ALICE in WONDERLAND EGG CUP - JOHNSON Bros ENGLAND

Updated September 24, 2026

AVAILABLE for SHIPPING or LOCAL PICKUP > Vintage Johnson Brothers England ALICE IN WONDERLAND juvenile ironstone egg cup, produced circa 1974 as part of the company’s specialized children’s tableware series. The egg cup measures 2.375 inches tall, matching the documented size for this form. Johnson Brothers references identify ALICE IN WONDERLAND as a children’s pattern introduced around 1974 and produced with various scenes from Lewis Carroll’s celebrated stories. The decoration draws upon the world created by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll. ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND was first published in 1865 and follows young Alice after she pursues the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole into a surreal world populated by eccentric animals, playing card royalty and other fantastical characters. The sequel, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, published in 1871, introduced additional characters and episodes that also became closely associated with the broader Alice in Wonderland tradition. Johnson Brothers used these literary characters and narrative scenes across coordinated juvenile pieces including child’s plates, bowls, mugs and egg cups. Documented examples from the series depict Alice ~ White Rabbit ~ Mad Hatter ~ Dormouse ~ Humpty Dumpty ~ Tweedledee and Tweedledum ~ the King ~ and other Wonderland characters. A documented Johnson Brothers plate from the pattern shows Alice taking tea with the White Rabbit, Dormouse and Mad Hatter, surrounded by additional vignettes based upon John Tenniel’s famous illustrations for Carroll’s books. This diminutive pedestal egg cup depicts Alice with the White Rabbit, accompanied by colorful playing card suit motifs around the foot, immediately identifying the imagery with Wonderland’s famous card court. The combination of literary subject matter, English manufacture and the specialized juvenile form makes the piece appealing to collectors of Johnson Brothers, nursery china and Alice in Wonderland memorabilia. Johnson Brothers was founded in Staffordshire, England in 1883 and became one of Britain’s major producers and exporters of decorated earthenware. The company developed numerous narrative patterns during the 20th century, with ALICE IN WONDERLAND representing a particularly whimsical example produced specifically for children’s tableware. CONDITION REPORT > A well preserved example with no exceptions.

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