Royal Doulton | Cissie | Bone China Figurine | HN 1809 | England, 1937–1993

A child carrying flowers is, in the language of porcelain, the closest thing to an argument that innocence is worth preserving in fired clay.

Leslie Harradine (1887–1965) was Royal Doulton’s most prolific figure modeller, responsible for a substantial portion of the HN range across the mid-twentieth century. His figures are marked by a soft naturalism and a controlled sentiment — never exaggerated, always resolved through posture and detail rather than expression alone. Cissie, model HN 1809, was introduced in 1937 and remained in production until 1993, a notably long run that reflects its sustained popularity as both a gift piece and an accessible collector’s figure within the Royal Doulton range.

The figure depicts a young girl in a full-skirted period dress, carrying a basket of flowers, her expression composed with a quiet, self-contained satisfaction. She stands in a three-quarter stance on a small unglazed oval base, the weight distributed naturally through the body. The dress, in a soft pink tone, is modelled with pronounced drapery across the skirt and bustle, giving the figure a sense of volume without heaviness. A white fichu shawl edged in green sits at the collar, and she wears a broad-brimmed bonnet in lavender and blue with a green band.

In her gloved hands she carries a basket of applied flowers — yellow roses and blue forget-me-nots among green foliage — individually formed and carefully painted. The face is rounded and lightly blushed, with a small closed smile. White shoes are just visible beneath the hem of the dress. The glaze is even and well-preserved throughout.

The base carries the green printed Royal Doulton lion-over-crown Bone China mark, the printed title Cissie, and the hand-painted model number HN 1809 with a painter’s mark.

There are no chips, cracks, or repairs. The piece is in excellent condition.

• Maker: Royal Doulton
• Designer: Leslie Harradine
• Title: Cissie
• Model Number: HN 1809
• Material: Bone china
• Production Period: 1937–1993
• Height: 13 cm
• Country of Origin: England
• Marks: Printed factory mark; title; hand-painted model number; painter’s mark
• Condition: Excellent — no chips, cracks, or repairs

Collector Appeal

• Long production run model with consistent collector recognition
• Designed by Leslie Harradine, one of Royal Doulton’s most collected modellers
• Strong decorative appeal with detailed floral basket and well-resolved colour palette
• Accessible entry point into early-to-mid 20th century Royal Doulton figure collecting
• Excellent condition enhances display and resale desirability

She has been carrying those flowers since 1937, and they have not wilted once — which is either a testament to porcelain or to the particular optimism of the gift.