Object Name : Tobacco Jar (Wally Bird)

Physical Description : Tobacco jar with lid in the shape of a bird with a hooked beak known as a 'Wally Bird'. Decorated in brown and blue salt glaze.

Historical associations : Wallace Martin started to make jars for tobacco in the shape of birds from about 1880 which became known as 'Wally Birds'. Charles Martin modified the heads of the jars so that they could swivel. The brothers seemed more interested in making the jars funny rather than making them practical.

A contemporary of the Martin Brothers noted that the Wally birds were "hardly suitable for purpose; they are not at all airtight and only the smallest hand could ever be inserted in them." [The Martin Brothers, Potters by Malcolm Haslam, p90.]

Producer role : Maker
Producer name : Martin, Robert Wallace
Production date/period : 11.1900

Producer role : Factory
Producer name : Martin Brothers
Production place : Southall

Material : body: stoneware
Technique : hand-modelled
Material : decoration: salt glazed
Technique : incised, hand-painted

Inscription type : incised and painted
Inscription location : Around inside collar of lid
Transcription : R.W. Martin + Bros. London + Southall. 11.1900