Charles Cartlidge & Co.
Paperweight

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Paperweight
Datec. 1848–1854
Made inNew York, New York, United States
MediumSoft-paste porcelain with gilding
Dimensions3 1/4 × 3 7/8 × 2 5/8 in. (8.3 × 9.8 × 6.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Alfredo and Celina Hellmund Brener at "One Great Night in November, 1998," by exchange
Object numberB.2009.4
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Belter Parlor
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

This paperweight, in the form of a spread winged eagle with a stars and stripes ornamented shield on his chest, is an important and rare example of porcelain produced in America in the mid-1800s. In 1850, Charles Cartlidge opened a factory to produce porcelain at Greenpoint, now part of Brooklyn, New York. The factory is best known for making porcelain portrait busts, plaques, and pitchers. However a list made by Cartlidge, which notes the various objects produced in his factory, includes “paperweights in the forms of eagles and spaniels.” A paperweight closely related to this example, given to the writer Washington Irving in 1853, is documented as the product of Cartlidge’s factory. That same year, he won a prize at the New York Crystal Palace exhibition for the high quality of his work.




Provenance[The Stradlings, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 2009.
Exhibition History"Tucker China," Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1957, catalogue 129.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed on front of base: G. F.
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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