THE RABBIT ON THE WALL

One of my favorite things to do when I was a child was to make shadow pictures on the wall.  The only one I was any good at was a rabbit.  I loved making the rabbit on the wall.  Imagine my surprise when I found a Clews' pattern titled The Rabbit On The Wall!  It literally felt like holding hands with the past.

James & Ralph Clews (1814-1834) Rabbit On The Wall 10 inch by 5 inch tray for a sauce tureen, ca. 1825

Printed and impressed marks for The Rabbit On The Wall

The pattern was copied from the work of Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), hence the title in the cartouche,  From Wilkie's Designs.  Clews used seven different patterns copied from Wilkie's paintings for both tea and dinner services: The Rabbit On The Wall, The Errand Boy, Christmas Eve, The Escape Of The Mouse, The Valentine, The Letter Of Introduction, and Playing At Draughts.  All of the patterns, except The Errand Boy, appear in the Pattern and Source Print Database of the Transferware Collectors Club. 

The father is making a two-handed rabbit, I only learned to use one hand.  Make a fist and put up your index and middle finger.  Voila!  I used sunlight, but a lamp at night also works well.  The boy in the Wilkie pattern is using a candle to throw shadows.

Rabbit On The Wall Hand Shadow

Rabbit On The Wall Hand Shadow/Make a circle of your thumb, ring finger and little finger to make the eye

Maya tried to make a rabbit on the wall when she was 15 months old.  It was a bit out of her reach.

Maya and Rabbit