By the mid-nineteenth century, the washbasin and pitcher were essential hygiene items and virtually every American household contained at least one set. These sets were among the most popular forms produced at the Fenton pottery. Indeed, a basin and pitcher were two of the items chosen by the firm for the 1853 Crystal Palace Exhibition.  A variety of patterns and glazes were offered; the broad surfaces of these large pieces provided an excellent opportunity for the display of the multicolored Rockingham glazes.

Related examples: Barret 1958, following p. 108, color plate B, and p. 118, pl. 167; Perry 1989, p. 49, no. 45.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.