vintage equestrian girl thelwell hand signed show jumping horse cartoon cup/mug

Description

the mug
i can find no issues: only displayed. depicts a very cute, appropriately dressed girl with pig tails, and, paradoxically, a parasol or bumbershoot show jumping a slightly less than svelt horse (or maybe even a shetland pony!). and actually very effectively. the mug is 3 1/2" tall. the rim slightly flairs out and the rim's inside diameter is 3 14". from the farthest outside part of the handle to the opposite rim is 4 3/4".
i was unable to find anything about the maker (see below for another person's search). i was able to find information about the cartoonist. the cartoonist is actually norman thelwell and is well known for his pony club girls and the subsequent cartoon strip telling the stories of 2 of them, penelope and kipper (more on him below). this subject may be something coming from either strip. the mug is (i think) hand ink signed by him (see last image). the base has the following information (see last image.)
embossed: churchhill england
f r gray and sons ltd
© 1967 norman thelwel[l]
the well products
aldridge
staffordshire
about f g gray & sons
(from: ukmade.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/pottery/)
«f.r. gray & sons ltd aldridge fine bone china Made in england» is a backstamp i have seen on a mug, like that below, but I can't find any information on the web about this company and i assume they have gone, although there is firm based near aldridge is staffordshire called «»grays of shenstone ltd» (unlikely to be the same firm as i can't find any reference on their website to them manufacturing or having anything manufactured in england, or to them having been based in aldridge at any time).
about cartoonist norman thelwell
(from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Thelwell)
norman thelwell (3 may 1923 – 7 february 2004) was an english cartoonist well known for his humorous illustrations of ponies and horses.
born in birkenhead, thelwell spent world war ii in the east yorkshire regiment, having signed up at the age of 18 in 1941, and was art editor of an army magazine in new delhi, india.
his first published cartoon, in the
london opinion
, was an indian subject.
in 1944, he took evening classes in art at nottingham art school. a fellow art student, rhona, became his wife in 1949. they had one son and one daughter.
after nottingham, he took a degree at liverpool college of art, then in 1950, he took up a post teaching design and illustration at wolverhampton college of art, but gave this up to work freelance in 1956.
he became a contributor to the satirical magazine
punch
, who first published his work in 1952, beginning a 25-year relationship that resulted in more than 1,500 cartoons, of which 60 were used as front covers. he also worked as political cartoonist for the
news chronicle
from 1956 until the paper closed in 1960.
his first collection of cartoons, angels on horseback, was published in 1957.
known to many only as thelwell, he found his true comic niche with pony club girls and their comic ponies, a subject for which he became best-known, and which led to a cartoon strip about such a pair, penelope and kipper. he also illustrated chicko in the british boys' comic
eagle
.
for the last quarter of a century of his life he lived in the test valley at timsbury, near romsey, gradually restoring a farm house and landscaping the grounds which gave rise in 1978 to his first factual book,
a plank bridge by a pool
, which detailed the first two lakes he dug there. a third lake was later featured on the bbc's
south today
programme. written much earlier, but published three years later,
a millstone round my neck
described his experiences in re-building a cornish water mill (addicroft mill at liskeard, which he called penruin), that was sold before the book was published. he always loved old buildings, and in his autobiography,
wrestling with a pencil
, wrote about his joy in the beauty of old cottages.
in the 70s, thelwell also illustrated the front covers of the first six james herriot books in the series.
marker's and/or other marks
i was unable to find anything about the maker (see above for another person's search). neither could i find any information about the cartoonist, thelwell aldridge except that he was a cartoonist. the mug is (i think) hand signed by him (see last image). the base has the following information (see last image.)
embossed: churchhill england
f r gray and sons ltd
© 1967 norman thelwel[l]
the well products
aldridge
staffordshire
dimensions
the mug is 3 1/2" tall. the rim slightly flairs out and the rim's inside diameter is 3 14". from the farthest outside part of the handle to the opposite rim is 4 3/4".
condition
i can find no issues: only displayed.
the fine print
the images are the majority of the listing description, so take a look at them closely.
shipping costs have really increased—this is calculated into the buy-it-now price.
i am not able to sell individual items from items i have listed as a group. i just don't have the stamina to create new listings for those. i apologize for that. i haven't initially individually listed items because i don't have enough listing slots to so.
trying to downsize some, though extremely melancholically.
shipping time: i otherwise work more than full time and my health isn't great, so kindly excuse the longer handling time. if i am able to ship sooner, i absolutely will do that
. i appreciate you taking the time to view my listing.