Presentation Pitcher Commemorating the War of 1812
Enoch Wood & Sons, Burslem, England
Date:
1818-1825
Maker:
Enoch Wood & Sons, Burslem, England
Dimensions:
19 H x 17 1/2 D
Materials:
Transfer-printed earthenware; hand-painted enamel decoration.
Marks:
Printed inscription of each image: Horace Jones, Troy; MacDonough's Victory on Lake Champlain; Constitution's Escape from British Squadron; Perry's Victory; Chesapeake; Shannon; We have met the ememy and they are ours.
Credit:
Gift of Ellis H. Robinson
Accession Number:
1971.15
Comments:
This pitcher, one of the largest pieces of American historical earthenware known, is said to have been used at a reception given by the city of Troy, NY, for General Marquis de Lafayette in 1824. It is decorated all over with transfer-printed scenes, derived from various print sources, of the War of 1812. When this pitcher was produced in England, Staffordshire potters were capitalizing on American nationalistic fervor by manufacturing wares with American views and patriotic motifs, despite the fact that the British had just lost the War of 1812 that is commemorated here.
