Sarah Gamp character jug produced in England circa 1966. Sarah Gamp, or Mrs. Gamp as she is more commonly known, is a nurse in the novel Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens, first published as a serial in 1843-1844. Mrs. Gamp is dissolute, sloppy and generally drunk. She became a notorious stereotype of untrained and incompetent nurses of the early Victorian era, before the reforms of campaigners like Florence Nightingale. The caricature was popular with the British public. A type of umbrella became known as a gamp because Sarah Gamp always carries one, which she displays with "particular ostentation". The character was based upon a real nurse described to Dickens by his friend, Angela Burdett-Coutts. Sarah's trusty umbrella forms the handle of the jug. The English registration number 925018 on the bottom indicates this design was registered in 1966.
Maker:
unknown
England
circa 1966
Model #:
character jug
Size:
large
Height:
6 1/2"
