Save the Date: Saturday, October 28th



The program will include a video tour of Michael Sack’s outstanding collection of Indian views on transferware and the source prints they were taken from, another presentation on transferware, the annual business meeting, and details about the 2024 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

Planning is well underway for our first in-person Annual Meeting since 2019, to be held in Philadelphia in late April. Loren Zeller and Jaap Otte have been working on a wonderful program that will include a day trip to one of America’s most outstanding decorative arts collections and a series of lectures exploring Philadelphia’s role in the import of British transferware in the 19th century and the important role of the Centennial Celebration of 1876 at Philadelphia in the introduction of the Aesthetic Movement to America, including on transferware. We are, of course, planning to have the traditional transferware sale and raffle! TCC vice-president Terry Majewski is working with an event planner on hotel and other venue details. We will have a detailed announcement about the meeting during the 2023 Virtual Annual Meeting on October 28th.

There are no auctions listed at the moment.

Please contact us if you are offering or know of an upcoming auction 

with an emphasis on transferware.

SEEKING IMAGES

Attention: Seeking additional images and examples of ceramics produced by Enoch Wood & Sons with the impressed importer's backstamp of Peter Morton, a Hartford, Connecticut, importer of English earthenware. Two different types of backstamps are found on ceramics retailed by Morton during his time in Hartford, examples of which are illustrated below. The first reads, "Peter Morton Hartford," and the second, "Peter Morton Importer of Earthenware Connecticut." Please contact Dan Sousa at dsousa@historic-deerfield.org or Neil Ewins at neil.ewins@sunderland.ac.uk with any information.

Wanted Children's Plates

Collecting children's plates with a specific molded and enameled floral design by Enoch Wood and Sons. Damaged is ok. The plates relate to an archaeological assemblage in the San Diego area I have been working on, and broadly date 1792-1840. I am interested in all colors, marked or not, and any central pattern as long as it is encircled by the rim pattern as seen in the TCC Database items Turkey (TCC#10762) and A Reward for Diligence (TCC#5927). Please let me know if you have any of these rim patterned dishes. Thank you, Susan D. Walter, sdwalter@cox.net

Please contact us if you are interested in placing a classified ad 

with an emphasis on transferware.

Invitation from the American Friends of the Spode Museum

The officers of the American Friends of the Spode Museum (AFOTSM) are seeking nominations for directors residing in the United States who support the Spode Museum and the Spode Heritage Center. AFOTSM is a tax-exempt non-profit organization established to serve as a conduit for US donors who wish to contribute to the Spode Trust and insure that their donations are tax-deductible. U.S. donors can submit their contributions to AFOTSM which will, in return, transmit funds directly to the Spode Museum Trust. All donors receive confirmation of their contributions which will back up their tax deductions.

No membership fee is required for directors. Contributions are always welcome but not required. Interested individuals are invited to submit their request for nomination to Michael Sack, AFOTSM president, at msack@michaelsack.com.

Please contact us if you have recommendations of

newly published transferware books.

2023 Vol. XXIV No. 1

Latest Bulletin available. Sample article available to all: Did Sir John Franklin Eat From These Plates? Transferware and Other Ceramics Recovered from the Wreck of H.M.S. Erebus. The full issue is available to members only. View Bulletin.

The TCC Bulletin Index -- incorporating listings of articles from the Fall 1999 issue through to the most recent issue. A rich resource! Search Index.

Bulletin editor is seeking contributions for the upcoming bulletin. Contacts: 

Richard Halliday bulletineditor@transferwarecollectorsclub.org or David Hoexter: davidhoexter@icloud.com

John Ridgway “Shiraz” Platter

Named for a city in Persia (modern Iran), this botanical pattern with a border featuring a boat in cartouches separated by floral elements was produced by the John Ridgway pottery. The pottery was in operation from 1830 to 1841 in Hanley, Staffordshire. The “Shiraz” pattern has been documented as printed in yellow and green (like this platter), yellow and brown, and pink and black. John Ridgway was from the third generation of his family to produce pottery in Staffordshire. Several more generations would follow, and the Ridgway name would remain in use for pottery made in the region until the 1960s.

Go to the Puzzle. See past Puzzles of the Month.

Thanks to Scott Hanson for preparing the "Puzzle of the Month."

Hector Dragged Behind Achilles’ Chariot  (Hector Dragged by Achilles’ Cart)

Thanks to Rob Hunter’s FB site for this ca. 1765-70 transferware (bat printed?) sepia creamware plate in the Chipstone collection, with an image of Hector being dragged around the walls of Troy behind Achilles’ cart as described in Homer’s Iliad. Thanks to Google Images and the website Alamy for this 1719 public domain image of a print by Bernard Picart, the probable source print, although Chipstone references an engraving by T. Rothwell from a 1711 translation of the Iliad. Whatever the source, the plate is spectacular! See larger image. See past Photos of the Month.



Thanks to David Hoexter for preparing the "Photo of the Month."

Salopian decoration



Shown is a saucer of unknown size and maker. The style of printing decoration includes high temperature painted color applied to a transfer print under the glaze. It is also known as Salopian decoration. The birds may be finches, perhaps goldfinches. For more information, this is pattern #6711 in the TCC Database of Patterns and Sources (members only). View View larger image. See past Patterns of the Month.

Thanks to Judie Siddall for preparing the "Pattern of the Month."

The Spode Society

Sunday, September 3rd

A BLUE DAY with Paul Scott

The Society will be holding a Blue Day in Stoke on Trent on Sunday 3rd September celebrating Blue Transferware. Our Guest Speaker for the day is Paul Scott. 

Paul is a Cumbrian based artist with a diverse practice and an international reputation. Creating individual pieces that blur the boundaries between fine art, craft and design, he is well known for research into printed vitreous surfaces, as well as his characteristic blue and white artworks in glazed ceramic. Scott’s artworks can be found in public collections around the globe – including The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design Norway, the Victoria and Albert Museum London, National Museums Liverpool, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh and Brooklyn Art Museum USA. 

Further details will be issued in due course. For those who wish to register their interest in this visit please email: secretary@spode-society.co.uk

The Spode Society

October 7, 2023 10.30am for 11.00am

Visit to a Private Collection in Wickford, Essex

By kind invitation, members are invited to the home of a Spode Society member to examine an extensive collection of primarily Spode and Copeland ceramics but a few other factories as well. The collection includes a range of rarely seen tile designs.

Come by car or by train (36 mins) from Liverpool Street to Wickford (example 09.15 09.51). Walk from station or lift if necessary. After coffee our host will introduce his collection and there will be opportunity to examine everything on view. A buffet lunch will be provided. 

Cost to Members and Guests is £10 per head to be paid on booking. To register your interest or book you place please contact our secretary, Sue on email:  secretary@spode-society.co.uk

San Francisco Ceramic Circle

October 8, 2023

The Splendid Disarray of Beauty: The Boys, the Tiles, the Joy of Cathedral Oaks –

A Study in Arts and Crafts Community

Richard Mohr, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana

Live at the Gunn Theater and virtual via Zoom.

San Francisco Ceramic Circle

November 12, 2023

Pottery of the Edgefield District, South Carolina

Jason Young, Assistant Professor of History, University of Michigan

Live at the Gunn Theater and virtual via Zoom.

Database Discoveries #19 - Dark Blue Davenport, by Frank Davenport

The Davenport pottery was first documented in a 1974 book by Terry Lockett then later by Terry Lockett and Geoffrey Godden (1989). The authors tell much about the ninety-three years of operation and the wide range of ceramics and glass produced. The pottery became a limited company on 23rd April 1881, trading as Davenport’s Ltd but ceased manufacturing and declared bankruptcy in March six years later. The land, buildings, equipment, molds and copper plates were all sold and Davenport’s pattern books have not been seen since. Auction notices reproduced by Lockett and Godden mention eleven tons of copper plates for auction, representing more than 300 of the most salable patterns, of which Lockett and Godden name nearly 100. Whilst some of the pattern names have extant examples, many do not and without the pattern books it is difficult to match new finds to the original pattern names. Read this article.

Database Discoveries #12 - Death and Bereavement on Transfer-Printing, by Colin Murray Parkes

Death is an unpopular topic in our society and we may ask why anyone would want to include death-related imagery on items intended to decorate homes or to be used in the daily consumption of food and drink. A systematic trawl of the current TCC database reveals 104 patterns that are directly related to death. It would be tedious to show every one of them here and the examples that follow have been chosen to shed light on attitudes to death in the 19th century. A surprising number of these were found on children's wares as is shown in Judith Siddall's Database Discovery article 'Inappropriate Patterns for Children'. Hopefully the reasons for this 'inappropriate' behaviour will become apparent in this article. In the event the patterns may also teach us something about our own attitudes to death. To aid the flow of my argument I shall reserve technical details to the Endnotes. Read this article.

The Spode Society

The Spode Society was founded in 1986 to bring together collectors, museums and all lovers of Spode, Copeland and Garrett, Copeland and more recent Spode wares; to promote, share and study the history and products of the Spode factory, its workforce and the Spode and Copeland families. Visit the site.

Tea Leaf Club International

The Tea Leaf Club is dedicated to the study and collection of Tea Leaf Ironstone China and its Variants, produced in England and America from the mid-19th century through the early 1900s. The Club boasts hundreds of members from almost every state in the union, as well as from Canada, who collect, study, love, and appreciate the simple beauty and endurance of Tea Leaf Ironstone China. Visit the site.

Find more of the informative resources we've compiled here.

A Membership List updated in April 12, 2023 is now available (for members only and only for non-commercial use). Download now. Please review your entry on the list, and notify us of any changes in your contact information.

Looking for anyone with a passion for the beauty and history of transferware who would like to help record lovely old patterns for a worldwide audience. The Database of Patterns and Sources is maintained by a team of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. You could be one of them! We're currently looking for editors in Romantic patterns, Literature and Performing Arts, and Tiles, but let us know your interests and we can find a spot for you. Contact Len at otlink@aol.com for more information!

The TCC Bulletin editor seeks submittals to future editions, particularly from first time or occasional authors. We have an extremely knowledgeable member base, yet many of our members seldom or never share their knowledge, at least in printed form. Now is your chance. Bulletin submittals do not need to be extremely technical or lengthy. They just need to be interesting and relate to British transferware! And they need to be accompanied by quality images. We would especially welcome articles from our growing number of archaeologist members.

Don’t fret if you have little experience. We will be pleased to work with you, to formulate your concept and bring your article along. Simply send us your ideas, if that is where you are, or text, even in preliminary form, if you are further along. Please submit in MS Word format, and separately, images in png, pdf or jpeg format. Please do NOT convert to PDF. Don’t worry if this is a problem for you; we’ll work with you to bring your article from preliminary to final, printed, stage, no matter your level of computer and word processes experience. 

Suggested topics: 

1. Your favorite transferware piece, either your own or displayed elsewhere (why is it your favorite?, how did you acquire it?, what is the pattern, maker if known?). 
2. What is your favorite place to view transferware: museum? stately home? Historic or archaeological site?
3. Tell (and show) us your own collection (really good pictures required).
4. New discoveries.
5. Archaeological sites: overall summary of the excavation as relates to transferware; discuss a particular pattern or piece; context/importance of the transferware.
6. In-depth research of a pattern, series, maker.

Contacts: 

 Richard Halliday, TCC Bulletin Editor: blueandwhite@btinternet.com

 David Hoexter: davidhoexter@icloud.com