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Pot Lids

Pot Lids are small glazed transfer-printed earthenware containers, consisting of a base and lid, which were made from the 1840s through the early 20th century (some forms of pot lids may date from the second half of the 18th century). They contained many products, such as ointments, tooth paste, cold cream, shaving products food pastes, hair pommade, etc. What do they have to do with transferware? The manufacture or retail supplier name and product, often with an image, are transfer-printed on the lids.

Pot lids were produced by the millions, by some of the same UK makers who produced the transferware you see elsewhere on this site, but few remain, as they were generally discarded after use. Pot lids are both mono and poly-chromatic (including so-called Prattware lids). We plan to do much more with pot lids on this web site in the future.

Three Pot Lids

More Pot Lids

Examples of American-themed pot lids, generously provided by Greg Dean of Dean Antiques, http://www.deantiques.com/PLG/index.htm, are attached.

More Information

Philadelphia Excavations Revisited

Photo with woman working on transferware You may have read of the National Park Service archeological excavations in Philadelphia (examples of recovered shards are shown in "Transferware Serendipity", Summer/Fall 2007 TCC Bulletin), and the considerable number of shards unearthed within the city block which is now occupied by the National Constitution Center. A year after initially viewing some of the shards, TCC members Sue and Frank Wagstaff revisited the Independence Living History Center Archeology Lab, to check on progress in identifying the finds. The attached views show several transferware (and other pottery) being pieced together, and the use of printouts from the TCC Database to identify patterns and assist the volunteers in their work. Another example of the benefits of the Database

Status of Spode Factory Sale and Collections at Stoke-on-Trent: Friends of the Spode Museum have a Website with up-to-date information on the status of the museum. Contributions can be made through PayPal. www.spodefriends.org.uk | December 2007 Status | Details | Spode Press Release | Message for Transferware Collectors | December 2006 Newsletter

Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition, Colonial Philadelphia Porcelain: the Art of Bonnin and Morris, an exhibit of rare American-made underglaze blue porcelain closed June 1, 2008. Read more about this exhibition

The San Francisco Ceramics Circle has prepared a list of Museums with Major Collections of Ceramics, available at the following link: http://www.patricianantiques.com/sfccmuseumlist.html. Transferware is included in many of the entries.

Four Classics on the Internet
Classic pottery books from the turn of the (last) century featuring transferware are available (some for free) on the Net. Each is a must for serious collectors. All are occasionally available in the original edition; each has been subsequently reprinted. However, three of the four are available for free as PDF downloads.

China Collecting in America (1892, Alice Morse Earle); 12.1 MB PDF download from Google Books http://books.google.com/

The Old China Book (1903, N. Hudson Moore); 46 MB PDF download from Internet Archive Universal Library http://www.archive.org/details/oldchinabook013639mbp. Reviewed in the Autumn 2003 TCC Bulletin.

The Blue China Book (1916, Ada Walker Camehl) http://books.google.com/books (apparently still under copyright; need to purchase).

Anglo American Pottery, Old English China with American Views (1901, Edwin Atlee Barber); 4.5 MB PDF download from Google Books http://books.google.com/books

—submitted by David Hoexter

Recent article on Transferware: Journalist/writer Caroline Tiger, who attended our 2006 Philadelphia meeting, has published her article on Transferware. See also her 8/6/07 message board posting

The 2007 Eastfield Village Symposium "British Ceramics: The Development of Technical Genius in the British Ceramic Industry -- 1650-1850" (June 22--24, 2007) has run its course. Click here for a description of the symposium (as it was planned). We are hopeful one of the attendees will provide us with a summary and highlights of the event!

This ironstone china vegetable dish, made by E. F. Bodley and Company, of Burslem, Staffordshire, England, bears the motto of the CSS Alabama, "AIDE TOI ET DIEU T'AIDERA" (loosely translated: "God helps those who help themselves"). --submitted by TCC Member Jane Diemer, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution web site.

"Northern Ceramics Summer School" by Connie Rogers. The annual Northern Ceramics Society (NCS) Summer School ran from August 8 to 13 at the University of Chester in the U.K. The theme of the conference was "Looking at the Evidence". Various lectures .... more info

Late-18th century pearlware jug, probably Swansea, barrel shape with out-turned foot and simple strap handle, printed in blue. Large floral sprays on either side of a verse "Sit down & spend a Social hour / In harmless mirth & fun / Let Friendship reign be just & Kind / And evil speak of none", all beneath a geometric border and with a different geometric border around the inside of the rim. Height 17.6 cm, unmarked, circa 1790-1800. Sold at auction February 2005 for 1300 GBP plus buyer's premium (estimate was 500!).
--submitted by Dick Henry wood
Enlarged View

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