Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe goes about the business of setting up housekeeping in his solitary hut for "Crusoe At Work."  The scene is executed on the largest size plate Brownhills offered for their ABC plates, eight inches.  The design is printed in brown transfer on their contrasting ivory body and highlighted in bright yellow, a deep reddish brown and blue.  While Crusoe is shown weaving a basket for storage, he also became accomplished enough to throw his own pottery storage jars --- and possibly the pipkin shown in the left foreground.   

While the open Bible is shown prominently to the left of the scene, by the 1890's, the religious aspects of the Crusoe story took second place to the theme of self reliance--- particularly relevant to boys.  For additional discussion of the Robinson Crusoe subject and associated wares, we urge you to access our February 2012 Featured Item in the "Seekers Journal." 

The registery number indicates an 1887 introduction while the "England" notation indicates 1890's production. Brownhills production runs l872 to l896.