z(1912) Mr Blackwell. Farnell. Laura Fitzpatrick

Mr. Blackwell - Showcased by Laura Fitzpatrick is a 14" Black Bear, believed to be Farnell  Unsure of age, but could be an English-made "mourning bear" Black alpaca. Shoe-button eyes, unsure if they are original.  He is much-loved and has had a lot of attention.  You can see here that his face is mostly darned-over when he lost his fur. Mum seems to have started it on the muzzle, which is neatly done, but littler hands took over.  Material seems to be intact underneath, they just didn't want him to have a bald face I guess! He has an old cotton sailor jacket and breeches with a little whistle.  Not sure that is original. The elastic on his braces deteriorated when washed, so they are much too long now.  This is a nice quality suit, all lined and with snap closures. 

Christie's Auction ticket (4 July 2006!)  I think he had this stone in his pocket(?)  He's in a fragile condition and leaves fuzz everywhere but he seems to have been well-loved to have had this many repairs. 

 Description