New online exhibit features American Staffordshire pottery
- Blue and white transferware bowl and pitcher set with an image of the Boston State House, made by Staffordshire potter John Rogers, circa 1815-1830.
The new online exhibition Patriotic America showcases a specific type of pottery popularized in the early nineteenth century.
- This detail of the image on the pitcher shows the cows that were allowed to graze on the Boston Common until they were banned in 1830.
Responding to the wave of patriotism surrounding the birth of the United States, British potters decorated ceramic objects with dark blue prints that celebrated American landmarks and themes. The resulting wares presented an illustrated guide to the young republic's great cities, buildings, and scenic views.
Staffordshire potter John Rogers produced at least thirty-two different forms with the popular view pictured here. Other potters in the area such as Stubbs, Stevenson, and Enoch Wood also produced a Boston State House pattern very similar to Rogers'.
Historic New England partnered with the Transferware Collectors Club and Winterthur Museum on this project. Explore the exhibition.
