'A Gentleman in Kharki' and 'The Absent Minded Beggar' souvenir teapot

Glazed cream china teapot with gold trim. On one side is an image of a wounded soldier, after the painting titled 'A Gentleman in Kharki' by Richard Caton Woodville. One the other side is the first verse and chorus of Rudyard Kipling's poem 'The Absent Minded Beggar'. The teapot has extensive crazing both inside and outside. Some of the gold has worn away mainly around the top of the pot. There are maker's marks and the number 'B33Y1F' handwritten in gold on the bottom of the pot.

This teapot was one of the popular souvenirs which depicted the image of the wounded British soldier from Richard Caton Woodville's painting 'A Gentleman in Kharki (Khaki)'. The image was widely used during the Boer War and was often combined with the first verse and chorus of Rudyard Kipling's poem 'The Absent Minded Beggar'. The poem and painting were both created to honour the common British soldier. The poem, set to the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, was used as a rousing patriotic song to encourage public support for, and contribution to, the war effort.