Classification
ceramics
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Bequest of Erskine Hewitt
Accession Number
1938-57-712-a
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This ceramic plate was created around 1843 by William Ridgway & Co., a well-known pottery firm based in Staffordshire, England. Active between 1830 and 1848, the company operated during a transformative period when Staffordshire potteries supplied much of the world with affordable, well-made tableware. The region’s rich clay deposits and skilled workforce helped turn ceramics into a major British export industry, and Ridgway’s products often reached American homes through thriving transatlantic trade. Now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection through the bequest of Erskine ...