During the 1820s and 1830s, imported wares dominated the market in the United States for fine ceramics: English, French, and Chinese goods were prominent. In this climate, William Ellis Tucker of Philadelphia in 1826 began a firm to manufacture porcelain. With the help of outside investors, he succeeded in making fine quality tablewares and decorative pieces, with most designs influenced by contemporary French wares. Unfortunately, it was a costly and demanding business, and financial struggles continued. A nationwide financial panic in 1837 contributed to the company’s demise in 1838.

These two pitchers, in Tucker’s popular “vase” shape, feature three fanciful riverside landscape scenes, each framed by bands of gilding and surrounded by flowers and gilt foliage. When turned with their spouts facing away from one another, the same scene is visible on each pitcher.