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Showing posts from August 2, 2015

Jock of the Bushveld Transferware Plate

Sometimes when I come upon a piece of transferware I've not seen or don't recognize I do a little research to learn what story it might tell.   This Royal Doulton plate was no exception.  The imagery is absolutely beautiful and the title, Jock of the Bushveld , intrigued me.    Do you know of Jock? In the early days of South Africa’s European history, a young, 22 year old man by the name of James Percy FitzPatrick returned from England   to South Africa to support his recently bereaved mother.  In 1884, FitzPatrick left his home in the Cape for the Eastern Transvaal at the lure of gold.  Gold had been discovered in the area and the rush was on.   FitzPatrick was one of few who had come from all corners of the world that made his way to the region of some of Africa's most scenic untamed wilderness to claim a portion of gold for himself.  However, Percy’s attempts at gold-digging were somewhat unsuccessful and before long he gave up, bought a wagon and so