ENDANGERED ANIMALS AND TRANSFERWARE

I have already written about the threats to many of the animals on our planet.  It would appear that transferware has nothing to do with endangered animals, but there are connections.  Benjamin Franklin said "A Dead Bee Maketh No Honey."  You can read about this in my post Bees And Transferware.  In light of the present state of the honeybee, his words were prophetic (although I realize he was addressing negligence or lack of industriousness). 

J. & G. Meakin (1851-2004)  7.38 inch child's plate "A Dead Bee Maketh No Honey"

Did you know that the Eurasian beaver is making a comeback?  Did you even know that it was hunted to the brink of extinction? Read about it in my post Beavers On Transferware.

Enoch Wood & Sons (1818-1846) wash bowl with the Sporting Series Beaver pattern, ca. 1825

Another endangered animal is the pangolin; the world's only scaly mammal.  I learned about the pangolin and its plight when I was given a pattern to add to the Transferware Collectors Club Pattern And Source Print Database (I'm one of the editors).  The pangolin is a great delicacy with imagined magical powers, so it has been hunted to near extinction.  You can read about this in my post titled Pangolin.

Saucer, 4.25 inches, printed in black with a pangolin, ca. 1820

The native red squirrel is endangered in Britain by the American (aka Eastern) grey squirrel.  An unusual looking squirrel on a "Flora Pattern" plate alerted me to yet another threatened animal.  You can read the story in Flora Pattern And Squirrels.

"Flora Pattern" 10 inch plate with squirrel, ca. 1820

My last animal is a bit of a reach.  I have convinced myself that the animal in the "Visit to the Zebra" pattern seen below is really a quagga.  I mainly wanted to share with you the story of this extinct animal and its remarkable quasi comeback.  Read  Visit To The Quagga to learn more.

Child's plate, "Visit To The Zebra" ca. 1840

Photo of a quagga in the London Zoo, ca. 1870

 I realize this blog is merely a bagatelle.  Transferware and endangered animals?  Decide for yourself.