TWO HUNDRED POSTS!

I have been writing "Dishy News -  A Transferware Blog" since January 2013 (see my first post here), and this is my 200th post!   Below are a few of my most popular posts (those most read by my readers).

Inappropriate Or Frightening Patterns For Children 
What Is A Custard Cup?
The Temperance Movement On Transferware
Mozart, The Magic Flute, The Masons And America
Crimean War Again (Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose)
Cumulative Rhymes On Children's Pottery
Yellow Printed Brownware
The Dog In The Manger And Aesop's Fables
"Quadrupeds" And Aesop's Fables
Shells
Clematis
Yellow Transferware
What Is A Bourdaloue?
The Tread Mill - The Way Of Transgressors Is Hard
Wedgwood Water Lily

Here are some of my favorite posts, although I like most of the posts above too. 

Beatles, Blackbirds, And Crows
Of Mice And Men And Transferware 
In The Wood Or Little Red Riding Hood Again
Bees And Transferware 
 
Below is a photo of my work space.  Always an inspiration!

My work space

FOR A DEAR CHILD WHO IS STARTING SCHOOL

William Adams III (& S) 1804-1829 5.75 inch child's plate, ca. 1820.

My beloved granddaughter starts kindergarten today.  She is embarking on a new part of her life.  I remember my first day of kindergarten in September 1949.  It was both exciting and frightening; who would I meet and who would be my friend?  Already, I was more interested in the social aspects of school rather than the academics!

Below are two five year old girls separated by 66 years, but united by love.

I hope Maya loves school as much as I did. 

If you want to see more transferware school patterns, look at my blog posts "Love Your School And Books" and "School And Transferware."

Alphabet yellow glazed 2.35 inch child's mug, ca. 1820.  The mug was both a gift and a teaching tool.

 

THE LEARNED DOG REDUX AND BITS AND PIECES

"The Learned Dog" on the cover of "Dishy Animals ABC."

I purchased a damaged yellow ware (or yellowware) pot and cover because I recognized the dog on the lid.  It was the same dog that patterns my yellow glazed earthenware child's mug (see below).  The pattern also graces (I love this pattern) the cover of my children's alphabet book "Dishy Animals ABC."  I even wrote about it in a blog post titled "Transferware Dogs or "The Learned Dog."

Child's yellow glazed 2.25 inch mug "The Learned Dog" and lid from a yellow ware pot.  The difficult to decipher print under the dog says (I think) "The Young Sportsman."

Child's yellow glazed mug "The Learned Dog" (standing on a mixed up alphabet) and the other side of the yellow ware lid with the mixed up alphabet.  The alphabet was used as a teaching tool.

I have long been fascinated by items that are printed with patterns that appear to be random bits and pieces.  The pot above is one of them.  Obviously, it is also poorly printed: a bit slap dash!  The printing is blurred and parts are missing.   My theory is the patterns were available for young potters learning how to transfer.  Certainly, the person who printed the Potters' Art poem needed more practice!  And, "The Young Sportsman" title under the dog leaves a lot of room for improvement.  The singing birds with the title "For Innocence & Truth" is the most successful print, although a bit uneven.

Yellow ware printed pot/"Innocence & Truth/Probably the best print on on the pot.

Poor quality printing on one side of the lidded pot.

I could only make out the first line of the "Potters' Art" because it appears on my yellow printed brownware mug.

Hard to say exactly what the caption says under the dog.  Perhaps it is "For A Young Sportsman."

I would love some feedback about my transfer practice theory.  I would even like to know the use of this pot.   Did it have anything to do with children?  The Potters' Art poem, the jumbled alphabet, and the dog are all found on items made for children.

RECOGNITION OF THE FAMILIAR AND TRANSFERWARE COWS

Eleven inch coffee pot

The cow pattern on a rather battered coffee pot seemed familiar.  Once the pattern was imprinted on my brain,  I saw it everywhere!  Well, not exactly everywhere, but I did find the three cows (sometimes two cows) on four other pieces; a child's plate, a platter, a creamer, and a cup plate. 

Close-up of the three cows.  Is the standing cow facing the right actually a bull?

Child's plate printed with three cows, ca. 1830.  The dark blue cow/bull is hard to see.

Davenport (1794-1887) Wiseton Hall 10.5 inch platter, ca. 1825. 

There are only two cows on this 1820s creamer (facing in the opposite direction from the cows above).

The creamer is the same on the other side.

Four inch cup Plate with two cows/It seems to be from the same tea service as the creamer above.

I imagine the third cow is missing from the cup plate because it is only 4 inches in diameter.  The creamer is also quite small.

As much as I enjoyed finding the same cows (albeit in different patterns and by different makers), I really like most cows patterns, so here are a few more.

William Adams  III (1804-1829) 10 inch plate known as Three Cows.  It is from a series of domestic animal scenes known as Pastorals.  The Transferware Collectors Club Pattern And Source Print Database shows 18 patterns in this series.

Shell edge 4.25 inch cup plate with two cows and two sheep, ca. 1820

Saucer, known as Cow Polisher, ca. 1820/Although hard to see, it looks as if the man is holding a milk skimmer or saucer.

So called Salopian Cow Polisher Coffee Pot printed in brown and colored under the glaze with high fire colors.  What is Salopian?  See my blog post "Salopian Or Not?"

Cows were very popular on children's mugs and plates.  They still are today.

Child's mug "Cows"

Child's yellow glazed 2 inch mug printed in iron red, ca. 1820

Alphabet 5.12 inch plate "Cow, Cat, Clown."  This type of pattern was used to teach the alphabet.

Child's 6 inch plate

A rather elegant bat printed porcelain Spode dish. 

Spode (1770-1833) 7.25 inch porcelain dish bat printed with three cows at a stream.  The series number is 557.

One pattern does lead to another.  My final cow patterns are on my dresser. 

From left, Davenport 9.75 inch plate; J. & W. Handley (1820-1830) plate; John & William Ridgway "Rural Scenery" 9.75 inch soup plate

If you have a favorite cow pattern, let me know. 

FEATHERS

Feather Edge 8.6 inch creamware plate, late 18th or early 19th century

I started writing this post when I heard about the death of Robin Williams. This is not a post about feather edge.  I wrote about feather edge for another post titled Shell Edge Or Feather Edge.  This post is about the disease called depression.   It is a disease that affects many of us.  It is not connected to life's adversities, although problems can be triggers.   Talk therapy and medication help with the disease.  For some it is finding the small things that give us hope and pleasure.  I am always reminded of Emily Dickinson's famous poem about hope.*

How lucky we are if we have feathers.  For me it is the love of collecting British ceramics, particularly transferware, and my family and friends.  Of course, clinical depression is not averted by a love of ceramics, family or anything.  Still, we are lucky if we can focus on what we love to help tether us to the world.

*I was first introduced to this poem when I read Woody Allen's 1970s book Without Feathers.  The book is filled with humor; sometimes jokey and sometimes black.  Humor can be another barricade against depression.  It also is not always enough.  Rest in peace Robin Williams.

TRANSFERWARE TOAST WATER JUGS AND RECIPES

Davenport (1794-1887) Toast Water Jug, ca. 1850

I wondered why some of the jugs in my collection had lids as well as strainers in front of the spouts.   I learned they were known as toast water jugs, and were used for medicinal purposes.  What is toast water?  According to Coysh & Henrywood's  The Dictionary Of Blue And White Printed Pottery 1780-1880 Volume II, p. 197,  "Toast Water was a drink intended for invalids made by pouring boiling water on to toast, allowing it to stand, and then straining off the liquid. The recipe is mentioned by Mrs. Beeton in early editions of her Book of Household Management."   Here is Mrs. Beeton's recipe from the section on Invalid Cookery;
 

I have been told the toast and water brew was used to settle one's stomach.  I wasn't sure, so I did a small amount of research.  Toast water does settle one's stomach.  It was also considered a way to get needed nutriment into a sick person (no glucose IVs in the olden days).  It reminds me of the plain toast (usually with sweet jelly) my mother used to give me when I was ill.  The toast, never burnt, was broken into pieces and placed in the jug.  Hot water was added.  When the brew cooled, the liquid was poured into a cup while the bigger bits were prevented from being poured by the strainer.

Davenport Toast Water Jug/Notice strainer in front of spout/It was used to strain the bits of toast

My newest toast water jug is patterned with farm implements and farm animals.  It is quite a bit bigger than my Davenport jug, which is 5 inches high.  The new jug is nearly 8 inches!  It also includes the name of the owner, Henry Easthope.  Perhaps he suffered from severe indigestion.

Toast Water Jug printed with farm animals and farm implements

Toast Water Jug printed with farm animals and farm implements

Toast Water Jug/Notice name, Henry Easthope

Strainer in front of the spout of the toast water jug

Here is a better recipe for toast water;

It is very clear that the toast should not be burnt!  The excerpt above is from The Modern Housewife Or Menagere(1850) by Alexis Soyer.   One more recipe, this time a modern one.  It is from the blog "Adventures in thyme and plaice."  The author quite likes the taste of toast water!  I may try it, although I think I shall use a pyrex measuring cup like the one below, not my 19th century toast water jugs.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY AND "THE WONDERFUL MILL" OR CRONES TO GIRLS

I owned a jug printed with this pattern in the early '90s.  I thought it was amusing.  Now, I wish owned the machine that grinds old women into young!

Mug "Good lack how wonderful to view it/I neer believd it till I knew it/Come here ye toothlefs lame & Gray/Come and be Ground without delay"

The pattern was copied from a print by George Cruikshank (1792-1878), the English caricaturist famous for his illustrations of "Doctor Syntax,"  "The Bottle," and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." (All of these illustrations, by the way, are found on pottery.)

George Cruikshank "The Wonderful Mill" circa 1805 (when he was about 13)

"The Wonderful Mill" was quite popular on pottery.   The pattern is basically the same, but in a few examples there are young men greeting the rejuvenated women.

Mug, "Good lack a day cries out the grinder/I shan't find work, indeed I find sir/This grinding is a bonny trade/my fortune shortly will be made."

"Old Women Ground Young" Jug, same verse as above, but the print is a bit different

A slightly different print of "Old Women Ground Young"/No text

My birthday three years ago/My wish didn't change anything! I continue to grow old.  But, as my father used to say, "it is better than the alternative!"

For more information about "The Wonderful Mill," see the blog post "The Wonderful Mill in full vigour" in the blog The Printshop Window - Caricature & Graphic Satire in the Long Eighteenth-Century.