Statuette of Florence Nightingale helping a wounded soldier, 1856 (c)

Parian ware (biscuit porcelain), designed by Theodore Phyffers, manufactured by Copeland, 1856 (c).

The contemporary fame of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was reflected in the production of merchandise commemorating her achievements.

Until the development of the medium of biscuit porcelain and then Parian ware in the nineteenth century, sculpted portraits, usually carved from marble, had been the exclusive preserve of the rich. Parian ware was superior to biscuit porcelain, being finer and visually more pleasing as well as cheaper than its crude forerunner.