Palmer Cox Brownie Majolica

Palmer Cox was a writer and illustrator famous for his children's books on the Brownies.  He debuted his Brownies in 1883 in St. Nicholas, a prominent children's magazine. The first collection of Brownie stories was published in 1887 as The Brownies, Their Book, which sold over a million copies. Cox would go on to publish 15 more Brownie books, and the stage play Palmer Cox's Brownies (1895) would run for nearly 

five years.

Palmer Cox

The first collection of Brownie stories

Kodak Brownie camera

Cox licensed his Brownies to numerous companies selling a variety of products including dolls, figurines, puzzles, games, toys, china, soap and smoking paraphernalia. 

Brownie stamps

Brownie decals

Brownie puzzle 

The most famous Cox merchandise was the Kodak Brownie camera, but Cox also merchandised to continental majolica manufacturers who created Brownies in the form of humidors (to compliment Brownie Smoking Tobacco), candlesticks, cream pitchers, banks, smoke stands and whiskey bottles. 

Majolica Brownie pitcher

Majolica Brownie pitcher

Brownie majolica match striker

Brownie majolica humidor

Brownie majolica humidor

Brownie majolica humidor

Brownie baby humidor

Brownie majolica humidor

Majolica Brownie humidor

Majolica Brownie sailor humidor

Majolica bearded Brownie humidor

Majolica Brownie sailor candlestick

Majolica Uncle Sam Brownie candlestick

Majolica Irish Brownie candlestick

Majolica Brownie dandy candlestick

Majolica Brownie storekeeper candlestic

Majolica Brownie policeman clock

Today Brownie majolica is really more popular with general Brownie collectors than with majolica collectors but it still commands respectable prices at specialty auctions.

To view a copy of The Brownies, Their Book by Palmer Cox go here.