THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND TRANSFERWARE

Knight Elkin & Bridgwood (1829-1840) "Scripture Illustrations, Moses On Mount Sinai, Exodus Chap. 20" 8 inch plate

As a little girl, I always enjoyed thinking about the Ten Commandments.  Some were seemingly so unambiguous; "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before me, Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother, Thou Shalt Not Kill!  I liked the clear commandments.  However, others were not so clear; thou shalt not covet was unclear until I learned it meant desiring what someone else has.  As the oldest child in my family, I understood that!  I always wanted a younger sibling's toys or their demands on my mother's time and affection.

Children's patterns were often Sunday School awards or gifts, as well as the starting point for education.  I wasn't surprised to find children's plates illustrating a Commandment.

"The Commandments/Honour thy father and thy mother" child's plate with a molded alphabet border

"The Commandments/Thou shalt do no murder" 7 inch child's plate with a molded daisy border

I only have two plates to show you, but a few are found in books about Children's patterns: A Collector's Guide to ABC Plates, Mugs and Things by Mildred and Joseph Chalala illustrates "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image" and Children's China by Pauline Flick shows "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house."  I look forward to finding all ten.