Sharing from the California Horse History Project: Royal Worcester Horse Figurines by Doris Lindner, inspired by American Horses

 

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Doris Lindner and the American Horses

Doris Lindner (1896-1979), in the August 27, 1977 Birmingham (UK)
Evening Mail newspaper. 

Since my horse history research sometimes (okay, often) overlaps into the world of model horse figurines, I thought I would share some photos of the real American horses that inspired the work of the incomparable English sculptress Doris Lindner (1896-1979). One of the horses lived in California!

First, for context, some information on the artist herself. This comes from the Museum of Royal Worcester website:

Doris Lindner was born in Llanyre in Radnorshire, South Wales in 1896. She studied sculpture at St Martin’s School of Art in London, the British Academy in Rome and at Calderon’s Animal School in London. Both her Abstract Sculpture and her Art Deco models were exhibited in Heals store in London in the 1920s, where Joseph Gimson, Managing Director of Royal Worcester, saw them.

The Company were taking on many freelance modellers and Mr. Gimson asked Miss Lindner to do some trial models. In 1931, an exhibition was held at the Beaux Arts Gallery in London, to advertise the new lines being introduced by Royal Worcester. This included some of Frederick Gertner’s historical figures and the work of several female freelance modellers, such as Gwendoline Parnell, Stella Crofts, Freda Doughty, Ethelwyn Baker and Doris Lindner.

Doris Lindner’s first models for Royal Worcester were of dogs, other small animals and Art Deco figure studies, followed by a series of zoo babies. In 1935 she started a number of horse group models that proved very successful including ‘At the Meet’ and ‘Huntsman and Hounds’, which were made over a number of years. 

South Wales Evening Post, February 1, 1949

In 1948, Doris Lindner modelled Princess Elizabeth on Tommy, which was issued as the  very first equestrian Limited Edition, establishing her reputation. The plaster maquette (or model) was commissioned for the Coronation in 1953 by Selfridges of London, who erected the full size model over their main door during the celebrations. During the next decade, she modelled many animals and figures for general production, including some birds and animal studies.

In the 1960s, Doris Lindner modelled a fantastic series of horses, equestrian studies and bulls, all studied from life. She travelled widely to gather information about her subjects. She consulted breeding societies and journeyed to America to study champion cattle in Texas. 

Miss Lindner worked in plasticine; she cut her models into sections before bringing them to the factory and always asked for her materials back in order to re-use them. The Limited Editions designed and modelled by Miss Lindner reached the height of popularity in the 1960s and she worked untiringly until she was over 80 years old. Doris Lindner died in 1979.

Here are the American horses sculpted by Doris Lindner in the 1960s through early 1970s.

RW3733 American Quarter Horse "Poco Stampede," 1962, Limited Edition of 500

Lindner went to Texas in 1961 to design a bull, as well as a Quarter Horse. Lindner's sculpture of the King Ranch's Santa Gertrudis bull "Prince" was unveiled at Neiman-Marcus in Dallas, Texas on October 11, 1961. 

The Royal Worcester Museum's website has a photograph of Lindner at work:

Source: 
https://www.museumofroyalworcester.org/discover-learn/archive/doris-linder-modelling/

The September 11, 1961 edition of the Greensboro, North Carolina News and Record newspaper gave details:

"Miss Lindner... is 64 years old, fearless with animals and likes to drive fast cars," the story recounted. "She took her air pilot's certificate in 1938." 

A couple of years later, in 1963, Lindner's portrait model of Poco Stampede was released by Neiman-Marcus. His owner, Mrs. G. F. Rhodes of Abilene, received the first one in the limited edition of 500. 

Fort Worth, Texas Star-Telegram, February 2, 1963.

Here are some newspaper clippings of the real Poco Stampede. 

Poco Stampede, in the July 5, 1955 edition of the Abilene, Texas Reporter-News

Poco Stampede, in the Abilene, Texas Reporter-Journal, August 27, 1961

After the presentation of the first portrait model, the Abilene Reporter newspaper ran this article and photograph:

The paper also ran a summary of the story in 1981.

Abilene, Texas Reporter-News, May 22, 1981

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SIDEBAR: Model horse collectors might be interested to know that Poco Stampede was the half-brother of the Quarter Horse stallion Poco Deuce, who inspired Maureen Love's design for the California pottery Hagen-Renaker, Inc.'s Designers Workshop Quarter Horse stallion "Two Bits." The two stallions were sired by the legendary, prolific Poco Bueno; they also shared a common granddam, identified in their pedigrees as "Waggoner Mare."

Hagen-Renaker "Two Bits" Quarter Horse stallion, first issued in 1959. He was inspired by the real Quarter Horse stallion Poco Deuce, by Poco Bueno. Here's wordplay on a couple of levels; "two bits" was slang for a quarter of a dollar, and "deuce" is slang for "two."

Poco Deuce, by Poco Bueno, foaled in 1950.

(End sidebar.)

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RW3869 Appaloosa "Imboden's Driftwood Bob," 1968, Limited Edition of 750

Royal Worcester Appaloosa, courtesy of Kirsten Wellman.

The Royal Worcester Appaloosa is a portrait model of the Appaloosa stallion Imboden's Driftwood Bob, foaled in 1960, owned by Elvin Lippke of Merrill, Iowa. 

The October 27, 1968 edition of the Sioux City, Iowa Journal shed some light on Lindner's process. Royal Worcester had contacted the Lippkes to ask permission for a figurine to be made of their Appaloosa stallion, Imboden's Driftwood Bob. Once permission had been granted, Lindner received photographs of the horse from which she created a plasticine model. She brought the model with her when she visited the Lippke's farm to meet the real horse and put the finishing touches on the piece. 

https://appaloosaterritory.com/Articles/tentative8301.html

RW3880 American Saddle Horse, 1971. Limited Edition of 500

A whiteware example of the Royal Worcester American Saddle Horse,
courtesy of Kirsten Wellman. 

I have not been able to find information about the origins of this figurine, or whether it was inspired by a real horse. No real horse name is listed for it in the reference books, and there are no newspaper articles detailing its story. But since he's an American Saddle Horse (Saddlebred), and came out the same year as the next horse, here are a couple of photos. 

RW3882 Palomino "Yellow Straw, 1971, Limited Edition of 750

Lindner's graceful Palomino was inspired by the Palomino stallion Yellow Straw, owned by Willard and Dorothy Beanland of Hidden Hills, in the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles County, California.  The figurine was only available in the US. 

The only Palomino by that name I've been able to find a pedigree for (so far), is a Quarter Horse that doesn't have any ownership information available online. 

Yellow Straw, owned by Willard and Dorothy Beanland of Hidden Hills, California. Source: Internet Archive, The Complete Encyclopedia of Horses by M. Eugene Ensminger.

Willard Beanland was well-known as one of the founders of the Palomino Horse Association, along with Jim Fagan and Dick Halliday. Several of their best-known Palominos were registered American Saddlebreds. The Beanlands were famous for riding the Palominos with ornate silver-mounted tack in more than 30 Tournament of Roses Parades, as well as in other parades and horse shows in Southern California. 

Dorothy Beanland aboard Mare O'Gold and Willard Beanland on Harvest Sun,
in the July 15, 1946 edition of the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News.

It isn't difficult to imagine Doris Lindner creating her design for the Royal Worcester Palomino with a parade horse in mind! 

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Here's a link to my previous blog post about Saltmarsh Silvercrest, the Percheron stallion from England that inspired another design by Doris Lindner: 

https://modelhorsehistory.blogspot.com/2022/10/royal-worcester-percheron-saltmarsh.html

Kirsten Wellman, who kindly loaned photos for this post, has an excellent blog: https://modelhorsecollectibility.blogspot.com/

Origin Story: Hagen-Renaker "Nancy" and "Tony"

When I write about the model horse hobby, I want to help collectors have a better understanding of how the model horses we all enjoy are sometimes directly connected to real horses known to the designer of the model horse figurines. 

Such is the case with two of the earliest Hagen-Renaker horse figurines, the B-626 mare that the HR factory called "Nancy" and her newborn foal, the B-627 "Tony." They were designed by Maureen Love, and issued in Fall 1955 to Spring 1957, Spring 1958, 1964, and 1965. They came in matte grey with darker shading. 

Some collectors have identified "Nancy" and "Tony" as Thoroughbreds or horses of unknown breed, but the Hagen-Renaker factory's handwritten Mold Book identifies them as Morgans. 

I believe they are Morgans, because Monrovia/Duarte, California horse rancher Merle Little's older daughter, Marlene, told me that her own Hagen-Renaker "Nancy" model was based on her father's Morgan mare, Betty Joaquin. I can place Maureen at Merle's El Rancho Poco in Monrovia, California -- the home of Hagen-Renaker at the time, too -- in 1953, when Merle's children still lived at home. They remember seeing Maureen in the pasture with her art supplies.

Merle kept many photographs of Betty Joaquin. When Marlene passed away, she left her father's "horse stuff" to me.

Betty Joaquin and her person, Merle Little

This first-person testimony, and the notation in the Mold Book that "Nancy" and "Tony" were Morgans, is borne out by photographs of Betty Joaquin and her 1953 foal. Marlene said that she called him "Tuffy Morgan," but her father called him by another name (she didn't say what).

Merle Little owned two Hagen-Renaker "Nancy" models, and one "Tony." The two mares show some of the variations in Hagen-Renaker's decorating styles.

They also show how good Maureen was at capturing the body language of a mare with a very young foal at her side.

Betty Joaquin had several registered Morgan offspring, and there are photographs of at least two of them as foal from Merle Little's estate. (More on them in a separate blog post.) But I believe the foal known as Tuffy Morgan probably inspired the H-R "Tony."

Look at Tuffy Morgan's head...

..and compare it to that of the Hagen-Renaker "Tony."

There's other evidence. Back in 2013, many of Maureen Love's original sketches of horses were sold by her heirs on eBay. Ed Alcorn archived the eBay photos on his Hagen-Renaker Online Museum website. At least one of them appears to show Betty Joaquin and a foal.

This photograph, from Merle Little's estate, shows Betty Joaquin's long forelock, mane, and tail.

I believe that it's at least plausible that Betty Joaquin and her foal known as "Tuffy Morgan" inspired the Hagen-Renaker "Nancy" and "Tony" Morgans. 

The sad part of this story is that there's no record of Tuffy Morgan, or any 1953 foal out of Betty Joaquin ever being registered. It's possible that he didn't survive; it's possible he was half-bred and sold without being registered. 

At least we have Maureen Love's record of him, in the form of the Hagen-Renaker "Tony" newborn foal.

Certain images in this post are provided under the Fair Use provision in Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act. "Fair Use" specifically allows for the use of copyrighted materials for educational purposes only.

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You can see the Hagen-Renaker Mold Book on Hagen-Renaker historian Nancy Kelly's website: 

https://ketain.com/hagen-renaker-mold-book/

You can see Betty Joaquin's pedigree here:

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/index.php?query_type=horse&h=BETTY+JOAQUIN&g=5&cellpadding=0&small_font=1&l=

All Breed Pedigree, above, says she was a silver dapple, but her registration papers say she was dun. 

And this ad in Western Livestock Journal, from 1943, shows that her previous owner described her as "chocolate brown, with a white mane and tail."

Why is This Model Horse Smiling?

This Mortens Studio Pinto was owned, for much of its life, by an Illinois horse lover whose first initial was F.  She collected model horses for much of her life. Many of the horses F. owned pre-date what we consider the "organized" model horse hobby, which began to take shape in the late 1960s. 

This fellow dates to at least the mid-1940s, if not earlier.

When F. passed away about 40 years ago, the Pinto and her other model horses went to her family, and over the weekend they were kind enough to sell me her collection.

The Pinto looks happy. And he should be, because a) he was loved; and b) he's a survivor. It is difficult to find a Mortens Studio animal, with its heavy metal frame under a ceramic and plaster body that has been painted and glazed, in such great condition. In short -- the finish cracks and chips very easily. 

Mortens Studio horses are not in great demand by 21st century collectors, but they do have their fans, who are charmed by their personalities and their history.

F. put tiny stickers on many of her horse figurines, and wrote down who had given them to her. She noted that horse was given to her by one of her children, and that it was "one of my favorites." This horse was dearly loved and cherished, and now he seems happy to be here.

We see the Mortens Studio Pinto horse in Sears Christmas ads in the Upper Midwest and the South, dating from 1945. World War II was over, the soldiers were home or nearly home, and it was time to decorate the house with something meaningful. The Pinto and another horse are identified as "Western Style" and "English Style," perhaps referring to the colors.

You can see that his spot pattern is similar to the horse in the ad. Variations are common in hand-painted figurines.

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A bit of background on Mortens Studio:

It's common to see such horse figurines referred to as being by "Morten Studio" or "Morten's Studio," but the correct spelling of their creator's last name is Mortens, with an S at the end.

Oscar Wilhelm Mortenson (1878-1962) only created animal figurines for a few decades, and not much is known about his company. Born in Skahult, Sweden, Mortens studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm and the Berlin Academy of Art. He came to the US in 1923.

Source: US Federal Naturalization Records, via Ancestry.com

We see him living in Illinois and taking part in art exhibitions in the early 1930s, and applying for US citizenship in 1935. He had his name legally changed to Oscar Mortens in 1940. Newspaper articles call him a "well-known Chicago sculptor."

DeKalb, IL Daily Chronicle, 1 December 1932

Some accounts say that Mortens started his ceramics business in 1931. The first newspaper ads I see for Mortens Studio horses are from 1943. By the mid-1950s, Mortens was selling not only horse figurines but also horse head plaques. They were marketed as ornaments and paperweights. Like other horse figurines of that era, the prospective buyer was seen as a man, rather than a woman or child. These Mortens Studio horse plaques were "for Dad's den or office." 

Many hobbyists believe that most Mortens Studio dogs, cats, and livestock are more realistic than the company's horse figurines.

Mortens Studio English Setter puppies.
Each bears a sticker that says, "I am an English Setter."

Mortens Studio Persian cat.

Decatur, IL Herald and Review,
11 December 1955

Mortens Studio cow, as seen at an antique mall.

In 1942, Oscar Mortens and his wife, psychiatrist Dr. Selma Colbe Mortens, bought property near Santa Cruz, California. In 1947, the couple moved to Phoenix, Arizona for his health. The 19 October 1952 Arizona Republic ran the following article on them. Mortens told the Republic that he wanted to mass-produce ceramics because commissions for sculptures were few and far between. Mortens started out creating plaques of famous Hollywood celebrities, but the only one that sold well was of humorist Will Rogers; the University of Oklahoma bought them for its students.

Mortens said, "Then I tried animals, horses first, then dogs and other animals. They caught on immediately. Now we have a factory in Chicago, and I spend a great deal of time back there." 

Oscar Mortens died in Phoenix in September 1962, and is buried in Chicago.

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Here's a link summarizing Mortens' career, with photos of some of his work: 

https://www.oscarmortens.com/