Description:
In the decades following the War of 1812, enterprising Staffordshire potters—including brothers John (1785-1860) and William Ridgway (1788-1864) of Shelton—experimented with the production of transfer-printed wares that featured a variety of American views. Seeking inspiration for their printed designs, John traveled to America in 1822, visiting a number of cities and towns along the country’s eastern seaboard. The visit lead to the production of the Ridgway brothers’ “Beauties of America” series, depicting an array of civic and charitable institutions printed in underglaze blue, including the Boston Almshouse displayed prominently on the side of this tureen with undertray. The Ridgway brothers’ production of the “Beauties of America” corresponded with a social reform movement in America in the early decades of the 19th century. This interest led to the construction of a variety of charitable institutions throughout the country, including almshouses. Cities also constructed schools for the deaf, “insane” asylums, and hospitals, many of which appeared on ceramics produced by Ridgway and his competitors. In fact, John Ridgway’s involvement in a number of social reform movements in England may have contributed to his decision to picture these charitable and civic institutions on pottery. In addition to documenting this important period of social reform, examples of British pottery with scenes of America’s public buildings are noteworthy for their ability to provide illustrations of America’s evolving urban landscape. Although some authors have questioned the popularity of English transfer-printed wares with American views among American buyers, the documentary and archaeological record reveal the presence of Ridgway’s “Beauties of America” series. The business papers of Boston ceramics merchant Horace Collamore record his purchase of “BP [blue printed] Dining Ware American Beauties” from John and William Ridgway in the 1820s. Sherds from the Ridgway’s “Beauties of America” were recovered in Baltimore, Maryland, with a view of “Atheneum Boston,” and near Nashville, Tennessee, at Andrew Jackson’s The Hermitage with views of “Library Philadelphia,” “Pennsylvania Hospital Philadelphia,” “City Hall New York,” and “Deaf and Dumb Asylum Hartford, Con.”
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2021.23.6 |
