What were Mermaids and Seacreatures made of in the 40's/50's?
The media used when creating nautical creatures back in the 40s/50s was primarily ceramic or chalkware.  Most of the time the ceramic pieces had fired on glaze but there were some that were cold painted - and then some used a combination where most of the piece had fired on glaze and the details were cold painted.  Others were created in a chalkware which is a type of plaster.  In the 40's/50's they used a real dense plaster and that is why the Mermaids and Seacreatures made you often see a lot of paint wear and chips on the old plaster pieces because they did not have a protective top coat.... the paint was sprayed on and that was it.  If they had of used a protective top coat, we would see a lot more of these chalkware pieces in better shape today.

Will Chalkware pieces withstand moisture/humidity in a bathroom?
I get asked that question often and at first I think it is a silly question because Miller Studio was one of the biggest sellers of nautical creatures for the bath and all their items were made out of chalkware - we still see them in bathrooms today and none have molded.  But then I realize that there are so many different grades of plaster today, and so many artists making things out of plaster and selling them that my answer would be "it depends!"  There are over 10 grades of plaster.  Some, like Plaster of Paris, produce a very fragile piece that breaks easily and could mold if not sealed properly.  Other plasters are a gypsum cement that are real durable and retard moisture like ceramic.  Plaster of Paris will produce a very light piece because it is not a dense plaster - Hydrocal is a gypsum cement and will produce a heavier piece because it is a real dense plaster.  But what about all the embellishments that are sometimes put on the mermaids... rhinestones in metal and the like, won't they rust in a bathroom.  Again, it depends!  If the artist buys a special sealer and seals the ENTIRE piece with the final sealer, everything on the piece is protected and will not mold or rust. All my custom art is sealed with a final sealer to protect from moisture and rust, and all my chalkware pieces are created out of Hydrocal, a gypsum cement, to retard moisture.  You will have no problems at all hanging any of my art pieces in your bath. 

Don't be so fast to "poo poo" items made in Chalkware
Chalkware has gotten a bad rap lately because a lot of artists try to cut corners and just pick up a bag of Plaster of Paris from Home Depot to make chalkware pieces.  Plaster of Paris was not used back in the 40's and 50's, they used more a gypsum cement. If an artist uses gypsum cement, you don't have the fragility like plaster of paris - the piece is dense/heavy and has a riing tone more like ceramic.  If the artist 1) uses professional molding compounds, 2) molds from the original, 3) uses a gypsum cement rather than plaster, 4) uses professional paints, 5) purchases quality embellishments, and 6) uses a high-grade sealer.... a chalkware piece will look just as good on the wall as the vintage ceramic pieces, and last you for as many years as the ceramic piece!

Tips on hanging Nautical Creatures
Years ago when someone did a touchie-feelie to one of my $250 vintage mermaids and it came tumbling down off the wall... I decided to ensure my gals were secured on the wall so none would take a swan dive again. I use mounting tape in addition to a nail. I always place my piece first on the wall with a nail that has a small head. After I am sure I want it there, I use double sided mounting tape and put a very small piece on the back of the mermaid at the top. You never want to put the tape in the middle and push a mermaid as you can snap it in two. You want to look at the back of the piece as it is hanging from the nail and see where the first place is down from the nail that the back touches the wall, place the piece of mounting tape there (it only take a very little piece). Place the mermaid back on the wall on the nail and the tape should bond to the wall withOUT pushing on the mermaid. If the tape isn't thick enough to hit the wall, add another piece on top of it. But never push on the piece as these fragile pieces were not meant to be pushed on the weak places. The weak places are the neck, waist, arms and tailfins.... which leaves the head as the strongest part of the mermaid. Be aware that if you do want to take the mermaid down with that piece of mounting tape on it, there is a technique to do that... you don't just pull it off. Take a sharp, thin knife and more or less "cut" the mounting tape off by easing the knife behind the mermaid where the mounting tape is attached to the wall and kind of cut the tape off from the wall. The mounting tape will most likely take the paint off the wall when it comes off so that's why you want to make sure you have the mermaid placed where you want it when you use it.... or have touch up paint. I don't think I have to mention that the mounting tape is not a good idea on wallpaper unless you are definitely sure you want the mermaid in that place forever. On wallpaper, you may want to use a tacking putty instead. You can find that in the same place you find the mounting tape. I buy both the mounting tape and tacky putty at the Container store but I'm sure they sell it other places such as office supply stores and hobby stores. I bought some mounting tape once from Home Depot and it wasn't that good - hard to get off the roll and didn't attach well. I use Scotch mounting tape - it comes in a roll and also foam mounting squares.

Isn't it a copyright infringement to make a mold of another manufacturer's piece?
Although I don't get asked this question often, I thought this should be addressed since almost all my custom work is made from molds that I made from my original piece.  There were very few vintage ceramic molds made of mermaids, and the manufacturers did not sell the mold once they stopped producing the piece.  Copyright laws were put in place primarily to protect the profit made on an item.  So if one copied an item Enesco was currently selling.... you betcha, Ensco would come after you for copyright infringement.... you are hurting their profit by copying an item they are currently selling.  But once a company no longer sells the item, they are not concerned about the copyright.  They no longer make money on it and it is resold by anyone that purchased the piece.  Plus most of these companies are no longer in business.