Fums Up

The silver Fums Up charm (a play on ‘thumbs up’), was a popular motif in Britain during the First World War and also appeared on souvenir china and postcards.

When the individual dolls were purchased they came with a poem describing the luck the dolls would bring:

‘Behold in me the birth of luck, two charms combined Touchwood -and Fums Up. My head is made of wood most rare, my thumbs turn up to touch me there. To speed my feet they’ve Cupid’s wings; they’ll help true love ‘mongst other things. Proverbial is my power to bring good luck to you in everything. I’ll bring good luck to all away. Just send me to a friend to-day’.

The charm is in the form of a small person or baby, usually with a wooden head(because of the luck associated with touching wood) and a metal body. The tiny glass eyes are often missing on Fums Up that are found 

Justin Gare, Senior Objects Conservator at Artlab, is a keen collector of historical items. He discovered this Fums Up charm and bought the unique little item in a for an inspection and clean in the Objects section at Artlab Australia.

Justin Gare
Owner of Fums Up

Images:
Artlab Conservator: Sophie Parker, Objects Conservator
1. Ethanol is used to remove grease and dirt residue that has built up around the crevices of the Fums Up figure from a hundred years of wearing. Ethanol buffing gently restores the silver shine.
2. With the help of the stereo microscope, conservation silver polish was used to remove old polish residue from the recesses of the tiny figure. No polish is applied to the wooden head.