Pitcher

Details

Descriptive Terms

pitchers (vessels)
earthenware
glazing (coating)
painting (coating)
transfer printing
Vessel, Drink Serving
Pitcher
Pitcher

Label

"Cherished Possessions": By the middle of the nineteenth century Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American celebrity, whose poems Hiawatha and Evangeline, among others, had resulted in universal acclaim. When Longfellow's poem Keramos was published in 1877, Richard Briggs, who claimed that his Boston, Massachusetts, china store was the nation's oldest, saw an opportunity to profit from the poet's popularity. Briggs traveled to England and commissioned the Wedgwood Company to make a pitcher commemorating Longfellow's work.

Inscription

On bottom: Impressed: ""WEDGWOOD T"" [and illeg. marks] Printed: ""Manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Etruria/ For/ Richard Briggs/ Boston/ Registered in Great Britain/ and France/ Also in the/ United States.""

Associated Person

Briggs, Richard
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882

Maker

Rhead, George Wolliscroft, 1855-1920 (Artist)
Wedgwood & Co. (Maker)

Dimensions

7 (H) (inches)

Credit Line

Gift of Capt. Lester S. Couch

Accession Number

1923.392

Places

County of Staffordshire (England, United Kingdom) [county]