London, England, late 1940s to date. Charles Stadden specialized in military miniatures targeted to the collector as display specimens.
The well-known figures of Charles Stadden (or Chas Stadden) are still produced, their sole distributor, apart from the shop, Tradition, being Peter Kemplay, in Skipton, Yorkshire. When he was with Tradition Stadden produced a wide range of figures from Ancient soldiers to those of Napoleon, an assortment from the British Army, the armies of France, German States, Imperial Germany, of foreign nations such as Japan, Poland, Turkey, and Russia, a variety of American figures, and miscellaneous female figures. His figures have always been very popular with eBay collectors attempting to make military chess sets. For a long time the Stadden figures and Rose Miniatures were the only non-military figures in the standard size.
The early figures produced by Charles Stadden have, over the past 20 years, been improved upon and superseded by a host of artists and engravers who are devoting their talents to the production of masterpieces in a small scale. The last few years have seen the growth of a number of miniature soldier companies which after reaching a peak in production and artistic achievement have then faded from the scene, mostly being overtaken by new firms and newer makers whose ability to produce even more detailed figures is evident from their constantly increasing sales.
Official website: acstadden.co.uk