CASE 38/A
Tuppenny Pennysaurus – Normandy, France 1760-65 This particular painting pre-dates Charles Burroughs but we still find the history of this curious creature in his field notes, probably because the additions of confectionery were added by Charles early on in his career. Although Charles admits no involvement in painting the original Tuppenny Pennysaurus he does describe its curious existence in an 1899 document. ‘The Tuppenny Pennysaurus is indeed a fine creature and can be found in many places around the globe but only in the green and pleasant lands of Normandy can you find one of such delicate beauty. It feeds mostly on beet, a vegetable known for its edible tap roots and pleasing sweet taste which it cultivates in large cleared areas called Beetrusses. The Pennysaurus's existence was threatened in 1801 with the opening of the first sugar beet factory in Kunern, Germany, after the discovery of a beet sugar extraction method in 1747. It was soon found that the tastiest and best beets for the creation of sugar were cultivated by this gentle creature, a creature that spent its days warming in the Normandy sun and nibbling contentedly on its fine crop of beets. Pennysaurus beets became so famous for their sugar yielding properties that vast estates were created in France to look after and protect the Pennysaurus from rival beet processing businesses and even countries. Sugar was big business and it was found that the better you looked after a Pennysaurus the larger the crop it would produce. The whole sugar industry bloomed and in 1837 France became the largest sugar beet producer in the world. To keep the Pennysaurus happy and maintain the special sugar beet crop an annual event was created called ‘Scrumptious Sunday’ on the third Sunday of June where everyone in the region would make special sugar creations or Mixties.’ Charles was documenting the unique sugar ‘Mixties’ in this painting, for what purpose we are unsure but so far we have identified twenty nine including the mysterious Milk Teeth and Sweet Peanuts. It went on display for the very first time in 1840 and we believe it was a direct influence in the creation of George Basset & Co. or Basset’s as the confectionery company is affectionately known.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker