Dinner Plate

Public Domain

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CultureEnglish

Titles

Dinner Plate

Datec. 1825–1835

Made inEngland

Place depictedNew York, United States

MediumLead-glazed earthenware with transfer print

Dimensions10 1/4 in. diameter (26 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg

Object numberB.63.63

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 plate commemorates the Erie Canal and praises New York governor De Witt Clinton for his role in the project. Completed in 1825, the canal connected Lake Erie at Buffalo, New York, with the Hudson River at Albany, New York, opening the Great Lakes region to trade with New York City and beyond. Canal construction surged in the United States during the 1820s and 1830s, but railroads superseded water transportation after the middle of the 1800s.
Provenance[Richard H. and Virginia A. Wood, Baltimore]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1963; given to MFAH, by 1966.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Printed on front: THE / GRAND ERIE CANAL / A SPLENDID MONUMENT OF THE / ENTERPRISE & RESOURCES / OF THE STATE OF / NEW YORK. / INDEBTED FOR ITS' EARLY COMMENCE- / MENT & RAPID COMPLETION TO THE / ACTIVE ENERGIES PREEMINENT / TALENTS & ENLIGHTED POLICY / OF / DE WITT CLINTON. / GOVERNOR OF / THE STATE.

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Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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