Even if you are familiar with the limited-edition Cybis carousel pieces, you might not know who created almost all of them: artist Susan Clark Eaton. Sue first attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art before going on to college. She joined the studio in the late 1960s, originally as an in-house artist, but in 1971 she found that working solely on a freelance basis was a better option. All of the sculptures that she designed for Cybis were released between 1969 and 1989, except for one design which appeared in 1991.
This press photo shows Sue at the Cybis studio with one of her equine sculptures, Darby and Joan.
An impressive sculpture that she created for Cybis during the 1970s, but which the studio never produced for retail, was a Wizard of Oz grouping of five characters (Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion) on a single base. Unfortunately, the copyright situation regarding the Wizard of Oz is complicated: The book itself (by Frank L. Baum, published in 1900) entered the public domain in 1956. However, when the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland as Dorothy came out, it was copyrighted by MGM/Warner Bros. and still is. A 2011 court case brought by Warner Bros. resulted in a ruling that:
At the very least, the scope of the [1939] film’s copyright covers all visual depictions of the film characters
Because a porcelain sculpture group would indeed be a ‘visual depiction’, Cybis could not have produced a recognizable retail Wizard-of-Oz item without being in violation of MGM’s copyright. (That said, take a look at the Golden Princess that Cybis made in 1995 for their Collector’s Society; if that doesn’t closely resemble Disney’s Snow White in face, hair and clothing style, and posture, then nothing does! A Disney lawyer would have a field day with that piece.)
Limited-Edition Cybis Sculptures by Susan Clark Eaton
These are shown in chronological order by the year that Cybis introduced each piece at retail. The limited-edition Carousel pieces all average about 12″ high overall (including the wood base and the topmost part of the brass pole.)
The Carousel Horse and Carousel Goat were released simultaneously in the spring of 1973. The price list noted that these are “The first two of a collection of carousel animals.”
Spring 1974 saw the introduction of the Carousel Lion and Carousel Tiger.
Carousel Horse ‘Ticonderoga’ was a Fall 1975 introduction. It was part of a new ‘Bicentennial’ collection of eight new introductions under that theme.
The American White Buffalo was added to the Bicentennial collection in Spring 1975. This piece has a complicated origin. It was originally a bronze (source unknown) that was brought into the studio by Marylin Chorlton and adapted into a porcelain piece by Sue Eaton at Marylin’s request. However, another account reports that freelance artist Charles Oldham also worked on this piece. Three of these buffaloes in different colors were also put onto a single base; the history of that version is told in the Into the Woods post.
Poppy the Performing Pony joined the studio’s Circus collection in the autumn of 1976.
The Unicorn Colts ‘Gambol and Frolic’ was the second unicorn study (after the original 1960s Unicorn created by Lynn Klockner Brown) that Cybis released. This piece was introduced in the spring of 1977.
The temporary hiatus in the Carousel introductions was broken in Spring 1981 with Carousel Bull ‘Plutus’ and Carousel Bear ‘Bernhard’. Also new to the Cybis lineup at that time was Susan’s Desiree, the White Deer.
Carousel Pony ‘Sugarplum’ appeared in the autumn of 1981.
In the Spring of 1981, Cybis combined the Carousel and Circus pieces into a single ‘Carousel-Circus’ collection category. Carousel Giraffe ‘Sir Cuthbert’ was added to this group in the autumn of that year.
Sue Eaton used her own birds as the models for the spring 1984 introduction of the Australian Greater Sulfur-Crested Cockatoos. This was a very small edition of only 25 pieces. It is quite large: 25” high and wide on its wood base. It was made for only two years and it’s not known how many were actually produced. I would like to someday find a good photo of an actual sculpture; this is the cover of the Cybis brochure that advertised them.
1984 also was the introduction year for the Carousel Charger, and (in the autumn) the Pegasus Colts ‘Flight and Fancy.’
The Carousel Unicorn was introduced in the fall of 1985.
The Carousel Seahorse appeared in the spring of 1987.
Golden Thunder was introduced in 1989 as part of the studio’s 50th Anniversary series. His saddle blanket is decorated with the heads of the previous thirteen Carousel pieces. Additional views of this piece are in the Carousel Horses post.
Circus Horse Trio ‘Showtime’ was the final Sue Eaton limited edition to be produced by Cybis. She actually created it during the 1980s, but for some reason the studio did not introduce it until 1991. I hope to one day find a decent photo of this piece; this is actually an enlargement of the sole, tiny, thumbnail image that appeared on the Cybis studio’s website! Despite its large intended edition size (2000) I have never seen one of these for sale. The sculpture itself is about 9.75” high.
Cybis Open-Edition Sculptures by Sue Eaton
These, too, are arranged in chronological order by retail production years.
Colts ‘Darby and Joan’ (named thus by Cybis despite the fact that Joan must be a filly rather than a colt!) was an open edition in 1969 that retailed for $250 including the accompanying velvet-topped base. It was retired in 1973.
Deer Mouse ‘In Clover’ (1970-1973) was originally named Deer Mouse ‘Musha’ in Clover. He is 3.5″high.
Appaloosa Colt (1971-1975). This was originally designed to have an accompanying wood base, but the production version was changed to what is shown here. See the Horses post for a photo of the original version.
Pinto Colt (1972-1975), shown with its original accompanying velvet-topped wood base.
Lamb ‘Mandy’ (1979-1982) This was generally regarded as an unofficial companion piece to the 1977 Little Bo Peep.
Pegasus Colt ‘Free Spirit’. This autumn 1980 introduction has its own Archive post, explaining the interesting story behind the two different colorways.
Percy the Blue Ribbon Pig was put into the Carousel-Circus collection in spring 1981. He was retired prior to 1988.
Unicorn ‘Sir Bailey’ first appeared in autumn 1982. The second and third photos show the decorative variants Tender Feelings (1988) and Mistletoe (probably 1990). The Unicorns post gives the details for all of these.
Burro ‘Benjamin’ first appeared in 1983. He was also drafted into the second nativity series in 1985 as Burro, Reclining. The nativity post gives the particulars on both.
Pig ‘Plato’ and Kitten ‘Chelsea’ were both introduced in the spring of 1983. Both continued to be available into the 1990s.
Kitten ‘Chantilly’ appeared in the autumn of 1984. She was still available in the 1990s. In the first half of that decade, Cybis temporarily offered her together with Chelsea at a savings of $55 compared to buying them separately.
Elephant ‘Willoughby’ and Baby Rhino ‘Monday’ were both introduced in 1985. Willoughby was inexplicably put into the Circus collection even though he has no circus accoutrements and was created as a baby animal along with the rhino and hippo! ‘Monday’ had a 1987 variant wearing a blue bow and red heart, called ‘Love is Blind.’
Hippo ‘T.G.I.F.’ (Thank Goodness It’s Friday) appeared in 1986. He and ‘Monday’ also have their own Archive post because they share the distinction of being two of only three Cybis editions known to sometimes have their name actually written on the sculptures! T.G.I.F. also had a 1990s spinoff variant with a baseball cap and popcorn, called Baseball Fan ‘Play Ball.’ Seen in the Menagerie post, that variant was created on a whim by Cybis designer William Pae as an in-studio/just-for-fun item. Years after he left the studio, Cybis decided to bring Bill’s creation out as a retail piece.
Dapple Grey Foal (1986-1994); he is 7″ tall.
Mick the Melodious Mutt was one of the first two members of Cybis’ ‘Musical Menagerie’ series that debuted in 1986. The series continued to be available into the 1990s.
Pierre the Circus Poodle appeared in 1986. The second photo shows the variation Je’Taime, Poodle which was introduced the following year (spring 1987) as part of a new ‘Sweetheart Collection.’ When Cybis eliminated that collection a couple of years later, they moved her into Circus with the description “mate to Pierre.”
Susan Eaton Unicorns for the Princeton Gallery division of Lenox
‘Princeton Gallery’ was a figurine-branding division of Lenox. In 1983 Lenox was acquired by the Brown-Forman Corp, who later also bought Dansk and Gorham. All three companies were then combined under the single corporate name of Lenox Inc. It was during this period (1980s through the 1990s) that the Princeton Gallery brand existed.
This late-1980s Lenox press release item introduced Susan Eaton to collectors of the Princeton Gallery product line.
Some of the figures, especially the smallest ones, are stamped only with PG next to a leaf spray, rather than the full Princeton Gallery logo shown here.
Sue Eaton designed a series of 13 unicorns for Lenox/Princeton Gallery. The figures were created in Taiwan and marketed as their Unicorn Sculpture Collection, starting in 1989. The first of the series, Love’s Delight, racked up a cool $5 million in net profit for Lenox Inc.! In chronological order of retail release, they are:
1989 – Love’s Delight
This is the original print ad for Love’s Delight, which sold for $75. Notice that it does not mention either the designer (Susan Eaton) or the fact that ‘Princeton Gallery’ has any connection to Lenox.
1990 – Love’s Sweetness is 5” tall and 6.5” wide.
Buyers received this literature along with their purchase of Love’s Sweetness.
1990 – Love’s Devotion
The original print ad for Love’s Devotion.
1991 – Love’s Purity. This design is based on the legend that a touch of a unicorn’s horn will purify any liquid. The legend dates back to the 14th century, and probably even earlier.
1991 – Love’s Majesty is 10” tall, 7” wide.
1993 – Love’s Courtship, mare and stallion, sold as a pair. The mare is 9.75” high and 8” wide.
1993 – Love’s Fancy
1993 – Love’s Pride is the tallest of this series at 12”.
1994 – Love’s Magic
1994 – Love’s Messenger is 9.5” h x 9” wide.
1995 – Love’s Magician
1995 – Love’s Celebration is 10” tall x 9” wide.
In 2005, Brown-Forman sold the Lenox group to Department 56. The division filed for bankruptcy in 2008, was sold in 2009, and renamed Lenox Corporation which is its current name. That corporate umbrella encompasses Lenox, Reed & Barton, Oneida, Kate Spade, Hampton Forge, and Cambridge. The only figurines produced by the Lenox group today are Christmas-themed items.
Other Art by Susan Eaton
Susan also designed figures for Franklin Mint and The Bradford Exchange (a small rearing unicorn). Unfortunately these, like the Princeton/Lenox pieces, did not publicly credit her as the creator. Sue’s other art mediums have included wire sculptures, wood carvings, and paintings; I hope to have some photos of some of these in the future, which will be added to this part of her artist profile.
In the summer of 2023, the Museum of American Porcelain Art mounted a new exhibit titled Circuses and Carousels. The display includes and credits Susan Clark Eaton for the pieces that she designed for those Cybis collections; see this Archive post for details and photographs as well as the exhibit dates. I am happy to have contributed to the well-deserved and too-long-delayed recognition of Sue’s wonderful porcelain art!
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