These old hens are a favorite form of mine as they are for many older collectors. When I met Jackie, I had a nice collection of 5 or 6 good early ones, but he did not like the English ceramics the way His mother and I did, and I gradually let all of the hens go but the one large one that I set out each Easter with a bit of grass around her and in some years a good many candy eggs and such. The Holiday is quiet at my house this year, but still my old hen is on the breakfast table for my first Easter here in this house. Gradually a few more have come to live with me, the one in the cupboard with good American redware is made of red English clay. She belonged to our friend Eula. The dolls have a tiny one about 4 inches long in their blue cupboard. The best one is the hen with peeps in lovely red and white coloring, bought at auction in Pennsylvania many years ago.
Jack's parents were avid collectors of Staffordshire all of their lives. This included a large variety of figural pieces. John gave me a tiny lamb for the doll's cupboard. Lillian loved best of all the cows. I have three of them in a blue cupboard now. e
