Part of a large collection of memorabilia, formerly in the Cannon Collection.  John Cannon collected on Gilbert & Sullivan, including anything at all to do with 'The Absent-Minded Beggar'. This was a fund-raising poem written by Rudyard Kipling which was published in 1899 to raise funds for those affected by the Second Boer War and was subsequently set to music by Arthur Sullivan.  The poem was illustrated by a painting of 'A Gentleman in Kharki' by Richard Caton Woodville Jnr. A whole raft of items were sold to raise funds.  

Caton Woodville's painting was reproduced in three dimensions and moulded in casein (an early form of plastic made from milk protein, similar to celluloid). Although not strictly a toy soldier, as these figures were mounted on a dizzying array of household artifacts, the figure of the Boer War infantryman in 1899 is often considered to be the forerunner of all the plastic toy soldiers that followed after him.  This example is 6cm tall and stands on a 7cm x 6cm by 1.4cm oval base which is itself covered with casein panels.  There appears to be a block of plaster in the base, suggesting that the figure was made as a desk paperweight. The figure appears mostly complete but may be lacking the rifle tip and possibly its strap. The helmet between his feet is there and he has "A GENTLEMAN IN KHARKI"  on a plaque in front of him. There is scratching and warping of the base panels and some splits, including one across the plinth and some chipping and staining of the underside.  

NB: The first image on many of my auction listings includes a contrasting banner, highlighting an aspect of the item and enabling my regular customers to spot my items in a list. The banner does not appear on the actual programme, as can be seen by the subsequent photos.