Ralph & James Clews
Coffeepot

Public Domain

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Maker Ralph & James ClewsEnglish, 1814–1834

Afterafter Samuel MaverickAmerican, 1789–1845

CultureEnglish

Titles

Coffeepot

Datec. 1825–1834

Place depictedNew York , New York, United States

Made inCobridge, England

MediumLead-glazed earthenware with transfer print

Dimensions11 × 5 1/16 × 21 1/2 in. (27.9 × 12.9 × 54.6 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg

Object numberB.58.19.A,.B

Current Location

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Glazed Porch

On view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

CERAMICS

DescriptionAfter the end of the War of 1812, English potters were eager to resume trade with the United States, producing wares that celebrated American heroes and victories. In the 1820s, pottery printed in blue with a range of American scenic and architectural views, as well as historical events and images of political and military figures became popular. Most of the images were copied from contemporary prints. A century later, American collectors, like Bayou Bend’s Miss Ima Hogg, eagerly sought the same pottery. This coffeepot commemorates the 1824 return to the United States of the Marquis de Lafayette, a great hero of the American Revolution, for a grand tour in celebration of the country’s upcoming 50th anniversary.
The image shows General Lafayette’s arrival at Castle Garden in New York in 1824 aboard the steamship Chancellor Livingston. The source of the view is a copperplate print drawn and engraved by Samuel Maverick.

Provenance[Samuel H. Laidacker (1904–1994), Bristol, Pennsylvania]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1958; given to MFAH, by 1966.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Printed on bottom: LANDING / OF / GEN LAFAYETTE / At Castle Garden / NEW YORK / 16th August 1824

[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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