the colours of their plaques to their own taste, possibly to brighten up the scenes for modern consumers

The Osborne Ivorex plaque entitled "A Welsh tea party" - just right for tourists to the region

Conwy Castle and bridge, an Osborne Ivorex plaque today worth around £35