The other items of Doulton art ware among the 70 pieces exhibited in 1870 at the International Exhibition at South Kensington were by Doulton’s first female artist, Hannah Barlow. Hannah had already been working at Doulton for two years in the lead up to this exhibition and was soon joined by more young ladies who were allocated a small room in the factory that was then designated ‘The Art Department’. Hannah was joined at the factory by her siblings – Arthur, Florence and Lucy – although Hannah will forever be remembered for her ‘animal farm’ that she created over her many decades of service to Doulton.
In the Doulton archive there are volumes of her studies of animals in their natural habitats and this love of nature provided enough inspiration for her 30 year career at Doulton. At home she had her own menagerie of pets including the typical household favorites of cats and dogs, but also including a goose, a black mountain sheep and a fox.