Yale University Library

YALE UNIVERSITY
ART LIBRARY

THE CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON
Before the Great Dome was Built. {Rid^way)

THE
BLUE-CHINA BOOK
EARLY AMERICAN SCENES AND HISTORY
PICTURED IN THE POTTERY OF THE TIME
With a Supplementary Chapter describing the cele
brated Collection of Presidential China in the White
House at Washington, D.C., and a complete Checking
List of known Examples of Anglo-American Pottery.
BY
ADA WALKER CAMEHL v..
WITH 200 ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW YORK
E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY
681 Fifth Avenue

Copyright, 1916
By E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY

Printed in the United States of America

DEDICATED TO
MY HUSBAND
WHO MADE POSSIBLE THIS BOOK

The man who will tell the story of a race, a nation, or a period
according to the clothing, dwellings, utensils, and everyday art
of it will be, I vow, the only true historian of them all, and vividly
in his pages the age and people shall live again, though wars
and dynasties and that elaborate comedy called politics be but
the edges and binding of the book. So let us glorify our hobby,
Hobbinal my friend. Is it not part of the true stuff of history ?
Don't we know that about the doings of eighteenth century
English potters rests a nimbus of chronicle as well as of romance?
Sir J. H. Yoxall, M. P.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
* In the field of American history, the volumes I have consulted
for the story of those years which Staffordshire pottery depicts,
comprise a number too great to be severally enumerated. Old
letters, diaries, journals, travels, biographies, files of newspapers
and magazines, historical records of all kinds, have been pored
over. Of notable value among them may be mentioned the daily
journal of General Lafayette upon the occasion of his triumphal
tour of the States in 1824-5, his keen observations continually
comparing the state of the country at that period with its con
dition half a century earlier when he was a member of its Con
tinental army. Of especial interest also have been Esther Single
ton's " Story of the White House," Mrs. Taf t's " Recollections
of Full Years," and the recent volume, " Walks About Wash
ington," by Francis E. Leupp and Lester G. Hornby.
In the field of ceramics, to those who before me have trod the
alluring paths of " old blue " I owe a debt of gratitude : to Mrs.
Alice Morse Earle, whose " China Collecting in America " set us
upon the trail that leads to poverty of pocket and enrichment of
joy and understanding, the book which perhaps has done most
to arouse popular interest in those humble and oft-times despised
pieces of common tableware which enshrine the annals of our
pioneer years ; to Dr. Edwin Atlee Barber, of Philadelphia, not
only for the assistance which his comprehensive volumes have
afforded, but also for the privilege of enriching my own work
with the "Index of American Views" and with several photo
graphs from his "Anglo-American Pottery"; to Mr. Robineau,
editor of the Old China Magazine, for photographic plates and
descriptions of historic wares ; to the beautiful volume of Mr. R.
T. Haines Halsey, upon the historical pottery of New York State ;
and to the valuable works of Mrs. N. Hudson Moore.
In addition to the public displays of historical pottery which

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
the Museums and Historical Societies of several of our large
cities open to the student, many individual collections have been
generously placed at the disposal of the author. My thanks are
due first, to the present Mistress of the White House, Mrs.
Wilson, for permission to have photographs made of the col
lection of presidential china which is on permanent exhibition
in the lower corridor of the historic mansion; and to Colonel
William W. Hart, Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds
in Washington, for his interest in my behalf. To Mr. George
Kellogg, of Amsterdam, N. Y., my thanks are here acknowledged
for the privilege of consulting his very complete collection of blue
historical Staffordshire, as well as for many photographs of speci
mens, among them the valuable " New York from Weehawk "
and the " New York from Brooklyn Heights " platters, and his
rare series of State Arms plates ; to Dr. Irving P. Lyon, of
Buffalo, N. Y., for photographs of his splendid group of Liver
pool pitchers ; to Mrs. Francis W. Dickins, of Washington, D. C,
for permission to photograph her extensive loan collection of
historical pottery in the National Museum of that city; to Mr.
Henry Leworthy, of Fredonia, N. Y., for photographs of his rare
collection; to Mrs. William Garland, of California, for photo
graphs of the Mrs. Hinman collection; to Mr. W. F. Sheely, of
New Oxford, Pa., for photographs; and to Mrs. Randolph
Barnes, of Buffalo, N. Y., for many hours of pleasurable and
profitable discussion upon our chosen topic, as our individual col
lections grew.
I wish here also to thank Mr. Brayton L. Nichols, editor of
The Illustrated Buffalo Express, for critical aid in my literary
work, and for the privilege of using material which appeared in
that paper; also, the Century Company of New York, for per
mission to incorporate in this volume material which first was
published in Saint Nicholas.
Ada Walker Camehl.
Buffalo, 1916.

LAKE GEORGE. (Wood)

INTRODUCTION
"ALL THIS OF POT AND POTTER"
About a century ago the pottery-makers of
England, with that keen insight which has given to
the British Empire the markets of the world, established
a profitable branch of commerce with the Colonies and
with the States of the new American Republic, by means
of an appeal unique in the annals of trade. They deco
rated the pottery destined for the new market with faith
ful views taken from America itself, many of which,
by the way, have been perpetuated in no other manner.
They reproduced designs from volumes of contemporary
prints known as "The Beauties of America," "Pictur
esque Views on the Hudson River," etc., or, from origi
nal sketches out of the note books of English tourists re
turned from the "grand tour" of the new country. A
few of the potters sent their own artists over the sea to
make drawings with pen and pencil, sketches in oil, or
impressions with the newly invented "camera-obscura"
or "camera-lucida" (the beginnings of modern cam
eras), of scenery bordering upon the wonderful rivers,
of mountain ranges, inland lakes, and of the far-famed
cataract of Niagara. The artists gratified the civic

x INTRODUCTION
pride of the dwellers in the new cities by making pictures
of their important buildings — state houses, colleges,
almshouses, prisons, warehouses, inns, churches, thea
ters, mansions, etc., as well as of their world-famous en
terprise, the "Grand Erie Canal." The English potters
did not hesitate to honor the national heroes of the new
born Republic, several of them turning out fanciful
scenes of America's pioneers ; others, setting aside their
own patriotic pride, used portraits of George Washing
ton and of the naval heroes of the War of 1812, together
with sketches of engagements fatal to British arms, of
monuments raised to Colonial victories, and of Revolu
tionary battlefields whereon the patriot forces had routed
the redcoats.
Benjamin Franklin's portrait and his popular moral
"Maxims" and "Proverbs" were eagerly appropriated
for pottery display, while the famous visit of General
Lafayette to America furnished still another series of
decorations. One potter confined his output of Ameri
can views almost entirely to a group of designs, now
rare and valuable, illustrating the coats of arms of the
original Thirteen States, and still others commemorated
in clay the two marvels of early nineteenth century
science — the steamboat and the locomotive.
The pictures thus secured, more than two hundred and
fifty in number, were taken to the English pottery
works, where, by means of the recently discovered proc-

INTRODUCTION xi
ess of transfer printing from copper plates, they were
stamped upon dinner sets, tea services, toilet sets, and
all manner of useful ware. The potters of Liverpool
were the first to put American views upon china, print
ing, shortly after the close of the War of the Revolution,
the portraits of George Washington and Benjamin
Franklin upon yellow jugs and mugs and punch bowls.;
A number of years later, the Liverpool potters pro
duced an almost complete series of portraits of Ameri
can naval heroes, together with illustrations of the prin
cipal engagements of the War of 1812.
By far the greater number of American views, how
ever, went to the group of English hamlets in the county
of Staffordshire, which numbers about a dozen and is
still known as "The Potteries." Burslem, Cobridge,
Hanley, Stoke-upon-Trent, Tunstall, are among the im
portant pottery settlements whence ware was sent to
America ; while the names of potters which the collector
most commonly finds upon the back of his specimens are
Enoch Wood, Stevenson, Clews, Ridgway, Stubbs, Tarns,
Mayer, Adams, Jackson, and Green. A long list of
pieces, however, are unmarked, and the makers unidenti
fied. From the year 1783 when Enoch Wood set up his
works at Burslem, until about 1850, almost all of the
English pottery which was sent across the sea bore views
obtained from America, the specimens which now sur
vive being known as "Old Staffordshire." The name of

xii INTRODUCTION
the potter, oft-times his initials alone, may be found upon
the back of the pieces,1 together with peculiar marks (a
number of which are illustrated in the supplement to this
volume) and scrolls encircling the title of the view upon
the face. Every piece of the same set of dishes was
not thus defined, hollow ware such as cups and saucers,
sugar bowls and pitchers, being frequently found with
out a distinguishing mark, the name of the potter then
being determined by the border design.
Attractive indeed are the border devices with which
the American views are framed, nearly every potter cus
tomarily making use of one distinctive pattern. He
might vary the scene within the frame, or he might bor
row some sketch from a neighboring potter, but the bor
der around it, as a rule remained peculiarly his own,
thereby making of it to-day a ready means of identifica
tion. The border designs, as a study of the illustra
tions reveals, are composed of graceful combinations of
sea-shells and mosses, roses and scrolls, acorns and oak
leaves, grapes and vines, or of fruit, birds and flowers
in delightful arrangement. Animals peculiar to the
tropics appear in one series, the American eagle perches
proudly among the scrolls of another, while one or two
of the more intricate patterns bear marked resemblance
to the borders found on Flemish tapestries of the Renais
sance, or encircling the charming terra-cotta Madonnas
of Delia Robbia. ^ i ) >r
1 See supplementary chapter B.

VIEW NEAR CONWAY, NEW HAMPSHIRE
(K\ Adams & Sons)

BAKER'S FALLS, HUDSON RIVER
[Clews, "Picturesque Views")

LITTLE FALLS AT LUZERNE, HUDSON RIVER
(Clews, "Picturesque Views")

INTRODUCTION xiii
' ^e rich blue color so greatly admired, which until
.very recent years has been impossible of reproduction,
was first adopted in England early in the nineteenth cen
tury, and was an echo of the Oriental blues, as well as
of the Dutch Delft, which, owing to Holland's earlier
trade facilities with the Orient, presented the first repro
duction of that color in Europe. Until about the year
1830, at which time printing upon pottery became cheap
ened by the process of lithography, blue was almost the
sole color in use in the Staffordshire potteries. The
color was cheap and flowed easily, and its density hid
from view the imperfections in ware and workmanship
— blisters in the glaze and marks of the triangles used
to separate the pieces in the kiln, marks which may still
be discovered upon all pieces of flat ware made in Staf
fordshire during the first quarter of the nineteenth
century, ft must be borne in mind that the beautiful
old blue dishes so greatly coveted to-day are not of fine
material, nor of skilled manufacture, their present value
lying in their decorative quality, and in the pictured
memorials of early America which they perpetuate —
memorials which at the present time are accorded an im-
portant place among the authentic documents of his- }>
tory. As the years went by, however, the rich deep
blue was followed with paler tints — light blue, pink, ;
green, mulberry, purple, gray, and also black — until at i
last, just before the Centennial Exposition of 1876, the ]

xiv INTRODUCTION
event which proved to be the rebirth of the Art spirit in
the United States, the common tableware of our fore
fathers had faded to the dull monotony of white.
When and how did the pictured English pottery find
its way to the United States ? Near the end of the eight
eenth century, soon after the close of the Revolutionary
War, "sailor-pitchers" and punch bowls made in Liver
pool were brought to these shores by sea-captains and
sailor-boys and were presented as keepsakes to home
friends. By reason of the graceful forms and of the
verses and portraits printed upon them, verses breathing
of homely sentiment and patriotism, and portraits of cele
brated patriot heroes, they were lovingly cherished by
New England housewives. About 25 years ago, when
keen interest in the preservation of historic china had its
beginning, there was scarcely a New England family
with sea-faring ancestors whose chimney shelf or corner
dresser was not graced with one or more yellow jug or
bowl of Liverpool.
The more gayly hued pottery of Staffordshire manu
facture was, until as late as the middle of the nineteenth
century, shipped to American merchants in large quan
tities and purchased for daily use by our forefathers
and their china-loving dames. They admired the rich
colors and the quaint forms, and, as they sipped their
spiced brew or fragrant tea, they found added pleasure
in looking upon the faces of their beloved heroes, in

TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
(Wood)

MARINE HOSPITAL,
LOUISVILLE, KY.
(Wood)

CITY OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Early Stern- Wheel Steamboat in Harbor. ( Unknown Maker)

INTRODUCTION xv
living over in imagination the great battles, and in mar
veling anew at the wonderful achievements of peace, de
picted upon the specimens before them.
The prices given for the imported ware were so small,
from a six-pence to a shilling being the cost of a single
plate, that the amounts paid at the present time to pos
sess one of the surviving pieces would amaze our thrifty
forefathers as well as astonish the trade-seeking potters
who turned them out. Liverpool jugs bearing the por
traits of Washington or of the heroes and sea battles
of 1812 are worth thirty, fifty, and more dollars, while
one hundred dollars are frequently given for a blue plate
or platter or pitcher printed with some historic design.
A few years ago, the sum of $290 was given for a blue
platter picturing "New York from Brooklyn Heights" ;
at a recent sale, $1000 was paid for a Pennsylvania Arms
plate ; and not long ago a platter of the "New York from
Weehawk" design brought $1225, the highest price yet
paid for a specimen of old Staffordshire.
It may be asked, Where are examples of Staffordshire
historical ware to be obtained at the present time? It
is a surprising fact that search for pieces of English
pottery with American views in the country where it
was manufactured fails to discover any specimen, prac
tically all of it having been shipped to the market for
which it was created. In this country, a large number
of pieces which have survived the changes a century has

xvi INTRODUCTION
brought to the rapidly developing nation are carefully
gathered into the public Museums or Historical Societies
of the great cities, or else they are cherished in the no
less valuable private collections of china-loving indi
viduals. But there yet remains in country homes
throughout the eastern states, in the oft-times careless
possession of descendants of original owners, a harvest
sufficient to tempt the admirer of "old blue," to lure him
into that fascinating quest which may be as futile as the
search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but
which has for reward, in addition to the specimens se
cured, a fuller understanding of the formative period
of his own nation.
What joy can compare with that of passing a long
summer day in the country, driving with horse and car
riage or swifter motor (the halcyon days of the spacious
tin peddler's cart, which served the earliest in the field
of china collecting, alas ! are gone), over sun-baked dusty
hills and through winding, shadowy valleys, stopping at
each low-browed dwelling in quest of old blue china?
A debt of gratitude is due the oldtime potters of England
for making and sending to these shores such quantities
of attractive ware that even yet stray specimens are
hidden away under dusty eaves, upon top pantry shelves,
or on the high mantels of dark parlors, waiting to be
peered out and gathered.
Uncertain as a lottery are the rewards of a china hunt.

PINE ORCHARD HOUSE IN THE CATSKILLS
(Enoch Wood)

PENITENTIARY AT ALLEGHENY, NEAR PITTSBURGH, PA.
(Clews, "Picturesque Views")

PITTSBURGH, PA.
Primitive Craft on River
(Clews, "Picturesque Views")

SHANNONDALE SPRINGS, VIRGINIA
(Jackson)

INTRODUCTION xvii
One may, after knocking at the door of some "likely"
farmhouse, be shown, in place of the "old blue dishes,
pewter, or any other old things" humbly asked for, a hair
wreath set in a deep gilt frame, or a bunch of faded
worsted flowers — memorials of another more recent
"Art" period of our history. Or, the seeker of historic
relics may make his way to the back door (the true
hunter of old china never approaches the front) through
the pigs and hens of the barnyard, only to be informed
by the woman who opens it, "Old blue dishes? Land,
yes! I had stacks of them, but when they got broken
I just pounded them up and fed them to the hens !" As
he picks his way to the gate he may take a long look at
the poultry, until there rises before his vision rows of
Easter eggs born into the world bearing the sad love
story of Chang and his sweetheart Koong-Shee, or else
the benign features of Franklin or of the Father of His
Country; surely, "Csesar dead and turned to clay ..."
has a parallel in the present.
Then the unexpected "finds" ! Setting out in search
of a Willow platter which neighborhood rumor whis
pered was "in the low white house on the hill yonder, a
part of her grandmother's wedding set," how keen the
pleasure to discover in place of the more common pat
tern, a rich blue platter inscribed, "Landing of General
Lafayette," — and how eager the desire to hasten home
with the prize and search for the story it records. The

xviii INTRODUCTION
day we came upon the large vegetable dish with the aque
ducts, the canal boats and the four familiar faces . . .
our interest in the sluggish ditch had been but a dull one
until then. And the big-winged frigates so fiercely fight
ing upon the yellow jugs, Penn and his Indians, and
Columbus, the battle-monuments and the buildings of
the early cities — how they sharpened our appetites for
hitherto dry facts, and awakened an impulse to unravel
and follow to their source the bright threads of this
alluring and gayly patterned "stuff of history."
The knowledge of a bygone period of our nation's
history acquired from the pleasant study of old blue
china suggests to the mind a comparison with the pres
ent era, and tempts a vision, "far as human eye can see,"
of that which lies before. "We live in a most extraor
dinary age," remarked Daniel Webster a century ago —
words frequent on men's tongues to-day. For, as a
present-day historian observes, "Less cumbered by old
traditions than the elder nations, and with a vast conti
nent in front of her, America has marched along the
new roads of history with a rapidity and an energy for
which there is no precedent." From the twelve million
inhabitants of Webster's time the Republic has increased
to a population of one hundred millions, and the flag
which the century-old tableware pictures displaying
thirteen stars, now proudly flies nearly half a hundred.
To-day, in place of the Mississippi River or the "Shining

INTRODUCTION xix
Mountains" bounding the western territory of the na
tion, the dwellers in Alaska, in Hawaii, in the islands
of the Far East and of the tropical seas are, like the
early settlers upon the Mississippi banks, "fellow citi
zens and neighbors of those who cultivate the hills of
New England." Almost all of the stately buildings dis
played upon the old tableware have been swept away by
the growth of the great cities, the few which have been
spared being at the present time either lost to view as the
kernels of imposing modern structures, or else their
proportions are dwarfed by neighboring tower-like piles.
Science has taken the past hundred years for her
special field, and has marked its pathway with such
countless milestones of achievement that the clumsy and
fear-inspiring little steamboats and locomotives which
the blue plates present as the wonders of a century ago
have been at the present time succeeded by the swift
moving leviathans of sea and land; and the telephone,
the wireless telegraph, the automobile, the submarine,
have, each in turn, been cause for marvel . . . until,
crowning all marvels, the boon denied Icarus of old,
navigation of the air, is a commonplace to those who
live to-day. Obsolete as the primitive yewbows of
yeoman archers, or as the cumbersome armor and lances
of mediaeval knights, is the Art of warfare as it is mani
fested in the old-china battle-scenes of the Revolution
and of the sea engagements of 1812, . . . a vivid con-

xx INTRODUCTION
trast to the vast European campaigns which at the period
of writing are claiming the attention of the world.
These century-old sketches of the one time "thin, red
lines" of gayly uniformed British soldiery defiling up
Bunker Hill, for hand-to-hand combat with the enemy,
and of Old Ironsides slowly and laboriously kedging her
way out of the enemy's reach, have been succeeded by
modern photographs, and moving-picture films, of paral
lel trenches filled with gray-clad soldiers losing or win
ning battles sometimes without a sight of the enemy ; of
long-range guns, aeroplanes, and submarine destroyers.
To the western Republic, the hundred years of peace
which have been recently concluded have brought such
unexampled growth and prosperity that to it as to a
"Promised Land" turn the hopes of the folk of Old
World Empires, who within its borders seek and find
that liberty which was so hardly won by their fore
fathers — America's pioneers.
As to the place which the future holds for the United
States, the prophecy spoken by an early and far-seeing
citizen of the Republic is one with the convictions of
those who behold her at the present time entering upon
a "new road of history" : "Humanly speaking, no cir
cumstances can prevent these United States from becom
ing eventually, and at no distant period, a great and
powerful nation, influencing and controlling the other
sovereignties of the world." '^

I A Tour of the Land  3
II "The Crooked but Interesting Town of Boston" 22
III Old New York  43
IV The Philadelphia of Penn and Franklin . . 71
V Early Baltimore  88
VI Washington, the New Capital  94

VII Pioneers of America  107
VIII George Washington  124
IX Scenes of the Revolutionary War  137
X Emblems of the New Republic and States . . 146
XI Benjamin Franklin and His Precepts . . . .158
XII Naval Heroes of the War of 1812  172
XIII General Lafayette's Visit to America . . . 192
XIV Opening of the Erie Canal  213
XV Introduction of New Modes of Travel . . . 225

A — The White House Collection of Presidential
China  245
B — Checking List of American Views Found Upon
English — Old Pottery  267
C — The Willow Pattern and Other Important Blue
China Series — Story of the Willow Pattern 287

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

TACING PAGE

Albany (Wood)  14
Albany, Dutch Church (Stevenson)  6
Albany, Rensselaer Island (maker unknown) .... 15
Allegheny, Penitentiary (Clews)  Introduction
Arms, of Connecticut (Mayer)  152
Arms, of Delaware (Mayer) .  150
Arms, of Georgia (Mayer  149
Arms, of Maryland (Mayer)  149
Arms, of Massachusetts (Mayer)  151
Arms, of New Jersey (Mayer)  146
Arms, of New York (Mayer)  152
Arms, of North Carolina (Mayer)  148
Arms, of Pennsylvania (Mayer)  146
Arms, of Rhode Island (Mayer)  148
Arms, of South Carolina (Mayer)  153
Arms, of Virginia (Mayer)  153
Bainbridge, Commodore (bust portrait)  177
Baker's Falls, Hudson R. (Clews) .... Introduction
Baltimore (Godwin)  88
Baltimore (Unknown maker)  90
Baltimore, Almshouse (unknown maker)  91
Baltimore & Ohio R. R., so called (cup and saucer) . . . 229
Baltimore & Ohio R. R. (Wood)  233
Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Inclined Plane (Wood) . . . .233
Baltimore, Battle Monument (Jackson)  92
Baltimore, Exchange (unknown maker)  92
Baltimore, Hospital (unknown maker)  91
Baltimore, University of Maryland (unknown maker) . . 90
Boston, Almshouse (R. Stevenson)  38
Boston, Athenaeum (Ridgway)  39
Boston, Common, State House, Dwellings (Stubbs) ... 26
Boston from Chelsea Heights (C. C.)  24
Boston, Fusileers of, (Liverpool pitcher)  142
Boston, Hancock House (Jackson)  30
Boston, Hospital (R. Stevenson)  34

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

Boston, Insane Hospital (Ridgway)  35
Boston, Lawrence Mansion (R. S.)  27
Boston, Mitchell & Freeman's China & Glass Warehouse
(Adams)  35
Boston, Nahant (Stubbs)  39
Boston, Octagon Church (Ridgway)  34
Boston, State House (chaise) (Rogers)  30
Boston, St. Paul's Church (Ridgway)  27
Buffalo, Erie Canal at (R. S.)  213
Bunker Hill, Battle of (R. Stevenson)  138
Bunker Hill Monument (Jackson)  139
Cadmus (Wood)  196
Catskills, Pine Orchard House (Wood) . . . Introduction
"Chancellor Livingston," steamboat (Wood)  236
"Chief Justice Marshall," steamboat of "Troy Line" (Wood) 232
Clinton, Jefferson, Washington, portraits, (Stevenson)
(vegetable dish)  214
Columbia College (R. S. W.)  53
Columbus, Landing of, cavalry view (Adams) . . . .112
Columbus, Landing of, Indian shooting wild goose, (Adams) 113
Columbus, Landing of, two caravels (Adams) . . . .113
Columbus, Landing of, (Wedgwood pitcher)  118
Conway, N. H., View near (Adams) .... Introduction
Decatur, Commodore Stephen (bust portrait) .... 179
Detroit, Michigan (unknown maker) .... Introduction
Don Quixote's Attack on the Windmill (Clews) .... 287
Dr. Syntax Starting out upon his First Tour (Clews) . . 287
Emblems of Success of Revolutionary Arms (Liverpool
pitcher)  131
"Enterprise" & "Boxer" (Liverpool pitcher)  183
Erie Canal, at Albany (Wood)  218
Erie Canal, at Albany (Liverpool pitcher)  222
Erie Canal, at Little Falls (Wood)  218
Erie Canal, at Little Falls, horses on tow-path (Jackson) . 222
Erie Canal, at Rochester, Aqueduct Bridge (Wood) . . .215
Erie Canal, at Rochester, Aqueduct Bridge (vegetable dish)
(Stevenson)  215
Erie Canal, DeWitt Clinton Eulogy (unknown maker) . . 219
Erie Canal, Utica Inscription (unknown maker) . . . 219
"Escape of the Mouse," Wilkie (Clews)  287

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FAOINO PAGE

Fort Hamilton, New York (Godwin)  43
Franklin, Bennington Toby  166
Franklin, Benjamin, Fur-cap portrait (from "Anglo-Ameri
can Pottery")  162
Franklin, Benjamin, "Maxims" — "Constant dropping wears
away stones"  167
Franklin, Benjamin, "Handle your tools without mittens, etc." 167
Franklin, Benjamin, "He that by the plough would thrive,
etc."  166
Franklin, Benjamin, "He who lives upon Hope will die fast
ing"  167
Franklin, Benjamin, "Keep thy shop & thy shop will keep
thee"  167
Franklin, Benjamin, "Not to oversee workmen is to leave
them, etc."  167
Franklin, Benjamin, "Three removes are as bad as a fire,
etc."  167
Franklin, Benjamin, "Morals" — "Flowers that never fade"
— "Good Humor"  162
Franklin, Benjamin, "Many a little makes a mickle" . . . 163
Franklin, Benjamin, "No Gains without Pains" .... 163
Franklin, Benjamin, "Poor Richard's Way to Wealth,"
Maxims : "Now I have a sheep & a cow, etc." . . . 168
Franklin, Benjamin, "What maintains one vice would bring
up two children, etc."  168
Franklin, Benjamin, "Success to the plow, etc.". . . . 169
Franklin, Benjamin, "Handle your tools without gloves, etc." 169
"Fulton" steamboat  228
Fulton's Steamboat passing West Point (Leeds teapot) . . 236
Gilpin's Mills (Wood)  139
" Guerriere" bound for Russia (Liverpool pitcher) . . . 178
Hartford, Deaf & Dumb Institute (Ridgway) .... 203
Harvard College, Buildings (E. W. & S.)  31
Harvard College, Campus and Halls (E. W. & S.) . . . 25
Harvard College, University Hall (R. S.W.) In the author's
collection  22
Harvard College, University Hall, Built 1815 (R. S. W. or
R. S. & W.)  31
Hoboken, N. J., Stevens Mansion (Stubbs)  228
Hudson, View on the (Clews)  16
Hull, Commodore (bust portrait)  182

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PACING PAGE

Jefferson, Lafayette, Clinton, portraits in Vegetable dish
(Stevenson)  214
Juniata, Headwaters of (Adams)  11
Lafayette, as he appeared in 1824 (Erie Canal) (Stevenson) 196
Lafayette, at the Tomb of Franklin (Wood)  203 197
208
202 208 192
197

Lafayette, at the Tomb of Washington (Wood) .
Lafayette, crowned at Yorktown (luster pitcher) .
Lafayette, Landing of, at Castle Garden (Clews) .
Lafayette, "The Nation's Guest" (portrait pitcher)
La Grange, Lafayette's Home in France (E. W. & S.)
La Grange, East View (E. W. & S.) 
Lake George (Wood)  Introduction
Lexington, Kentucky, Transylvania University (Wood) Introduction
Little Falls at Luzerne, Hudson River (Clews) . Introduction
Log Cabin (Ridgway)  10
Louis XVI and Franklin, Treaty Statuette (From "China
Collecting in America," by Alice Morse Earle; copy
right, 1892, by Charles Scribner's Sons)  158
Louisville, Ky., Marine Hospital (Wood) . . . Introduction
Macdonough's Victory on Lake Champlain (Liverpool
pitcher)  187
Madison, War President (Liverpool portrait) . . . .179
Marks on pottery  271
Mohawk & Hudson River R. R. (C. C.)  240
Montmorenci, Falls of (Wood)  7
New Haven, Yale College and State House (unknown maker) 10
"New Style" travel (English pitcher)  237
New York, Almshouse (Ridgway)  67
New York, Battery Walk (Wood)  47
New York, City Hall (Ridgway)  66
New York, City Hotel (Stevenson)  62
New York, Church in Murray St. (A. Stevenson) ... 63
New York, Commons, American Museum (Stevenson) . . 66
New York. Esplanade (R. S.)  59
New York, Flagstaff Pavilion (R. S.)  58
New York, Fort Clinton (Wood)  58
New York from Brooklyn Heights (A. Stevenson) ... 46
New York from Weehawk (A. Stevenson)  52

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

TACING PAGE

New York, Merchant's Exchange, Ruins of (unknown
maker)  43
New York, Park Theater (R. S. W.)  53
New York, St. Patrick's Cathedral (unknown maker) . . 63
New York, St. Paul's Chapel (Stevenson)  62
Niagara Falls (Adams)  17
Niagara Falls (Wood)  19
Niagara Falls, Table Rock (Wood)  15
"Old Style" Travel (English pitcher)  237
Penn's Treaty with Indians (T. G.)  119
Penn's Treaty with Indians (platter scene) (T. G.) . . .119
Perry, Commodore, "Hero of the Lake" (portrait pitcher
from "Anglo-American Pottery")  177
Perry, Memorial, Temple of Fame (Stevenson) (from "An
glo-American Pottery")  188
Perry's Victory on Lake Erie (Liverpool pitcher) . . .172
Philadelphia, Bank of the United States (Stubbs) ... 75
Philadelphia, Dam & Waterworks (side-wheel steamboat) . 75
Philadelphia, Dam & Waterworks (stern- wheel steamboat) . 229
Philadelphia, "Faire Mount" (Stubbs)  74
Philadelphia, Library (Ridgway)  78
Philadelphia, Mendenhall Ferry (Stubbs)  85
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hospital (Ridgway) .... 71
Philadelphia, Staughton's Church (Ridgway)  74
Philadelphia, Upper Ferry Bridge (Stubbs)  79
Philadelphia, United States Hotel (Tarns)  84
Philadelphia, Waterworks Pumping Station (Jackson) . . 78
Pike, General (bust portrait)  182
Pilgrims, Landing of, pitcher (Wood)  107
Pilgrims, Landing of, plate (Wood)  107
Pittsburgh, "Pennsylvania" steamboat (Clews) .... 225
Pittsburgh, Pa. Primitive craft (Clews) . . . Introduction
Pittsfield, Winter View of (Clews)  18
Preble, Commodore, Attacking Tripoli (Liverpool pitcher) . 186
Presidential China, George Washington  248
Presidential China, John Adams  248
Presidential China, Thomas Jefferson  249
Presidential China, James Madison  249
Presidential China, James Monroe  250
Presidential China, John Quincy Adams  250
Presidential China, Andrew Jackson  251

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

Presidential China, John Tyler  252
Presidential China, James K. Polk  252
Presidential China, Franklin Pierce  253
Presidential China, Abraham Lincoln  253
Presidential China, Ulysses S. Grant  256
Presidential China, Rutherford B. Hayes  256
Presidential China, James A. Garfield  257
Presidential China, Chester A. Arthur  257
Presidential China, Grover Cleveland  264
Presidential China, Benjamin Harrison  264
Presidential China, William McKinley  265
Presidential China, Theodore Roosevelt  245
Quebec (unknown maker)  6
Sailor Pitcher: "May they ever be United"  176
Sailor Pitcher: "The Sailor's Return"  176
Sailor Pitcher : "The True Blooded Yankee" .... 178
Seal of the United States (front of pitcher)  127
Seal of the United States, adaptation of  154
Seal of the United States, adaptation of, "America" . . 154
Shannondale Springs, Va. (Jackson) .... Introduction
"States" design (Clews)  94
Stonington, Conn., "Defense of" (Liverpool pitcher) . . . 186
Troy, Hudson river (Clews)  11
"Union Line," steamboat (Wood)  232
Washington, D. C, Capitol (Ridgway) . . . Frontispiece
Washington, D. C, early view of Capitol (Wood) ... 99
Washington, D. C, Plan of city (Liverpool pitcher) . . 98
Washington, D. C, President's House (Jackson) ... 98
Washington, D. C, site of (unknown maker) .... 99
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Dutch Church at
Albany, cover) (Stevenson)  6
Washington, George, "Map" portrait pitcher  3
Washington, George, portrait on Erie Canal dish . . . .134
Washington, George (scroll in hand)  130
Washington, George, Stuart portrait  126
Washington, George, portrait festooned with names of 15
states  126
Washington, George, portrait, "Honor the Brave, etc." . . 130

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

Washington, George, Portrait on Monument  131
Washington, George, "Washington in Glory; America in
Tears"  127
Washington, George, on lawn at Mount Vernon . . . .134
Washington, Martha, "States" plate  124
"Wasp & Frolic" (Liverpool pitcher)  183
West Point Military School (Adams)  137
Willow Pattern  286
Yorktown, Surrender at (luster pitcher)  138

A NOTE TO THE READER
This book does not undertake to cover with thorough
ness the entire field of blue china, for interest in the col
lecting of pottery, like to that in the gathering together
of other groups of objects, is at the present time, with
rare exceptions, many-sided and highly specialized.
Each collector has his particular viewpoint, his own
choice of objects of the chase. One person, for exam
ple, may select his specimens with an eye to a display of
the work peculiar to several countries ; another may con
fine his fancy to the output of one nation alone; still
another may make pastes, glazes, or decorative motifs,
his study; while perhaps the largest number will, like
Charles Lamb and Horace Walpole, yield to the fasci
nating lure for the simple reason that "china's the pas
sion of their souls," and will secure whatever pieces op
portunity brings to hand.
The author of the present volume has confined her in
terest not only to "Blue China," as the title suggests,
but to the particular wares known to collectors as Staf
fordshire historical pottery. And this interest has been
further specialized upon the history and topography of
America. For, in the process of forming a collection,
the fact was discovered that this group of English pot
tery is not only a valuable record of the American coun
try and cities as they appeared a century ago, but it is
at the same time a surprisingly complete history of the
first three centuries of our national life. Supplementing

A NOTE TO THE READER
these annals, there is presented in this volume an illus
trated chapter describing the tableware which was used
from the earliest times in the Executive Mansion at
Washington, by our presidents and their families, to
gether with a brief story of the Mansion itself. And,
for the benefit of the collector, the Checking List of
American Views compiled by Dr. Edwin Atlee Barber,
together with a short explanation of the Staffordshire
potters' marks, is included.
There are, in addition, outside of the historical views
which make up the main body of this volume, other im
portant groups of prints that are of concern-to the gen
eral collector of Staffordshire wares, for example, the
Dr. Syntax, the Don Quixote, the Sir David Wilkie, and
the ever-interesting Willow Pattern, series. For those -
whose collections may embrace specimens of these de
signs, a third Supplementary Chapter will be found, de
voted to a short exposition of their stories. Another
large and attractive group of prints of which mention
should be made, as it claims the attention of certain
American collectors, is that portraying Scriptural sub
jects. Specimens of these illustrations were put out by
nearly all of the prominent Staffordshire potters of the
period under consideration, and Dr. Barber enumerates
more than 60 titles of this class. The borders vary
with the potter, and the colors range from the familiar
deep blue through the paler shades of the later Stafford
shire period.
Still other fields remain for the American collector of
old Staffordshire. One of them includes views of coun
tries other than the United States and Canada, for at

A NOTE TO THE READER
the same time that English artists were sent to these
shores for sketches, many beautiful views of English
castles, cathedrals, and other important buildings in
their own island, were adopted by the potters. Foreign
fields were likewise visited for decorative material —
Italy, France, India, even the "Gold Coast of Africa,"
contributing to the demand. Masonic emblems or cur
rent political cartoons as decorations make an appeal to
some collectors, old-copper- and silver-luster tea-sets
form charming displays, while Liverpool pitchers and
Toby-jugs, or the quaint mantel-ornaments of Stafford
shire manufacture, such as dogs, bears, cows, peasant-
figures, flower-festooned cottages, etc., etc., have a dis
tinct charm and fascination for the old-china lover.
Ada Walker Camehl.

PART I
THE COUNTRY AND THE CITIES OF EARLY
AMERICA

WASHINGTON AND FRANKLIN EXAMINING A MAP OF
THE UNITED STATES
("Map" Pitcher)

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK

CHAPTER I
A TOUR OF THE LAND
' ' ir CAN never tire my eyes in looking at such lovely

I

vegetation, so different from ours . . . the herb
age like April in Andalusia . . . the trees are as unlike
ours as night from day, as are the fruits, the herbs, the
stones, and everything, . . . and I feel the most un
happy man in the world not to know them. The moun
tains and islands seem to be second to none in the world ;
. . . there is much gold, the Indians wear it as bracelets
on the arms, on the legs, in the ears and nose, and round
the neck, . . . flocks of parrots conceal the sun."
These are among the expressions with which Columbus
sought to make known to the Spanish sovereigns the
beauty, the richness, and the strangeness of the land he
had taken possession of in their name. Americus Ves-
pucius, who visited the new world a few years later than
Columbus, and whose name by strange chance remained
with it, noted its "altogether delightful" climate, its
many hills, lakes, rivers and forests, as well as the vari-
3

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
ous species of wild animals and the numerous parrots
with which it abounded, together with the gold which
the natives told him was so abundant it was little es
teemed. "In short," he concludes his narrative, "if
there is an earthly paradise in the world, without doubt
it must be not far from this place."
True to these conceptions of primitive America, which
long continued to color the imaginations of Europeans,
are the fanciful scenes (illustrated in a later chapter)
wherewith the Staffordshire potters sought to picture
pioneer incidents of American history. In them, un
familiar trees and shrubs are introduced, together with
Indians gowned in paint and feathers and adorned with
golden ornaments, against backgrounds of imaginary
forest or mountain scenery. Parrots appear in a border
device, another border presenting flowers and animals
supposed to be native to the little known wilderness
regions. With the passing of the years and the increase of
ocean travel, a truer and somewhat more extended
knowledge of the new world became diffused throughout
the countries of Europe. Many people, for one cause
or another of discontent, abandoned their homes in order
to adventure others in America; until the seventeenth
century saw the Atlantic seacoast from Canada to
Florida dotted with Old- World settlements. French ad
venturers and missionaries came into the region of the
4

A TOUR OF THE LAND
Saint Lawrence River; English Puritans settled the
shores of Massachusetts Bay; traders frdm Holland
made homes upon Manhattan Island; English planters
sought the fertile hillsides of Virginia; and Spain sent
her knights to Florida in quest of the Fountain of
Eternal Youth.
Land companies sprang up in Europe, whose business
it was to exploit their broad, and oft-times vague, Ameri
can acres, and to direct to them departing groups of emi
grants. But even after the political independence of the
new country had been achieved, ignorance of the condi
tions there to be met with continued widespread. A
curious French volume of the year 1803, entitled, "The
Pros and Cons, or Advice for Those who Intend to go to
the United States of America, Followed by a descrip
tion of Kentucky and Genesee, two of the most impor
tant settlements of the New World," was written, the
author states, to aid intending settlers, "all of whom lack
definite directions." "The United States of America,"
he begins, "are not yet entirely cultivated, centuries will
probably roll away before they will be." He then pro
ceeds to divide the territory into three regions. The
first, nearest to the cities and the coast, is best culti
vated, "with farms so close together that it seems a con
tinuous village" ; the second, as one goes into the interior,
is less cultivated, with villages small and far apart, "a
saw mill and a flour mill and a few houses there f orm-
5

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
ing an important settlement." To the west of these
regions he recounts a third — a wilderness of forest and
stream recently inhabited by savage tribes who have
"now departed to the Great Lakes and the immense
River of Mississippi," beyond which the author's knowl
edge, or imagination, does not venture to stray. He
recites the advantages of the many rivers — the Hudson,
carrying the products of New York State to the sea
board; the Delaware, bearing its "multitude of vessels"
laden with the wealth of Pennsylvania to the cities at its
mouth ; the Ohio, entering the Mississippi with the prod
uce of Kentucky to exchange for "the piastres of the
Spaniards" at New Orleans. The "Endless Moun
tains" (Alleghany range), he states, divide the United
States into two natural parts and are its backbone, even
as the Apennines are of Italy. The East is more popu
lous, and the West is where the new settlements are lo
cated — one of these settlements being toward the south,
"at the rear of Virginia," and called Kentucky; the
other, toward the north, "at the rear of Pennsylvania,"
and known as the Genesee country (then controlled by
the Holland Land Company) . The cession of Louisiana
to France by Spain, he declares, has much alarmed the
United States by threatening to cut off the navigation
of the Ohio River. He closes his interesting volume
with a Salve to the great rivers and lakes of the New
World, and the hope for those who betake themselves
6

CITY OF QUEBEC
( Unknown Maker)

DUTCH CHURCH AT ALBANY,
1715-1806

MEDALLION HEADS ON
COVER IN COMMEMORA
TION OF ERIE CANAL
(Stevenson)

FALLS OF MONTMORENCI, NEAR QUEBEC
(Wood)

A TOUR OF THE LAND
thither, "May they leave in Europe their vices and their
misery and carry with them only their virtues."
Maps of the United States were outlined for the fur
ther convenience of prospective settlers, and as this was
the period when English potters were utilizing Ameri
can subjects for decoration, one of them was printed
upon a set of Liverpool pitchers. The design presents
an oval framing the section of the world then known as
the new Republic of the United States. The Atlantic
coast, though heavily lined, is uncertain in detail, and
names of cities and towns are thickly printed against it.
The northernmost region is Canada, bounded by the
chain of the Great Lakes. A number of States are
designated, and the indefinite region to the west stretch
ing from Canada on the north to the Gulf of Mexico in
the south is marked "Louisiana." "Liberty," of course,
is present, in the form of her contemporary European
prototype — a female figure holding aloft a pointed cap.
She is here represented calling the attention of George
Washington to the map, the first President standing by
her side with the inevitable scroll, presumably the Decla
ration of Independence, in his hand; while Fame floats
above them upon a cloud, bearing a wreath marked
"Washington," and trumpeting his glory to the world.
Benjamin Franklin, who assisted in the achievement of
independence and who, like Washington, was a well-
known figure in Europe, is seated upon the opposite side
7

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
of the map, an open book in his hand and History, per
sonified as a woman, behind his chair. A detail of his
toric interest is the pine-tree flag displaying upon its
starry field the newly chosen Seal of the Republic, both
flag and seal being described in a later chapter.
So thoroughly did the early nineteenth-century artists
perform their task of securing sketches of American
scenery for reproduction upon Staffordshire pottery, that
it is quite possible by means of the decorations (a small
number only of which are presented in this and the pre
ceding chapter) to enable the student of our early his
tory to make a fairly complete tour of the land, and to
look upon it as it appeared a century ago. Starting at
the northernmost extremity of the country as it is por
trayed upon the map pitcher, the city of Quebec is first
displayed upon a plate, seated, as at the present day,
upon her mighty citadel of rock, the original Lower
Town of her French founder, Champlain, huddled at the
cliff's base and washed by the broad Saint Lawrence
River. A yellow jug of Liverpool manufacture pictures
an imaginary death-scene of the British General Wolfe
who, in the year 1759, having successfully scaled the
rock, expired upon the Plains of Abraham at the mo
ment of the victory of his troops over the French — the
battle which gave Quebec into the hands of the English.
One artist went out to the far-famed falls of Mont-
morenci, a few miles above Quebec, and in his sketch
8

A TOUR OF THE LAND
one looks upon the imposing cataract as it appeared be
fore its volume had been reduced, by mechanical use, to
the trickling stream which meets the eye of the visitor
of to-day.
Passing southward, the mountain ranges, country
roadways, and log houses of primitive New Hampshire,
Vermont and Massachusetts, are displayed in a variety
of sketches ; a fort in Rhode Island is pictured ; while a
separate chapter records the appearance of the city of
Boston. Examining the beautiful Pittsfield platter-
scene, the beholder pauses to learn its story. In Revolu
tionary times, it is recorded, a primitive Meeting House
stood upon the site of the white church facing the Com
mon, whose pastor was the Reverend Thomas Allen, an
ardent patriot who had served as chaplain to the Ameri
can army under Washington. Upon the Sabbath morn
ing following his return to Pittsfield (so the story goes),
Parson Allen entered his pulpit, clad in Continental uni
form concealed beneath his gown. He began his ser
mon, but his zeal for his country's cause becoming so
overpowering he soon threw aside his robe and dis
played himself to his people in army uniform. He
stepped down from his pulpit and led the men of the
congregation to the Common in front of the church, and
under the elm tree he formed them into the first de
tachment of Berkshire Minutemen. The elm became
therefrom one of the historic trees of America; "from
9

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Greylock to Monument Mountain," the saying ran, there
being no inanimate thing "so revered and venerable."
The tree may be seen in the illustration as it appeared
about the year 1825, after a fence had been built around
it to preserve it from destruction as a hitching post
for horses. In 1861, it was felled by a lightning stroke
and its sound wood was made into souvenirs; at the
present time, in the center of the beautiful, elm-shaded
park of the city of Pittsfield, a sun-dial erected by the
Daughters of the American Revolution marks the his
toric spot where the old elm stood. To the right of the
white church, which is the First Congregational edifice,
the illustration presents the old Town Hall, and at its
left the First Baptist Church, with the Berkshire Hotel
by its side.
A view of the town square of New Haven, Connecti
cut, printed in the lighter colors of a later period of
Staffordshire potting, exhibits Yale College, together
with the Connecticut State House. In contrast to the
interest displayed by the old-time artists in the halls of
Harvard which resulted in numerous pottery souvenirs,
Yale College, though second only to the Boston institu
tion in age, appears in few decorations only, the work
of less important potters.
The Hudson River affords a delightful imaginary
excursion possible to be made by means of the many
illustrations of its beauties which exist upon pottery,
10

YALE BUILDINGS— STATE HOUSE, NEW HAVEN
(Unknown Maker)

LOG CABIN
W. H. Harrison Campaign
(J. Ridgway)

HEADWATERS OF THE JUNIATA RIVER, PA.
(W. Adams Sf Sons)

TROY ON THE HUDSON
(Clews, "Picturesque Views")

A TOUR OF THE LAND
delightful by reason of the scenery and historical asso
ciations, as well as for the presence, rare in our land,
of the legendary folk who people its banks. One Eng
lish potter, James Clews, decorated a set of plates in
various colors with views copied from water color
sketches of Hudson River scenery painted by W. G.
Wall and reproduced in England in a volume called
"The Hudson River Portfolio." Upon the back of each
plate, printed in a scroll, is the legend, "Picturesque
Views of the Hudson River." The border of the series,
a spray of rose branches with parrots perched upon
them, is one of the most graceful to be found. It is of
interest to know that in the year 1836, some time after
these plates were printed, James Clews came to the
United States and engaged in potting in Indiana, but
being unsuccessful he remained but a short time and
returned to end his days in England. Enoch Wood
also printed a series of Hudson River views in deep
blue color, with his famous sea-shell border.
Setting out from New York, the illustrations of
which another chapter .presents, the first view in the
Hudson River series is of West Point. High on a
plateau above the river and crowned with lofty moun
tain peaks, may be seen the small group of buildings
which was the nucleus of the present Military Academy,
founded in 1802. Newburgh is portrayed as a small
village on the river bank, appearing no doubt as it did
11

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
on the evening when General Lafayette stepped ashore
on his famous visit in 1824, and was driven through its
muddy, torch-lighted streets to the Orange Hotel where
impatient guests awaited his tardy arrival. One may
possibly discover in the picture the balcony upon which
the French General presented himself in order to quell
the tumult of the crowds below.
The traveler presently enters the enchanted region
of the Catskills, the legendary abode of the ancient
squaw whose duty it is forever to open the doors of
day and night, to hang up new moons in the sky, and
to cut the old ones into stars. In these oft-pictured
wilderness heights dwells Manitou, the great Indian
Spirit, who in the form of a bear was wont to lead the
redmen a chase through the forests — and hark ! Is not
the vague rumbling sound reverberating through the
valleys the echo of the ninepins of Hendrick Hudson
and his somber crew? A famous inn situated high in
the mountains, Pine Orchard House, gleams white
against the dusky pines, as one continues up the river,
and here and there along the banks picturesque mills
and villages and mountain passes are, by means of the
illustrations, opened to his view.
Albany, the oldest city in the Union, boasts a state
Capitol, fine churches, and a harbor filled with busy
shipping; one decoration shows a passage to the city
from the islands made in a ferry boat called a "horse's
12

A TOUR OF THE LAND
back," carrying both animals and men. Albany at the
period of the imaginary tour has a population of about
16,000 people, and is one of the most important com
mercial cities in the United States, all western produce
entering by way of the newly-built Erie Canal, and
shipped thence to eastern ports, twenty-four steamboats
plying the river between Albany and New York. A
covered vegetable dish, whose medallion portraits of the
four men whom the English potters commonly asso
ciated with the Erie Canal place it among the me
morials of that enterprise, presents upon the surface of
its interior the Dutch church of Albany, one of the
seven churches of the country to be perpetuated in pot
tery decoration. The original edifice was erected in the
year 1652, a second in 1655, around which the walls
of the third structure, here shown, were carried up and
enclosed without disturbing the old edifice. This illus
tration is of importance as presenting one of the earliest
types of church building in America, its square propor
tions and its pyramidal roof topped with a belfry con
trasting with the rectangular bodies and tall slender
spires which characterize many of the later models.
This structure resembles in its outlines the "Old Ship
Meeting House," a co-temporary which still stands at
Hingham, Massachusetts. The interior of the Albany
church was gayly painted and ornamented, with a pul
pit of polished Dutch oak. Low galleries, to which the
13

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
men were relegated, lined three sides of the interior,
and a bell rope hung down in the center aisle which
when not in use was wound round a post set in the cen
ter for the purpose. Rich stained glass windows dis
played the arms of eminent Dutch families, members of
whom were accustomed to bring hot bricks or portable
stoves to keep their feet warm during the long winter
service, the men sitting with hats on their heads and
their hands in muffs. Deacons went around with col
lection bags on the end of long poles, to which little bells
were attached, their tinkling arousing any sleepers and
preventing drowsiness from being an excuse for failure
to contribute. The structure was demolished in 1806,
much of the material being put into the Second Dutch
Reformed Church.
When in the year 1824, Lafayette looked upon the
town of Troy with its 8,000 inhabitants, appearing much
as it is pictured upon the plate, he exclaimed in aston
ishment, "What! Has this city risen from the earth
by enchantment!" For here it was that he, in Revo
lutionary times, with difficulty could find a cup of milk
and a bit of Indian bread at the two or three humble
cabins which then composed the settlement. The north
ernmost of the Hudson River series of sketches pre
sents the village of Luzerne, among the Adirondacks
near the river's source, while, continuing northward,
14

CITY OF ALBANY
(Wood)

TABLE ROCK, NIAGARA FALLS
(Wood)

PRIMITIVE FERRY AT ALBANY
RENSSELAER ISLAND
(Unknown Maker)

A TOUR OF THE LAND
Lake George may be seen — a shining mirror framed in
wooded hills.
Several charming bits of New Jersey and Pennsyl
vania river and mountain scenery may be seen upon
specimens of old pottery. The Falls of Passaic, on a
sugar bowl, were famous for their beauty a century
ago; very lovely, too, is the view of the headwaters
of the Juniata River, the stream which flows so peace
fully through southern Pennsylvania. In the distance
rise the rugged peaks of the "Endless Mountains," in
the foreground may be seen the trees and flowers na
tive to the region — and, may not the tourist with bundle
slung over shoulder, crossing the rustic bridge, be the
very traveler from England who, struck with the charm
of the spot, set down his burden for awhile and added
this scene to his sketch book? Pittsburgh is presented
as a row of low buildings bordering the banks at the
confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers,
with two primitive vessels sailing past the town. In
the nearby village of Allegheny is the Penitentiary, an
imposing structure for so early a date. When La
fayette visited Pittsburgh, about the time these pictures
were made, it had a population of 8,000 and the French
party were much interested in examining the manufac
turing plants for which Pittsburgh was already famous.
Among the objects presented to Lafayette were some
15

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
mirrors made in this city which he declared equal to any
produced in France. Continuing southward, Virginia
landscapes of rolling hills and substantial plantation
homes are spread out to view, while the attractions of
the cities of Baltimore and Washington are set forth in
separate chapters.
Before the days of railroads, few tourists made the
long and difficult and oft-times dangerous journey into
the sparsely settled regions of the far South and West,
sections now known as the States of North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Ken
tucky, and the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers;
for this reason, a less number of pictured views of these
localities are to be found. The cities of Richmond,
Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, Columbus, and
Sandusky are exhibited in the old-china records by one
or two views each. Detroit, no doubt, appears here as
it did during the exciting period of the War of 1812,
when the city was one of the disputed battle-grounds
upon the western frontier. Its houses, as may be noted,
faced the river, and, for the purpose of mutual protec
tion, they were set close together in well ordered rows,
their farm lands, like the tails of Bo-Peep's sheep, "be
hind them." The several examples of sailing craft pic
tured in Detroit harbor, one of them a newly invented
stern-wheeler, are also of interest. Louisville, Ken
tucky, offers to view a substantial stone structure — the
16

NIAGARA FALLS
(W. Adams & Sons)

A TOUR OF THE LAND
Marine Hospital, a government home for those who
sailed the inland rivers and lakes; while Lexington, in
the same State, boasts Transylvania University, erected
in 1783, the first institution for learning west of the
Alleghanies, from whose halls, the French author al
ready quoted gravely asserts, a printing press sent out
each week a gazette "to even the most distant farms
with all the news of both the Old and the New World."
Beyond the Mississippi lies, at the period of this im
aginary tour, the unknown — a region of vast extent and
vague knowledge, called Louisiana, a region of mystery
wherein fancy pictured limitless plains crossed by
rushing floods and peopled by savage Indian tribes.
The geographers of the day taught that the Mississippi
separated Louisiana "from the United States and West
Florida" on the east, its western boundary being New
Mexico and "a ridge of mountains generally denom
inated the Shining Mountains, which divide the western
waters of the Mississippi from those that flow into the
Pacific Ocean." Not until the discovery of California
gold in 1849, and the consequent tide of humanity to
ward it, was the region of the literally shining moun
tains opened to the general knowledge of the world.
The imaginary Tour of Colonial America, conducted
by means of contemporary pottery, comes to an end
at the most celebrated spot upon the continent — Ni
agara Falls. To look upon the "great Cataract of Ni-
1?

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
agara" was the ambition of every early European
traveler to America, and for centuries the journey
thither was the world's "grand tour." First reports
of this wonderful fall of water came from the Indians
who, in the early part of the seventeenth century, told
Champlain and the Huron missionaries of a great body
of water which "fell from a rock higher than the tallest
pine trees." A few years later, French officers sta
tioned at Fort Niagara made sketches of the Falls and
carried them to Europe, together with tales of the
grandeur of the spectacle hidden in the wilds of this
new country. Eager tourists, fired by the accounts,
came over to see the wonder, walking all the way from
Boston or New York, or driving over almost impassable
roads. Each gazer upon the spectacle felt called upon
to record his impressions, and many and varied are the
emotions chronicled; to some, the sight is an "ode" or
a "rhapsody"; for others, its influence depresses the
spirits. One tourist is disappointed because he is not,
as he expected, met by a "vision of foam and fury and
dizzy cliffs, and the ocean tumbling down out of the
sky." A practical English captain, whose mind was
probably filled with the new ideas of steam-power,
longed to carry the Falls to Italy, pour their volume into
the crater of Vesuvius, and thus "create the largest
steam boiler that ever entered into the imagination of
man!" Lafayette, as he looked upon the cataract, re-
18

PITTSFIELD, MASS.
Historic Elm
(Clews)

NIAGARA FALLS, FROM AMERICAN SIDE
(Wood)

A TOUR OF THE LAND
gretted that their distance from his estate in France pre
vented his buying them.
Many tourists ventured out upon the broad flat rock
which overhung the Horseshoe Fall, the celebrated Table
Rock, the sketch being of special interest as the rock
no longer stands. Table Rock was an excellent point
from which to view the Falls, from it one being also able
to gaze down into the brilliant green flood directly un
derneath him. At noonday, on June 25, 1850, the great
Rock fell. The driver of an omnibus driving out upon
the rock to wash his vehicle, had unhitched his horses
and was at work, when of a sudden he heard the rock
upon which he was standing give a loud cracking sound.
No sooner had he led his horses to the land than the
huge mass went down, carrying his empty omnibus with
it into the gulf below.
Niagara Falls has been called the most pictured sub
ject in the world, and the Niagara of Art equals in in
terest and variety the literary expressions it inspired.
The first Niagara picture was drawn as early as 1697,
from a description of it given by Father Hennepin, a
French missionary who accompanied La Salle upon his
expedition into the Niagara region. In this picture the
English artist in imagination looks down upon the Falls
and sees the river bordered with mountains all the way
to Lake Erie. Three falls of water appear, Goat Island
is but a slender pillar of rock, and from the banks and
19

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
the island rise curious tropical trees. This old copper
plate engraving was for many years the only Niagara
picture, and from it the untraveled world gained its
knowledge of the wonder. The Hennepin picture was
many times copied, and each succeeding artist, who had
never seen the Falls, added touches according to his
fancy — a colony of busy beavers in the foreground
gnawing down trees, or a band of redmen chasing bison
across the stream below the Falls. A richer imagina
tion put in Elijah emerging in a chariot of fire from the
clouds above the cataract. Occasionally three distinct
falls of water are found in an old print, the sharp bend
in the Horseshoe Fall being difficult for the unskilled
artist to depict. Not until nearly a century later than
Father Hennepin's picture did the world possess, in
drawings from the original, a more exact Niagara.
The Niagara of the early sketches is the Niagara of
the Staffordshire potters, two of whose views are pre
sented. In the first picture one seems to be looking
upon the rushing flood from a point on the American
side above the Falls. Three distinct cascades are visi
ble, the familiar expanse of Goat Island has shrunk to
a tree-crowned rock, and — can it be? Yes, there stand
the pioneer Niagara Falls bridal couple! — the first of
the long series of newly wed whose descendants still
haunt the witching scenes about this mighty cataract.
The bridegroom is pointing with his walking stick into
20

A TOUR OF THE LAND
the chasm, evidently explaining the mysteries of the
swirling torrent to the wondering mind of his bride, who
stands meekly by his side arrayed in shawl and poke
bonnet — glass of early nineteenth century fashion ! The
second view of the Niagara spectacle is more fanciful
than the first, and is no doubt a composition made from
old prints by one who had never seen the original In
this scene the eye is carried up the gorge to the curve
of the Horseshoe Fall; Goat Island and the American
Fall are quite insignificant; and peculiar semi-tropical
trees and foliage conceal from view the rugged banks
with which our eyes are familiar.

21

CHAPTER II
"THE CROOKED BUT INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
IT has been said that in order to understand America
of the present one must know Boston of the Fathers,
and by what more delightful means may one acquire a
knowledge of early Boston than from a study of the pic
tured china handed down from the Fathers themselves?
For, upon the blue plates and platters, tea-pots and cream
jugs which once graced the tables of our New England
forefathers, the greater part of the early city is spread
out to view — the harbor; the streets and the Common;
the State House and the Court House in which the
Fathers made the laws ; several of the mansions in which
they dwelt, and two of the churches in which they wor
shiped; the warehouses of commerce; the Hospital and
Almshouse for retreat in illness and poverty, and the
pleasure resort of leisure hours ; finally, the Library and
College which bred and fostered that leadership in let
ters upon which the citizens of Boston long justly plumed
themselves. Boston was settled by some of the earliest homemakers
to come to the American shores. About the year 1634,
John Winthrop being Governor of Massachusetts Col-
22

RARE VIEW OF UNIVERSITY HALL, HARVARD COLLEGE
(R. S. W.)
(In the collection of the Author)

POTTER'S MARK ON BACK WITH WRONG
TITLE

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
ony, the settlers upon the shores of the Bay purchased
of William Blackstone, the hermit who lived on the sunny
slope of one of the three hills which bordered the Bay,
his estate "lying within the said Neck called Boston,"
every inhabitant agreeing to pay six shillings, "none less
and some more." This sum was collected and paid to
Mr. Blackstone, "to his full satisfaction for his whole
right, reserving only about six acres on the point com
monly called Blackstone's Point, on part whereof his
then dwelling house stood." Two views present Boston
harbor as it appeared nearly two centuries after the
original purchase, sketches made from the heights of
Dorchester and Chelsea. In them may be seen the Bay
and shores in a very primitive condition. In the Chelsea
view is the bridge which connected that township with
the main city, spanning "the River that renders their
attendance on Town-Meetings very difficult," as the pre
amble of the Act of Separation of Chelsea from Boston
in the year 1737 reads, adding, "and whereas they have
a long time since erected a Meeting House in that Dis
trict." Sailing craft rest upon the water, and in the dis
tance may be dimly discerned the three hills (now but a
memory) which gave the settlement its original name,
Tri-Mountain, an echo of which lingers still in "Tre-
mont" Street. Above the summit of the center hill,
named Beacon, soars the dome of the new State House,
while the spires of numerous churches tower above the
23

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
housetops. A group of early Bostonians occupy the
foreground of the picture, gowned in the fashion of the
early nineteenth century, a style of dress which pre
vails in all of the old-china prints.
Early Boston fringed the harbor, the western limit of
the city until after the Revolution being the foot of the
Common on the margin of the Back Bay ; Boylston Street
was "Frog Pond" well into the nineteenth century; and,
until after the Revolutionary War, the western reach
of Beacon Hill was but a place of pasture for cows,
whereon the barberry and the wild rose grew at will.
In early nineteenth-century years, Boston numbered be
tween fifty and eighty thousand inhabitants and was a
city eminently English in character and appearance, al
though after independence had been declared an attempt
had been made to efface the hated British stamp by
changing the names of some of the streets — King and
Queen, for instance, to State and Court. But symbols
over shop doors still reflected London, taverns bore the
signs of famous London inns, and even to this day some
obscure court or alley may be found clinging to its first
London-flavored name.
Unique among the features of American cities is Bos
ton Common, a spacious park in the heart of the business
and shopping district. The Common was a portion of
the estate purchased of William Blackstone, laid out for
use, old chronicles record, as "a training field and the
24

BOSTON FROM CHELSEA HEIGHTS, 18
(C.C.)

HARVARD CAMPUS AND HALLS
(E. W. &¦ 5.)

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
feeding of cattle." The chronicle also states that all
perspns admitted to inhabit Boston were "to have equal
rights of Commonage, others not unless they inherit it."
It was further ordered that but seventy "milch kine"
might be kept on the Common, but that "Elder Oliver's
horse may go there," and that a fine be imposed for any
cow or horse except the seventy "if found upon ye Neck."
A delightful letter written by an English visitor to Bos
ton in the year 1740 gives a picture not only of the Com
mon, but also of the habits and customs of early Boston-
ians. He says : "For their domestic amusement, every
afternoon after drinking tea, the gentlemen and ladies
walk the Mall, and from thence adjourn to one another's
houses to spend the evening — those that are not disposed
to attend the evening lectures, which they may do, if they
please, six nights in seven the year round. What they
call the Mall is a walk on a fine green Common adjoining
to the southwest side of the Town. It is near half a mile
over, with two rows of young trees planted opposite to
each other, with a fine footway between in imitation of
St. James's Park; and part of the bay of the sea which
encircles the Town, taking its course along the north
west side of the Common — by which it is bounded on the
one side, and by the country on the other — forms a beau
tiful canal in view of the walk."
Upon the Common, in Colonial times, the British
troops set up camps and reviewed, the uneven surface of
25

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
the ground where they dug their cellars and pitched their
tents being still visible at the time the present sketch of
the Common was made, probably about the year 1820.
Upon the Common, for two hundred and fifty years, the
famous Liberty Elm stood, from whose limbs, old records
say, witches were tortured, Quakers hung, and, in Revo
lutionary times, the effigy of a hated Britsh officer some
times dangled. Upon the Common, on the eve of April
16, 1775, the British troops assembled before marching
upon Lexington and Concord; here, upon June 17 of the
same year, the redcoats gathered before setting out to
quell the rebellion at Bunker Hill; and later, upon this
same ground, the Revolution ended and independence de
clared, the British army paraded under General Howe
before leaving the city forever.
The "feeding of cattle" upon the Common continued
long after Boston became a populous city, and as late as
the year 1830 (when laws were enacted to put an end
to the practice) the tinkling of cow bells and the lowing
of cattle, as the animals made their way to and from the
pasture ground, were pleasant and homely sounds to be
heard about its hills and dales. The illustration presents
several of the early Boston cows contentedly dozing in
the shade of the trees, the winding paths which they have
worn being, it is claimed, the original tracings of certain
streets — a saying which reached the ears of the English
potters and inspired the memorial of a Liverpool pitcher
26

BOSTON COMMON— STATE HOUSE AND DWELLINGS
(Stubbs)

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, BOSTON
(Ridgway)

LAWRENCE MANSION, BOSTON
Near Corner Park St. and Beacon St., Facing Common-
Spire of Park St. Church Rises above Roof
(Ralph Stevenson)

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
inscribed, "Success to the Crooked but Interesting Town
of Boston."
A number of interesting details of the Common and
its neighborhood as it appeared a century ago may be
studied in the platter decoration — the fence which was
put up in 1820 to inclose Beacon Mall; the tree-bordered
Mall itself along which equestrians are pictured as pass
ing; and the newly erected mansions facing the Common
upon Park and Beacon streets. Park Street had been
laid out in 1802 as a dignified approach to the new State
House, the street itself as well as the mansions which
lined it being designed by Bulfinch, the architect of the
State House and the greatest early exponent of the
classic revival in American architecture. Beacon Street
was originally known as "the lane which led to the Alms
house," the public home for the poor being situated upon
the corner of the present Park and Beacon streets. By
the side of the Almshouse stood the Bridewell and the
Workhouse, and where Park Street Church stands was
the city granary. These buildings had all been removed
at the time the present sketch was made, the homes of
Boston's Fathers occupying their sites. The house im
mediately at the right of the State House in the illustra
tion was the home of Joseph Coolidge, the tall one below
it, at the corner of Park and Beacon streets, being the
Thomas Amory mansion which was built on the site of
the old gambrel-roof ed Almshouse. In later years the
27

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Amory house was divided into four dwellings, the Hon.
George Ticknor home being the part which faced the
Common; in 1825 the entire mansion was rented for the
use of General Lafayette and his suite. The last house
at the right was for many years the home of Governor
Christopher Gore, and below this stood the dwelling of
Josiah Quincy, Jr. At the extreme left of the platter
sketch may be seen the home of the Hon. John
Phillips, father of Wendell Phillips and first mayor of
Boston. By its side stands the home of Dr. John Joy,
and, overtopping this, the Thomas Perkins mansion.
At the left of the State House may be seen the Hancock
mansion, a separate picture of which is also presented,
but this view is of peculiar interest as showing the
wooden wing which was added for the purpose of fur
nishing a more spacious apartment for the balls and re
ceptions for which the mansion became famous.
Several of these old time Bostonians lie to-day in the
burial plot in the Common before their doors.
With the passing of the years, Romance has also added
its touch to the old Common, many a courtship having
been carried on while strolling through its shady paths —
"Whom does Arabella walk with now?" was in olden
times a significant question in circles of gossiping friends
or in anxious deliberations of family counsels. To-day,
at the entrance to the Long Mall which starts at Beacon
Street Mall and runs across the Common's length to Tre-
28

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
mont and Boylston streets, one may read the sign "Oliver
Wendell Holmes Path," a title given it from the follow
ing pretty story of the Autocrat's proposal to the school
mistress: "We called it the long path and were fond
of it. I felt very weak indeed (though of a tolerably
robust habit) as we came opposite the head of this path
on that morning. I think I tried to speak twice without
making myself distinctly audible. At last I got out the
question, 'Will you take the long path with me ?' 'Cer
tainly,' said the schoolmistress, 'with much pleasure.'
'Think,' I said, 'before you answer ; if you take the long
path with me now, I shall interpret it that we are to part
no more !' The schoolmistress stepped back with a sud
den movement, as if an arrow had struck her. One of
the long granite blocks used as seats was hard by, 'Pray,
sit down,' I said. 'No, no,' she answered softly, T will
walk the long path with you.' " Reduced to-day to about
fifty acres, the old Common is regarded with something
akin to reverence by the older generation of Bostonians,
and, although from time to time encroachments have
been made upon its territory, public opinion may be
counted upon to rise in indignation at any suggestion of
radical interference with its quiet and dignified acres.
The most important building facing the Common is
the State House, once a favorite subject for the decora
tion of Staffordshire dinner-sets, and later, as Dr.
Holmes declared, the "hub of the entire solar system."
29

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
The State House was designed by Bulfinch on classic
lines and in a style of elegance heretofore unknown in
the city, its columned facade and gilded dome always
distinguishing it and ranging it even at the present day
among the splendid buildings of the United States. The
State House was erected upon a portion of Governor
Hancock's pasture lot, purchased in 1795, upon the
Fourth of July of the same year, Samuel Adams laying
the corner-stone and dedicating the pile forever to the
"cause of liberty and the rights of man." Until quite
recent years, the summit of Beacon Hill ran up behind
the State House and was about even with the base of the
dome ; the hill has since been graded down about 80 feet
and the material used for filling in the low lands of Back
Bay. The gilded dome was long visible far out in the
harbor and was a glorified descendant of that tiny bea
con which, in primitive times, hung from a pole upon
this spot and, like its prototype in the little Boston town
of Old England, guided incoming mariners to port.
After having been several times enlarged, Boston State
House is perhaps Boston's most interesting structure,
sheltering numerous relics of its historic past.
Facing Beacon Street, "the sunny street that holds the
sifted few," as Dr. Holmes dubbed the aristocratic thor
oughfare, for many years stood the Hancock mansion, a
dwelling which acquired such wide-spread fame that it
was made the subject of a separate design for china deco-
30

HANCOCK HOUSE, BOSTON
(Jackson)

BOSTON STATE HOUSE
Chaise in Foreground
(Rogers)

UNIVERSITY HALL, HARVARD COLLEGE
BUILT 1815
(R. S. W. or R. S. cf W.)

HARVARD COLLEGE BUILDINGS
(E. W. & S)

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
ration. Built in the year 1737 by Thomas Hancock, to
this home came Dorothy Quincy as the bride of his
nephew, Governor John Hancock, and here for many
years she reigned as first lady of the State. The house
was a substantial structure, the dormer windows giving
a broad view of the city and of the harbor. A low
stone wall protected the grounds from the street, and
guests passed through the gate up the paved walk and
the stone steps into the broad entrance hall. At the
right of the hall was the drawing room furnished in
bird's-eye maple covered with rich damask, and be
yond was the spacious dining room in which Gov
ernor Hancock gave his famous banquets — one of
them being a breakfast to the French Admiral d'Es-
taing at the time his ship was anchored in the harbor.
Gossip whispers that the French Admiral brought along
so many of his officers and men to the breakfast that
Mistress Dorothy's wits were hard pressed to find food
enough to go around, and she was obliged to send the
cooks out to borrow cakes of her friends and to milk the
cows on the Common. At the left of the hall was the
family drawing room, its walls covered with crimson
paper, from it an exit leading to a formal garden. The
Hancock House was pillaged by British soldiers at the
time of Lexington fight, when orders came from England
to hang the "Proscribed Patriots," John Hancock and
his friend Samuel Adams — orders which failed of exe-
31

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
cution, however, but which inspired the decoration of a
set of Liverpool pitchers (described in another chapter),
as well as the following lines of a British rhymster :
As for their King, John Hancock,
And Adams, if they're taken,
Their heads for signs shall hang up high
Upon that Hill called Beacon.
The Lawrence mansion, a view of which with the top
of the spire of Park Street church visible above its roof
is here presented, was a near neighbor of the celebrated
Amory mansion on Park Street. It was occupied by
the Hon. Abbott Lawrence, of the firm of distin
guished merchants "A. & A. Lawrence," who in 1849 was
minister of the United States to the Court of St. James.
The house is now, on the authority of an old Bostonian,
No. 8 Park Street, the home of the Union Club.
The Suffolk County Court House, a view of which is
one of the interesting souvenirs of the Boston of the
Fathers to be found printed upon tableware in the rich
deep blues of Staffordshire manufacture, was erected in
the year 1810 from a design by the architect Bulfinch. It
was an interesting structure, with an octagonal center
flanked by two wings. Until the year 1862, the build
ing served as City Hall as well as Court House, in that
year having been demolished to make room for a City
Hall of more modern construction.
Among the church edifices of early Boston pictured
32

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
upon pottery, one searches in vain for the historic Old
South and Old North which played such active parts in
driving the English from America, the artists for some
reason having overlooked them in their quest for Ameri
can views. King's Chapel, the "perfectly felicitous"
Park Street church, and Christ church are also missing,
two church buildings only having been reproduced for
china decoration — Saint Paul's and the New South or
Octagon Church. Saint Paul's church, now the Episco
pal Cathedral, is to-day, like its namesake in New York,
hemmed about with tall modern structures which serve
to dwarf its modest proportions. Saint Paul's dates
from the year 1 8 19, it being the fourth Episcopal church
to be built in Boston. The congregation of the old
church, wishing a new and impressive edifice, erected
this handsome Grecian-like temple of stone which Phil
lips Brooks pronounced "a triumph of architectural
beauty and of fitness for the church's service." The
architects were Alexander Parris and Solomon Willard,
the last named being also the architect of the Bunker Hill
Monument which is presented in another chapter. In
their design they gave full expression to the Revival of
Greek thought which at the time was beginning to make
itself felt in the architecture of the country, Willard him
self carving the Ionic capitals. The original plan called
for a bas-relief in the pediment somewhat after the idea
of the pediment sculptures of the Parthenon, represent-
33

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
ing Paul preaching at Athens ; but the funds proved in
sufficient, and the temporary stone was destined to be
come a permanent fixture. Underneath the church were
several tombs, one of which being for a time the resting
place of the body of General Warren who fell at Bunker
Hill. The series of old china illustrations now conducts the
historian of early Boston to Church Green in Summer
Street, a plot of ground in the south end of the city, the
original petition for a grant of which for the purpose of
erecting a church thereon declaring, that it was "by its
situation and name no doubt intended by our forefathers
for that purpose." The original edifice was erected in
1 717, Mr. Wadsworfh of the Old South and Dr. Cotton
Mather of the Old North preaching the dedicatory ser
mons. The church was called the New South Meeting
House to distinguish it from the Old South, and was
considered the handsomest edifice in Boston. The
representation here given is of the structure rebuilt in
1 8 14, its octagonal form a marked departure from the
customary at that period, whence it received its popular
name, "Octagon Church," printed upon the back of the
pieces of pottery which illustrate it. The design was
one of Bulfinch's and the material was granite, a tall
slender spire and a portico supported by Doric columns
being characteristic features. At the time the Octagon
Church was built an uninterrupted view of the harbor
34

OCTAGON CHURCH, OR NEW SOUTH CHURCH,
BOSTON
(Ridgway)

BOSTON HOSPITAL
(Massachusetts General Hospital)
(Ralph Stevenson)

INSANE HOSPITAL, BOSTON
(Ridgway)

MITCHELL AND FREEMAN'S CHINA AND GLASS
WAREHOUSE— CHATHAM ST., BOSTON
(Wm. Adams)

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
might have been had from its door, but sixty years later
the city had reached such proportions that the edifice
was demolished and its site occupied by business blocks.
A curious style of carriage, with postilion in attendance,
is an interesting detail of the composition, while in the
background appear the homes of two of Boston's
Fathers, Nathaniel Goddard and James H. Foster.
A view of the Massachusetts General Hospital was
naturally selected by the English artists in search of
decoration for their pottery, for it was one of Boston's
most imposing foundations, its architect being the
famous Charles Bulfinch. The Hospital building was
erected in the year 1821, was 168 feet long and 54 feet
wide, built of granite and adorned with an Ionic col
umned portico; the large wings were added in 1846. It
is on record that within these walls ether was first used
in a surgical operation of magnitude. The foundation
was the recipient of large endowments, among them the
notable bequest of John McLean, which made possible
the purchase of other buildings for the use of insane pa
tients, one of these buildings, known as the McLean
Hospital, being the subject of a separate illustration.
The Insane Hospital was originally the home of Jos
eph Barrell, a wealthy merchant, and was also designed
by Bulfinch. The estate, which was noted for its beauti
ful gardens, was purchased in 18 18 for the Massachu
setts General Hospital Corporation, at which time the
35

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
wings were added and other changes made in order to
fit it for a home for the insane.
Of especial interest to the collector of Staffordshire
pottery is the specimen entitled, Mitchell & Freeman's
China and Glass Warehouse, Chatham St., Boston,
Massachusetts. Here is pictured a building which stood
from 1828-32, a commodious warehouse of the early type
situated not far from the wharf. Within its walls no
doubt some of the historic blue pottery was received and
stored upon its arrival from England, to be distributed
later on among the homes of our New England ances
tors. At the curb may be observed several boxes or
bales, and workmen about to carry them into the build
ing, and upon the opposite side of the street stands an
other large block of warehouses. Looking down the
street in the direction of the harbor, one may see evi
dences of the extensive foreign and coast trade in which
Boston for many years took the lead over other Ameri
can cities. The tall masts and spars of brigs and
schooners, the view dating from a period before steam
boats were in common use, bespeak one of the sources of
the city's pride a century and less ago — its waterfront
stretching from north to south, indented and built up
with spacious docks and numerous wharves than which
no port on the Atlantic could boast of better, and flanked
with fine warehouses. For many years a wealth of
commerce was carried on between Boston and the prin-
36

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
cipal ports of Europe, Asia, Africa, South America,
the West Indies and the West Coast.
The city Almshouse originally stood in Park Street
at the corner of Beacon, as has already been stated.
This building was burned, and in the year 1800 the
"New Almshouse" was erected at the river bank near
the site of the old Lowell depot, where it stood, as it ap
pears in the illustration, until 1825, when the ground
was needed for the laying out of new streets. The
structure was quite ornate, being fashioned of brick,
270 feet long,, with commodious wings, arched windows
and an ornamental pediment; on either gable stood a
carved figure of ancient origin.
In the picture of the Athenaeum building one looks
upon the meeting place of an association of Boston
Fathers of literary taste, who about the year 1810 estab
lished a small library and reading room. In twelve
years the library had grown to ten thousand volumes,
and the association removed to the larger quarters of
this house. The collection of books made by the Ath
enaeum society was the nucleus of the magnificent Bos
ton Public Library of to-day, one of the most notable
institutions of which the United States can boast. In
the present Athenaeum building, is preserved a plate like
the one here shown, accompanied with the following
explanatory note : "This building stood in Pearl Street
and one half was given by Mr. James Perkins, the other
37

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
half bought of Mr. Cochran in 1822, and the whole
occupied by the Athenaeum until 1849."
Did the Boston Fathers of the struggling, stormy years
of Republic-building find time to yield to the allurements
of the beautiful seashores which lay so near their door?
That they did so is proven by two views of the still popu
lar resort of Nahant with which at least two Stafford
shire potters decorated sets of blue tableware. In the
view here reproduced, the famous inn at Nahant occu
pies the center of the sketch, with the rugged rocks in
the foreground presenting much the same appearance
that they do at the present day. The inn was built of
stone, surrounded with wooden verandas and had 100
rooms ; it was the first hotel to be erected at that point.
Shooting and fishing and dining upon sea foods were, a
century ago, the same as to-day, the attractions of Na
hant, the well-to-do inhabitants of Boston driving out
in their stylish turnouts, one of which, a cabriolet with
horses tandem, is presented in the picture; poorer folk
patronized the little steamer called the Eagle, which
may be discerned in the distance, and which once a day
plied to and fro between the city and Nahant.
In the strange, wilderness country of America, the
sight of the imposing Halls of Harvard College must
have aroused in the minds of the foreign artists an in
terest second only to that inspired by the natural beau
ties of the Niagara cataract. And too, the sight must
38

BOSTON ALMSHOUSE
(Ralph Stevenson)

BOSTON ATHENAEUM
(Ridgway)

NAHANT HOTEL, BOSTON
(Stubbs)

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
have bespoken to them the quality of those pioneer set
tlers who, before every other consideration, planned so
well for the instruction of youth. Nearly a dozen dif
ferent views of Harvard were secured and reproduced
in various colors, some sketches presenting the entire
campus surrounded with its famous Halls, others one
Hall alone.
The first settlers of New England, at a time before
adequate provision had been made for food, shelter or
civil government, recognized the importance of higher
education and began at once the founding of a Uni
versity. In 1636, the Governor of the Colony pledged
£400 for the undertaking; the following year, the site
was chosen at Newtown, the name of the suburb soon
afterwards being changed to Cambridge, not only to tell
whence the settlers came, but, as has been aptly said,
in order to indicate "the high destiny to which they in
tended the institution should aspire." In 1638, John
Harvard with his gift of about £800, together with his
library of 320 volumes, toward the endowment of the
college, made the project a certainty — the foundation, in
gratitude, receiving his name. The avowed object of
Harvard was the training of young men for the minis
try, one of the first rules for students enjoining that
they "lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of
all sound knowledge and learning" — a rule in perfect
accord with the principles which led the Puritans to
39

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
America. Next to religious training was placed the
classical, for those days marked the beginning of the
period in this country, now almost disappeared, in which
a person without a classical training "might be ashamed
to count himself a scholar." In 1642 and succeeding
years, the following conditions for admission to Har
vard were in force: "Whoever shall be able to read
Cicero or any other such like classical authors at sight
and make and speak true Latin in verse and prose, suo
ut aiunt Marte, and decline perfectly the paradigms of
nouns and verbs in the Greek tongue : Let him then and
not before be capable of admission into the college." It
is not to be wondered, therefore, that as early as 1719,
a Londoner making the grand tour of America recorded
in a book of his impressions of the country the follow
ing lines concerning Boston: "It appears that Hu
manity and the Knowledge of Letters flourish more
here than in all the other English Plantations put to
gether; for in the City of New York there is but one
Bookseller's Shop, and in the Plantations of Virginia,
Maryland, Carolina, Barbadoes, and the Islands, none
at all."
At the present time, after the lapse of over three cen
turies, it is interesting to read the regulations govern
ing the conduct of freshmen toward the members of
that first college community in America. A freshman
was not allowed to wear his hat in the college yard, "un-
40

"THE INTERESTING TOWN OF BOSTON"
less it rains, hails or snows, provided he be on foot and
have not both hands full" ; he must not have it on in a
senior's chamber, or in his own, if a senior be there ; he
must go on errands for seniors, graduates or under
graduates. All students were admonished to honor
their parents, the magistrates, tutors, elders, by being
silent in their presence except when called upon to speak ;
to salute them with a bow and stand uncovered. They
were also forbidden to speak upon the college grounds
in any language but Latin, and must not, until invested
with the first degree, be addressed by the surname. Im
agination fails to picture any marked display of ex
uberance of spirits under the restraint of the Latin
tongue !
Flogging was an authorized mode of punishment in
earliest times, the president in the beginning personally
attending to it; later on, it was administered by the
prison-keeper at Cambridge in the college library, in the
presence of all who cared to be present. Prayer was
offered by the president, after which the prison-keeper
"attended to the performance of his part of the work;"
the "solemn exercise" then closed with prayer, after
which the chastised was required to sit alone uncovered
at meals as long as the president and fellows should
order. In the years succeeding, plum cake, dancing,
swearing, punch, flip, lying, stealing, playing at sleeping
at public worship or prayers, and similar irregularities
41

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
crept in and caused such trouble that a committee re
ported the college "in a weak and declining state;"
whereupon a more rigid set of rules came in force, in
keeping with the changing conditions of society.
Harvard was from the first of its inception so gener
ously sustained with gifts and endowments that at the
time the drawings for pottery decoration were executed
the College boasted an imposing array of Halls, some
of them the gifts of or memorials to individuals — Har
vard, University, Hollis, Holworthy, Stoughton, etc. —
in striking contrast to the lone building which, until
the year 1857, was the home of Columbia in New York.
An interesting view of old University Hall is in the
author's collection — a six-inch plate printed in deep rich
blue and framed in the acorn and oak leaf border of the
Stevenson potteries. The mark upon the back of the
plate, within a flowered scroll, is incorrectly printed,
"Scudder's Museum." (See Frontispiece to this chap
ter.)

42

FORT HAMILTON, NEW YORK
(Godwin)

RUINS OF MERCHANTS ' EXCHANGE
( Unknown Maker)

CHAPTER III
OLD NEW YORK
AS one makes his way at the present time from the
Battery through the rambling, canyon-like and
crowded streets of lower New York, his mind filled with
visions of the city of the Past, he searches almost in
vain for a sight of its most ancient landmarks. Where,
in the confusion of sight and sound, was located the in-
closure within which stood the "mighty and impregnable
fort," sheltering under its protecting walls the neat
brick-fronted and tiled-roofed homes, set in luxuriant
cabbage gardens, of the Dutch settlers of New Amster
dam ? Where were their "bouweries," or farms, "slop
ing down to the river," which left the old Dutch name
an inheritance to the Present ? Where was the Bowling
Green, and where stood Peter Stuyvesant's wall, with
its gate through which the cows of the burghers went
daily to pasture upon the Commons, — and, where was
the famous Commons? Strolling up Broadway, one
looks about for the more pretentious structures —
churches, taverns, theaters and municipal buildings —
erected by the English occupants under whom the city
43

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
became New York; and his search is rewarded by a
glimpse now and then of an historic structure hidden
away in a corner of the valley-like thoroughfares or
crouching modestly in the shadow of some towering
modern pile.
Next to Boston, New York was the most important
city of early America, and the English artists naturally
were at pains to secure sketches of its most imposing
structures, views of its streets, its harbor, and of the
life of its people. A study of these prints as reproduced
upon pottery reveals to us, therefore, a very compre
hensive idea of the topography and the customs of the
old city.
The harbor itself as one views its shores to-day from
Battery Point is little changed since the time, over
three centuries ago, when Hendrick Hudson turned the
prow of the Half Moon into its unknown waters, little
doubting that it was the much-looked-for passage to
China; or when, about one hundred years ago, the
sketches of the spot upon which, the Dutch navigator
said, "the eye might revel forever in ever-new and never-
ending beauties" were printed upon the blue platters
entitled, "New York from Brooklyn Heights" and
"New York from Weehawk" — the platters which to-day
bring the almost fabulous prices. Nowhere can there
be found a more interesting commentary upon the
growth of the city during the past century than is pre-
44

OLD NEW YORK
sented by the first two illustrations, one a view from
"Brooklyn and the other from the shores of New Jersey.
In place of the massed group of towers whose outlines
call forcibly to mind the silhouettes of the towered cities
of mediaeval Italy, together with the vast and varied
shipping of the world, which at the present time meets
the gaze of one approaching New York from the sea,
here may be seen a collection of low buildings loosely
filling the point of Manhattan Island, with about a dozen
church spires rising from the level of the roofs. Sev
eral varieties of vessels, all sailing craft, are upon the
waters of the bay ; a windmill, no doubt a relic of Dutch
times, appears in the view from Brooklyn Heights;
while, looking from the Jersey shore, the distant Nar
rows may be discerned, the rolling shores of Long Is
land, and, nearer still, a fair-sized island intended per
haps for Staten Island. In the left foreground of the
view from "Weehawk," as the name is printed upon the
back of the platter, a Dutch homestead is pictured, with
sloping-roofed farm buildings snugly nestled within the
shelter of a grove of tall pine trees, a circular driveway
bordered with a neat fence leading to them through the
grounds. We are indebted for these interesting views
of old New York to W. G. Wall, Esq., the Irish artist,
who came to the United States in the year 1818, set up
his easel in these sightly places, painted what he saw
and sent his sketches to the Stevenson potteries in Co-
45

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
bridge, Staffordshire, for reproduction. The same
border of roses and scrolls encircles the two views, but
the blue in which they are printed is less intense and
more transparent than the blue of the Enoch Wood pot
teries. At the time of his visit to New York, Wall also
executed views of Fort Gansevoort, Columbia College
and City Hall; the "Troy from Mt. Ida," which is pre
sented in a previous chapter, as well as the imaginative
"Temple of Fame" in honor of Commodore Perry, re
produced in a later chapter, being likewise from his
hand. Bordering upon the harbor at the foot of the settle
ment which comprised New York in Colonial times was
an open piece of ground known as The Battery, two ex
cellent views of which are presented. The Battery, as
its military name suggests, was originally the outworks
to Fort Manhattan, known later under Dutch rule as
Fort Amsterdam (the English destroying it in 1789),
which Peter Stuyvesant erected to protect the seaboard
at the point of the island — formidable mud batteries
solidly faced, "after the manner of Dutch ovens common
in his day, with clam shells." As time went on, the bul
warks became overrun with a carpet of grass and the
embankment shaded with spreading trees. Here the old
burghers in times of peace would repair of an afternoon
to smoke their pipes under the branches, while for the
young men and maidens the embankment became a favo-
46

VIEW OF NEW YORK FROM BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
From a Painting by W. G. Wall
(A. Stevenson)

BATTERY WALK— FORT CLINTON
(Wood)

OLD NEW YORK
rite haunt for moonlight strolls ; and so, from a place of
war-like defense, the Battery Walk became renowned
as a rendezvous for the delights of peace — the fashion
able promenade, or "Esplanade," whereon of a Sunday
afternoon the Dutch housewives and the English
matrons were wont to walk up and down in the shade of
the trees, enjoy the Seabreeze and flaunt their bravest
finery for all their world to admire. In the illustrations,
several of the old-time ladies and gentlemen may be seen
strolling along the paths, sitting upon the benches or
stopping to chat with their neighbors, the ladies in large
poke bonnets, pointed shawls and narrow, high-waisted
skirts, with tiny sun-shades in their hands; while their
escorts appear every whit as fine as they, arrayed in long
full-skirted coats, broad brimmed hats and white
trousers, sporting slender walking sticks — a valuable
record of the topography, the customs and the fashions
of Colonial New York. Plying the waters of the harbor
many pleasure boats may be seen, in the distance Gov
ernor's Island is faintly outlined, and, nearer by, is Fort
Clinton, connected with the mainland by a foot-bridge.
The strollers upon the Esplanade were accustomed to re
pair to the nearby ornamental structure built around the
historic flagstaff, where luncheon and music were to be
found, the view of the Flagstaff Pavilion which is here
given being, it has been said, the only existing record of
that popular resort which until the time Fort Clinton was
47

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
turned into Castle Garden was the sole amusement place
thereabout. Castle Garden, in recent years the landing place of
immigrants and at the present time a municipal Aqua
rium, was a favorite subject for china decoration, a
number of Staffordshire potters making use of it.
Originally as Castle Clinton erected in 1807 upon an out
lying rock, the structure was a fort for the defense of
the English town and was reached from the Battery,
as the illustrations show, by a bridge three hundred
yards long — a space filled in later on and made a por
tion of Battery Walk. In the year 1824, the building
was leased to private individuals and transformed into
an in-door garden, with its name changed to Castle
Garden. Its floor was elaborately laid out as a garden,
with pieces of statuary to ornament its walks, and a
stage was erected at the north end, where concerts were
given at intervals, refreshments being meanwhile sold
to the audience. Six thousand people easily found room
for recreation within its walls, and upon various occa
sions as many as ten thousand were in the garden at
one time. Here was held the famous Fete in honor of
General Lafayette when he was the guest of the na
tion, a description of which may be found in a subse
quent chapter. A few years later, the place became
more distinctly a play-house, and, later still, the home
of Grand Opera in America where such operas as
48

OLD NEW YORK
"Ernani," "Norma" and "La Somnambula" were sung —
the crowning occasion, however, being the appearance in
four concerts, in the year 1850, of Jenny Lind, under the
management of P. T. Barnum. Castle Garden's career
as a theater ended in 1855, when the building was turned
into a depot for immigrants. At the present time, the
elaborate display of marine life within its walls makes
of the old fort and theater a fascinating and valuable
educational center.
Leaving the Battery, one shortly finds himself in
Bowling Green, the little park which still clings to the
name the Dutch gave it when they appropriated this
plot of ground in the midst of their settlement for their
favorite game. The small, fountain centered spot, set
to-day like a tiny pool at the foot of the cliff -like build
ings which surround it, was long the center of both
Holland's New Amsterdam and England's young New
York — the village green where maypoles were erected
and fairs were held; where the market place stood, the
parade ground, the shambles; and where was smoked
the Indian pipe of peace. Upon this spot the doughty
Governor Stuyvesant surrendered his sword to the Eng
lish officers ; later on, bonfires were kindled in Bowling
Green when the hated Stamp Act was repealed, the
grateful people erecting here an equestrian statue of
King George the Third — only to pull it down as soon as
independence was declared. At the same time, the
49

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
angry populace tore away the iron crowns which decor
ated the fence around the green, traces of their work
of destruction still being visible as the fence itself sur
vives to the present time. The first post-office, whence
the mounted post for Boston set out, stood on Bowling
Green, and the Executive Mansion after Washington's
first inaugural, the building later on, when the national
capital had been removed to Washington, being used
as the Governor's House, before the state capital was
removed to Albany. The fountain was placed in Bowl
ing Green at the time Croton water was brought into
New York, the mansions of the fashionable folk of the
city still lining its sides. In recent years steamship busi
ness took possession of the place, and to-day history-
crowded Bowling Green is known only as the terminus
of the surface railway on Broadway.
Here begins Broadway, beloved of all New Yorkers,
"the greatest street in the world." At the present time,
as the searcher for memorials of the historic Past joins
its hurrying throng, in imagination there comes to him,
amid the confusing sounds of tramping feet and of
strident street-car bells, a faint echo of "Sweep, ho!
Sweep, ho! From the bottom to the top! Without a
ladder or a rope ! Sweep, ho ! Sweep, ho ! Sweep !" —
the cry of the chimney sweeps familiar here but little
over a century ago. In those same days, thousands of
hogs roamed Broadway, the only garbage collectors the
5o

OLD NEW YORK
city knew ! Sidewalks came in 1790, the first ones being
of brick and set unevenly. Benjamin Franklin used to
say that he could always tell a New Yorker upon the
smooth pavements of Philadelphia by his shuffling gate,
"like a parrot upon a mahogany table" ; twenty-five years
later, however, visitors to New York remarked upon the
city's "neat houses and fine pavements."
At the corner of Broadway and Wall Street the
searcher pauses, for at this point cluster many memories
of old New York, several of which are called to mind
by the illustrations. Facing Wall Street near the spot
where Trinity Church now stands, in Dutch times there
opened upon Broadway the "Land Poort," one of the
gates to the picket-wall which Governor Stuyvesant
built across the island above the settlement in order to
shut out the Indians from the north and to protect his
people from a dreaded attack of the English who were
established in Massachusetts. The wall stretched along
the course of Wall Street, which received its name there
from, and through the Land Poort the cattle of the
Dutch citizens passed each morning, the village herds
man going the rounds oT the streets blowing a horn, at
which the settlers turned their cattle out from their
yards, and forming them into a common herd and driv
ing them up to the pasture called the Commons, or
Fields; in the evening, the herdsman drove the cattle
back to the gate, through which they made their own
Si

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
way home. The paths through the bushes which the
cattle established in their daily rounds became in the
course of time lined with houses — the origin, it is re
corded, of the rambling and picturesque turns and laby
rinths which distinguish certain streets of lower New
York to this day.
A few steps from the corner of Broadway, facing
Wall Street, the first Federal Building or City Hall
stood in Colonial times, from the balcony of which
George Washington took oath as first president of the
United States. Several popular inns were within a
short walk of this corner, one of them, Fraunce's Tav
ern, still remaining at Broad and Pearl streets, its rooms
thronged with memories of New York's early days.
The visitor mounts the low steps to the Colonial door,
thoughts of Washington filling his mind, for this inn was
his headquarters in Revolutionary days, and in 1783,
after peace had been declared, in its assembly hall he
bade farewell to the officers of the Continental army.
One sounds the old-time knocker upon the door, when
lo ! is it a spirit of the Past who, clad in powdered wig,
full-skirted coat, knee-breeches and buckled shoes,
attends? Some Colonial officer, mayhap, stepped out
from audience with his chief? He politely leads the
visitor to the assembly hall above and ushers him within
its door. The inscriptions upon the memorial tablets
over the mantels first claim attention ; then, in fancy, he
52

NEW YORK FROM WEEHAWK
From the Painting by W. G. Wall
The $1,225.00 platter owned by Mr. George Kellogg, of Amsterdam, N. Y.

COLUMBIA COLLEGE
(R. S. W.)

w»

umgffir*

PARK THEATER
(R. S. W.)

OLD NEW YORK
turns and looks upon the long table spread, the officers
one by one taking leave of their beloved General ; at last,
the mind's eye follows from the window the little group
as it winds its way through the streets to the waiting
vessel at the dock. ... A luncheon partaken in the
room below, in company with the spirits of the Past and
the pleasure seekers of Today, concludes the visit.
Above Wall Street, upon Broadway between Thomas
and Cedar streets, stood what was in its day the most
famous inn in America — the City Hotel, erected in the
year 1792. The illustration shows it to have been a
plain structure, five stories high, a veritable sky-scraper
of its time, old chronicles proudly stating that the City
Hotel was visible as far away as the shores of Brooklyn
and New Jersey. The City Hotel contained 78 rooms,
and, until the Astor House was erected in 1836, it was
New York's best-known hostelry, famed far and wide
not only for the splendor of its accommodations and its
entertainments but also for the importance of its guests.
During the period of the War of 18 12, five hundred
gentlemen sat down in its long dining hall to a dinner in
honor of the gallant and successful naval Commodores
Hull, Decatur and Jones. On Saturday eve, February
11, 1815, Henry Carroll, a secretary to the American
envoys, alighted before the door of the City Hotel, bring
ing from Europe such joyful news that all Broadway
became quickly illumined and men with lighted candles
S3

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
in their hands marched up and down the street — the
news of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, that com
pact the keeping of which for one hundred years the con
tracting parties a few months ago celebrated with keen
satisfaction. In the year 1824, a banner stretched
above the door of the City Hotel announced that
the inn was the home of General Lafayette while
he was the city's guest; some years later, Charles
Dickens was tendered a banquet at the City Ho
tel, Washington Irving being master of the brilliant
toasts. But those history-making days were also primi
tive times, for behold in the illustration the load of wood
in the street waiting to be sawed and stored away, New
York having at that time no coal. And upon the side
walk may be noted one of the many pumps which stood
at intervals along Broadway — the chief source of city
water until the year 1842, when Croton water was intro
duced. The spire of Old Trinity, as it appeared in 1788
before the present structure was erected, is visible in
the distance. The portraits of Washington and Lafa
yette appear at the top of the design, with a view of the
aqueduct bridge of the Erie Canal at the bottom, this
piece of china having probably been made in honor of
the famous visit of the "Nation's Guest."
Of the numerous church edifices whose spires may be
seen in the view of New York from the Brooklyn and
New Jersey shores, three only are pictured upon pottery
54

OLD NEW YORK
— Saint Paul's Chapel, the Murray Street church and
the Roman Catholic Cathedral. It is to be regretted
that no sketch of Old Trinity, the mother church of New
York, found its way to England for use as pottery
decoration. Saint Paul's Chapel, the oldest of the
chapels of Trinity parish and second only in historical
importance to the mother church, stands to-day, as the
illustration pictures it, with its back turned to Broadway
at the corner of Vesey Street, which was as far uptown
as Broadway extended when St. Paul's was built, all
traffic turning off there to the Boston Post Road, now
as of old keeping guard over its quiet God's acre
(which when this sketch was made sloped to the
river), and appearing each year a little more bowed
and ancient in contrast with the tall structures which
arise around it; for Saint Paul's, whose corner
stone was laid in 1756, is of greater age than any
other public building in New York. As the sketch pic
tures, the architecture of Saint Paul's is simple and im
pressive, an excellent example of church design of a cen
tury and a half ago, with its rectangular body, columned
portal and exquisite spire which calls to mind one of
Sir Christopher Wren's conceptions. The spacious in
terior of the Chapel is of interest, both for its architect
ural beauties and for the hints it gives of the taste and
ideas of splendor which belonged to the men of the past.
At the time New York was the country's capital, Presi-
55

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
dent Washington attended service at Saint Paul's, and
his square pew marked with the Arms of the United
States is still shown to visitors; upon the opposite side
of the nave, designated by the Arms of New York
state, is the pew of New York State's first governor,
George Clinton. An urn in the portico contains the
body of the young and brave General Richard Mont
gomery, a former parishioner, who in the first year of
the Revolution lost his life before Quebec. The memo
rial, an elaborate one of bronze, was authorized by
Congress and purchased in France by Benjamin Frank
lin, being brought over in an American privateer which
was captured by a British gunboat, before it could be
safely placed. The dwelling house at the right of the
Chapel, as the sketch presents it, was the residence of
Major Walter Rutherford, which later on became a
store, and was finally demolished by J. J. Astor to make
way for his famous hotel.
The edifice known as the Murray Street church,
erected in 1812, stood on Murray Street facing Colum
bia College, and, from the circumstance that its pastor,
Dr. Mason, was a man of extreme popularity, it was also
called Dr. Mason's Church. It was built of red sand
stone, with a steeple 200 feet high, and in place of the
portico usually to be found in specimens of Colonial
church architecture, this example presents a pilaster-
decorated facade. Not only was Dr. Mason a pulpit
56

OLD NEW YORK
orator of world-wide reputation, he was as well a
lecturer in Columbia and a man of influence in the city's
activities. St. Patrick's Cathedral in Mott Street was conse
crated in 1815, and was the largest building erected in
New York for religious purposes. Of so-called Gothic
architecture, it was 120 feet long, 80 feet deep and its
walls rose 70 feet. Its roof was of peculiar construc
tion, rising sharply nearly 100 feet. The front of the
edifice was of brownstone, with niches for statues.
To City Hall Park, in Colonial years a spacious piece
of ground upon which stood the Bridewell, the Alms
house and the Debtors' Prison, the quest next leads
the seeker for memorials of New York's early days,
the potter's art having preserved pictures of six
buildings erected upon the Commons. He is here
in the very pasture ground of the favored cows of
the Dutch settlers, for this small park, at the present
time closely hemmed in by lofty towers and alive with
hurrying throngs of humanity, was the Commons, or
Fields, a long distance above the Dutch settlement and
far out of town in later English times. In the year
1732, after Bowling Green had been fenced in and busi
ness and fashion had begun to creep up Broadway, the
citizens resorted to the Commons for their holiday
merry-makings — Maypole dances, drills, bonfires and
patriotic gatherings. Here also a gallows was erected.
57

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
The "Sons of Liberty" many times gathered in City
Hall Park, and, upon the spot where the fountain now
stands, General Washington and his staff assembled
upon July 9, 1776, to listen to the reading of the Declara
tion of Independence, a tablet upon the wall of the City
Hall preserving this memory.
The specimen of pottery known to collectors as the
Scudder's Museum design is of extreme interest, for it
presents an excellent view of the Colonial Commons, to
gether with several of the original buildings which stood
upon it. Upon the right hand side of the design may be
seen the structure known in its early days by the names,
The New Gaol, The Provost and The Debtors' Prison.
The building was erected in 1757 as a suburban prison
on the Boston Post Road, and during the period of the
Revolution when the English occupied New York many
patriots were confined within its walls. Later on, when
punishment for debt was yet imprisonment, the building
was used as a Debtors' Prison, continuing to serve in that
capacity until the year 1840, when an Ionic-columned
portico, together with other improvements, which made
the building a replica of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus,
were added to it and the structure became the Hall of
Records, remaining such until within a few years when
its walls were demolished to make way for the new
Post Office. The building at the left of the illustration,
designated in large letters upon the sign over the door as
58

FLAGSTAFF PAVILION AT THE BATTERY
(R. S.)

FORT CLINTON, LATER, CASTLE
GARDEN
(Wood)

THE ESPLANADE (NOW BATTERY PARK), NEW YORK
(R.S.)

OLD NEW YORK
American Museum, was erected and occupied first
as a public Almshouse, until the time the city's poor were
transferred to the new home built for them at Bellevue.
Upon their departure, the "worn-out mansion of the poor
in pocket" was given over to several learned societies,
among them being Scudder's Museum and Dr. Gris-
com's Lecture Room. To this place then flocked the
people to gaze in wonder upon the Scudder collection of
shells from far-off seas, the strange reptiles confined in
bottles and to laugh over the antics of the curious ani
mals from South America and the Orient, which formed
the exhibit. In the year 1842, P. T. Barnum purchased
the Scudder collection of shells, bottled reptiles and
caged animals and added to it a so-called Moral Lecture
Room, in fact naught but a theater, where talks and
plays were given — the modest building here pictured
thus being the nucleus of what grew into fame as
"Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth." Among other
attractions here exhibited was the dwarf known upon
the stage as General Tom Thumb, who made his appear
ance upon its boards before starting out to tour the coun
try and charm the youth of a past generation with his
tiny figure.
The glory of the old Commons, however, was the City '
Hall, erected to take the place of the out-grown building
in Wall Street, four distinct views of which were sent
to England for use upon pottery. Completed in the
59

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
year 1812, the dignified structure deserved the praise of
General Lafayette who, as he looked upon it twelve years
later, inscribed in his note book, "the only building in
New York worthy the attention of an artist." The City
Hall is constructed of white marble, with the exception
of the north side which was originally of stone, the
prudent New Yorkers of the day deeming it beyond
imagination that the city would grow beyond it and cause
its back to be visible to the observer! Designed upon
pure classic lines, the City Hall presents an interesting
example of pretentious Colonial architecture, a joy for
ever to the beholder, be he student of the art of build
ing or a weary laborer passing through the park.
Indeed, a popular vote of but a decade ago placed the
old City Hall of New York tenth in a list of the coun
try's beautiful buildings. It is recorded that a recent
mayor of New York once said that if a person happened
to be in City Hall Park and glanced to the north, he
would be made happier and better by the sight of the
City Hall. As the years have gone by, City Hall has
acquired the appearance of ancient European edifices,
the white marble having taken on the same creamy, mel
low tones so much admired in them. The beautiful
circular stairway (which the designer of a century ago
was warned could not last a week!) rises from the en
trance hall to the rooms above, a suite of which, known
as the Governor's Rooms, shelters many mementos of
60

OLD NEW YORK
the country's historic past — the chairs which served in
the first inaugural, Washington's desk dated 1789, tables,
mirrors, and portraits of notable statesmen.
New York's first Almshouse, as has been stated, stood
upon the Commons, the building later on being trans
ferred to the American Museum. The original build
ing was erected in the year 1796 from the proceeds of a
lottery issued by the City Fathers, a common method in
Colonial days of raising funds for public enterprises,
and when, in 1816, the Almshouse was turned over to
Dr. Scudder for his collection of curiosities, the new
Almshouse which is the subject of the platter decoration
was erected on the bank of the East River, near Bellevue;
in 1848, the paupers were removed to their present
quarters on Blackwell's Island, and the Almshouse be
came Bellevue Hospital. The structure presented was
325 feet in length and was flanked on either side with
commodious wings — a large and imposing foundation
for its day and one which naturally caught the eye of
the English artists in their search for representative
views. The same potter, by the way, as the rose and
medallion border indicates, executed the design here
presented of the City Hall, these two being part of the
Ridgway series of American buildings designated as the
"Beauties of America." f'J,
Framed in the same artistic acorn and oak leaf border
which encircles, among others, views of the City
61

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Hotel, Saint Paul's Chapel and Scudder's Museum
(a border attributed to R. Stevenson & Williams
of Cobridge, a firm which produced some of the best-
drawn designs of American subjects), may also be found
the Park Theater. This plain, plaster-covered, brick
structure fronted the Boston Post Road, now Park
Row, which crossed the fields upon the east side of the
Commons. It was erected in the year 1798, and for
over fifty years it was the most prominent playhouse of
New York. Performances began upon its stage, one
reads, at 6.30 in winter and an hour later in summer,
the patrons having also the privilege of a coffee room
and a "punch room." Many notable actors appeared
in Park Theater, chiefly in Shakespearean roles — Ed
mund Kean, Edwin Forrest, Booth, Wallack, Fanny
Kemble, Tyrone Power among the number. The ballad
"Home, Sweet Home" was first sung here, and, at the
age of four, Joe Jefferson made his initial appearance
upon its boards. Italian opera was sung for the first
time in America in Park Theater, and there also Fanny
Ellsler aroused the indignation of all the clergymen
and church going people of New York with her im
ported dances. The building was twice burned, the
last time in 1848. Just beyond the theater may be seen
the homes of several well-known New York families,
while in the distance rises the spire of the old Brick
Church, the "meeting house" erected as an offshoot of
62

CITY HOTEL, NEW YORK
With View of Erie Canal Bridge at Little Falls, and
Portraits of Washington and Lafayette
(Stevenson)

SAINT PAUL'S CHAPEL, NEW YORK
(Stevenson)

CHURCH IN MURRAY STREET, OPPOSITE
COLUMBIA COLLEGE
(A . Stevenson)

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, IN MOTT ST.
(Unknown Maker)

OLD NEW YORK
the First Presbyterian Church in Wall Street. Ad
joining the theater may be noted an old tavern which
was commonly frequented by the rural folk who came
to town over the Boston Post Road. The fence which
is a conspicuous part of the design enclosed the City
Hall Park, its tall stone posts united with iron railings
brought from England.
In contrast to the campus of Harvard College lined
with its many Halls, which a study of old Boston has
presented, the single and rather unpretentious building
which sheltered Columbia College at the period of our
research found but two potters to record its history —
A. Stevenson and the firm R. S. W. Clews, who suc
ceeded A. S., also reproduced his design. Unlike
the first settlers of the Massachusetts coast, those
who earlier came into the region of Manhattan, traded
with the Indians and made permanent homes for them
selves upon the island, did not concern themselves with
projects for an educational institution — the city thus
early in its career receiving the imprint of commercial
ism. Not until some time after the Dutch traders had
yielded to the English, in the year 1702, was a proposi
tion made for the acquisition by Trinity Church, for
college purposes, of a parcel of outlying land known as
"Queen's Farm," the proposers being actuated not so
much by the need for religious instruction as were the
founders of Harvard, although Columbia is indebted
63

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
for its initiation to a religious institution, but, as they
declared, believing that "New York is the Center of
English America & a Proper Place for a Colledge." The
land was acquired, but a period of forty years elapsed
before the Colony authorized the raising of funds by
means of lotteries, and not until the year 1754 was a
charter by King George II of England for "a Colledge
and other Buildings and Improvements, for the use and
convenience of the same, which shall be called and known
by the name of King's College, for the Instruction and
Education of Youth in the Learned Languages, and
Liberal Arts and Sciences." The following year Trin
ity Church conveyed to the governors of the college, "for
& in consideration of the sum of ten shillings," all that
"certain piece and parcell of ground situate, lying &
being on the West side of the Broadway in the West
Ward of the City of New York fronting easterly to
Church street between Barclay street and Murray street
four hundred and forty foot and from thence running
westerly between and along the said Barclay street and
Murray street to the North river." The express con
dition of the grant was that the President should be a
communicant of the Church of England. Dr. Samuel
Johnson was the first president of King's College, and in
fact, when in 1754 the instruction of the first class of
eight who had successfully passed the required entrance
64

OLD NEW YORK
examination began, he was the entire faculty, meetings
being held in the vestry room of the church.
Upon August 23, 1756, the corner stone of the new
college, inscribed in Latin phrase, was laid, after which
the company partook of a "very elegant Dinner" where
Health and Prosperity to the College were drunk — all
being conducted, an old chronicle records, "with the ut
most Decency and Propriety." The original stone may
be seen to-day embedded in the mantelpiece of the Trus
tees Room in the Library Building at Morningside
Heights, removed there in 1897.
In 1760, the college building was so far advanced that
the officers and students began to "Lodge and Diet" in
it, and in June the Commencement Exercises were held
in it, an "elegant Latin speech5' by the president before
a "large and polite" audience being a conspicuous part.
In honor of King George II the building was surmounted
with an iron crown. In 1773, King's College was de
scribed as being situated upon a dry and gravelly sod,
about 150 yards from the bank of the Hudson River
and commanding a prospect of the shores of New Jer
sey, Long Island, Staten Island, the Bay, Narrows, etc.
That same year John Parke Curtis, stepson of General
Washington, was a student at King's College and in a
letter to his mother he gives the following interesting
survey of his life : "It is now time to give you a short
65

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
plan of my apartments and of my way of living. I have
a large parlour with two studys or closets, each large
enough to contain a bed, trunk and couple of chairs, one
I sleep in and the other Joe (presumably his servant)
calls his, my chamber and parlour are papered, with a
cheap though very pretty paper, the other is painted;
my furniture consists of six chairs, 2 tables, with a few
paultry Pictures. I have an excellent bed, and in short
everything very convenient and clever. I generally get
up about six or a little after, dress myself and go to
Chappel, by the time that prayers are over, Joe has me
a little breakfast, to which I sit down very contentedly,
& after eating heartily, I thank God and go to my Studys,
with which I am employed till twelve, then I take a
walk and return about one, dine with the Professors
and after Dinner study till about six at which time the
Bell always rings for Prayers, they being over College
is broak up and then we take what amusement we
please." During the stirring political period of the Revolution,
King's College naturally played an important role, its
alumni being leaders in the patriotic movement and of
signal service in bringing about the independence of the
country; the building itself, however, during the Eng
lish occupation of the city, was turned into barracks
and hospital wards for the British soldiers. It was a
member of the class of '65, the Hon. Robert R. Living-
66

VIEW OF THE COMMONS
Scudder's, or American Museum: the Original Almshouse
and the Debtor's Prison
(Stevenson)

CITY HALL, NEW YORK
(Ridgway)

NEW YORK ALMSHOUSE AT BELLEVUE; LATER, BELLEVUE HOSPITAL
(Ridgway)

OLD NEW YORK
ston, who administered the oath of office to, and pro
claimed, George Washington President of the United
States. It was a member of the class of '58, the Right
Reverend Dr. Provoost, who at the close of the inaugural
ceremony conducted the divine service in Saint Paul's
Chapel. John Jay belonged the class of '64, Daniel D.
Tompkins was an alumnus, as was Dr. Mason of the
Murray Street Church. DeWitt Clinton was the first
student enrolled under its new name, the name being
changed by Act of State Legislature in 1784 to Colum
bia College. From that date to the year 1810, there
was an average of 17 graduates a year, in 181 7 the col
lege numbering 135 students. In comparison with the
rules governing the students of Harvard, the following
Resolution setting forth the requirements of admission
into Columbia in 1810 is of interest: "Resolved, That
from and after the first Day of October, 1810, no stu
dent shall be admitted into the lowest Class of the Col
lege, unless he be accurately acquainted with the Gram
mar, including Prosody, of both the Greek and Latin
Tongues ; unless he be master of Caesar's Commentaries ;
of Virgil's ^Eneid; of the Greek Testament; of Dalzel's
Collectanea Minora; of the first four books of Xeno-
phon's Cyropcedia, and the first Two Books of Homer's
Iliad. He shall also be able to translate English into
Grammatical Latin ; and shall be versed in the first four
Rules of Arithmetic, the Rule of Three direct and in-
67

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
verse, and decimal and vulgar fractions." Although
no rule, like that at Harvard, requiring students to con
verse in Latin upon the campus, may be found at
Columbia, one of the principles of discipline at this time
was, "During the whole course of education the youth
ful faculties are to be kept upon the stretch !"
As time went on, the need for a more adequate col
lege building became pressing, the old structure "pre
senting a spectacle mortifying to its friends"; and in
1817 it was decided to erect at each extremity of the
old Hall "a block or wing of about 50 feet square facing
the college green and projecting beyond the front of the
old building, so as to be in line with the fronts of the
houses on the north side of Park Place." Finished in
1820, this is the College building which the china plate
presents, the Lombardy poplars in the foreground be
ing also of interest, from the fact that they were in
troduced from Paris in the year 1 791 by Andre Michaux.
Columbia College remained in its original location until
the year 1857, when it was removed to Madison Avenue
and 49th Street, and thence in later years to its present
site on Morningside Heights.
In the year 1835, toward the close of the period in
which the English potters made use of American de
signs, a wide-spread conflagration devastated a large
portion of the business section of New York, laying
waste thirteen acres of property and causing a loss of
68

OLD NEW YORK
seventeen millions of dollars. The fire extended from
Coffee House Slip along South Street to Coenties Slip,
thence to Broad Street, along William Street to Wall
Street, burning down the entire south side of Wall Street
with the exception of a few buildings, to the East River.
The Merchants' Exchange in Wall Street, on the site
of the present Custom House, considered next to the
City Hall the handsomest building in the United States,
was the last to yield to the flames. The disaster must
have appealed to the artistic sense of some foreign ar
tist, for three sketches printed in the duller tints char
acteristic of the output of those years are found in com
memoration, — "The Burning of Merchants' Exchange,"
"The Burning of Coenties Slip" and "The Ruins of
Merchants' Exchange." The design here presented is
of the ruins of the Exchange. The three-storied white
marble structure may be seen with its ornate facade
alone intact; flames and smoke are still rising from the
roof; while citizens are gathered in groups about the
ruin, an armed sentinel pacing before it on guard. In
the foreground, a safe and a package of papers rescued
from the flames are deposited, guarded by a squad of
the National Guard in odd-looking fur caps and uni
forms. The Post Office occupied a portion of the base
ment at the time of the fire, and in the rotunda stood
a beautiful marble statue of Alexander Hamilton, a vic
tim to the falling walls. The border which frames these
69

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
designs, whether wittingly or without intent, embodies
both history and prophecy. Within the scrolls is the
record, "Great Fire of City of New York"; alternate
spaces inclose pictures of the fire implements of the day
— engine, hat and trumpet; while in the remaining
spaces, against a background of city buildings, appears
the phoenix, fabled bird of self-reproduction, rising
from the flames — a prophetic symbol of the great me
tropolis which, out of the ashes of the past, to-day rises
almost supreme among the cities of the world.

70

PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL, PHILADELPHIA
(Ridgway)

CHAPTER IV
THE PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
AS children resemble parents, so cities grow up in
the likeness of their founders. The streets of
Boston still follow the circuitous paths worn by the
cows of the city's Fathers to the pastures on the Com
mon, and the marked regard for learning manifested
by the early establishment of Harvard College is con
ceded to the Boston of to-day; likewise, are New York's
boasted Broadway and Wall Street, her extensive docks
and shipping facilities, other than glorified Manhattan
trading-posts of the Dutch and the English settlers.
So, too, the city of Philadelphia, enveloped in an atmos
phere of harmony and quiet, bears to the present day
in the character of her buildings, her streets, and her
citizens, the impress of the formative touch of her foun
ders — Penn's peace-loving English Quakers, who
dreamed of a city of Brotherly Love in the far-off
"woods of Penn ;" and Benjamin Franklin, whose sound
teachings in the form of "week-day sermons" (which
will be recited in a subsequent chapter), and whose ex
ample of industry and thrift, were its corner stones.
Philadelphia was later than either Boston or New
7i

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
York in its inception, its site, before the city was defi
nitely planned, having been settled by successive com
panies of the Dutch, the Swedes and the English. In
the year 1655, Peter Stuyvesant, with half a dozen ves
sels and 700 men, came over from New Amsterdam to
subdue the Swedes in the Delaware Valley ; both Dutch
and Swedes, however, being soon afterward, through
the territorial rights of the Duke of York, brought un
der English rule. Several years later, King Charles II,
in lieu of claims which Admiral Penn owned against the
crown, granted to his son, William Penn, the tract of
land 150 by 300 miles in size which lies west of the
Delaware River, and which Penn wished to call "Syl-
vania," or Land of Woods, but the king added to it the
name of Penn, in honor of his friend, the Admiral.
Thereupon William Penn, in order to induce settlers to
cross the sea, offered such generous terms of payment
for land that several vessels soon set sail, bringing hun
dreds of colonizers. This was in the year 1681.
Unlike Boston and New York and the immortal Topsy,
however, Philadelphia did not "just grow;" she was care
fully planned, the site selected and the new city laid out
with deliberate and painstaking forethought. "Of all
the many places I have seen in the world," wrote Wil
liam Penn after his first visit to his infant city, "I re
member not one better seated; so that it seems to me to
have been appointed for a town, whether we regard the
72

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
two rivers, or the conveniency of the coves, docks,
springs, the loftiness and soundness of the land and the
air." And Philadelphia is delightfully seated — in a
well-chosen, wooded plot of ground in the spacious angle
made by the junction of the Delaware and Schuylkill
rivers, the harbor well adapted for shipping, the rivers
natural roads for trade with the interior as well as an
outlet to the sea, and the "soundness" of her climate a
perpetual joy. The interesting view of young Philadel
phia which the potters utilized for decoration of plates
clearly defines the junction of the two rivers, the point
of high land between them being filled with a massed
group of square-built houses, their roofs topped with a
lofty steeple.
Philadelphia's streets, unlike those of its northern co-
temporaries, did not take their course from the wander
ings of favored cows nor from the chance routes of
public post-roads ; they run where Penn planned them to
run — straight and parallel, two miles in length from
river to river, and fifty feet wide, with a broad street
twice that width through their midst. Crossing these
streets at right angles are others of the same width, leav
ing in the center an open plot of ten acres for the public
buildings, the original design giving old Philadelphia
much the appearance of a checker board. Penn also di
rected the naming of Philadelphia's streets, those run
ning north and south bearing numbers, while those which
73

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
run east and west — Chestnut, Walnut, Spruce, Pine,
Buttonwood, etc. — ". . . still reecho the names of the
trees of the forest, as if they fain would appease the
Dryads whose haunts they molested," and keep alive to
the present time memories of the city's wooded infancy.
The original houses, a number of which still line the
oldtime streets of the pioneer city, were erected with the
same forethought that ordered the thoroughfares them
selves, all of them being built of brick, chosen for its
enduring quality, and after one design, three stories high
with plain front to the street and a stoop — "brave brick
houses" Penn called them, he himself bringing the Lon
don style of architecture into this wilderness of the
West. Lafayette liked the old houses of Philadelphia,
but with his usual keenness of observation and cultiva
tion of taste, he remarked that their excessive regularity
"might fatigue the eye." An interesting picture of the
interior of one of the homes of early Philadelphia is af
forded in a letter of Mrs. Benjamin Franklin to her hus
band in France written in the year 1765, in which she de
scribes their new home just erected in Franklin Court.
One learns from this letter facts not only of household
economy, but also of imported luxuries of this early date.
She says: "In the room downstairs is the sideboard,
which is very handsome and plain, with two tables made
to suit it and a dozen of chairs also. The chairs are
plain horsehair, and look as well as Paduasoy, and are
74

'FAIRE MOUNT" PARK, PHILADELPHIA
(Stubbs)

STAUGHTON'S CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA
(Ridgway)

THE BANK OF THE U. S., PHILADELPHIA
(Stubbs)

SIDE-WHEEL STEAMBOAT— PHILADELPHIA
DAM AND WATERWORKS
(Unknown Maker)

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
admired by all. The little south room I have papered,
as the walls were much soiled. In this room is a carpet
I bought cheap for its goodness, and nearly new. In
the parlour is a Scotch carpet which has much fault
found with it. Your time-piece stands in one corner,
which is, as I am told, all wrong — but I say, we shall
have all these as they should be, when you come home.
If you could meet with a Turkey carpet, I should like it ;
but if not, I shall be very easy, for as to these things, I
have become quite indifferent at this time. In the north
room, where we sit, we have a small Scotch carpet, the
small bookcase, brother John's picture, and one of the
King and Queen. In the room for our friends we have
the Earl of Bute hung up, and a glass. May I desire
you to remember drinking glasses, and a large tablecloth
or two ; also a pair of silver canisters. The room we call
yours has in it a desk, — the harmonica made like a desk
— a large chest with all the writings, the boxes of glasses
for the electricity, and all your clothes. The Blue Room
has the harmonica and the harpsichord, the gilt sconce, a
card table, a set of tea china, the worked chairs and
screen, a handsome stand for the tea kettle, and the orna
mental china."
At the time Philadelphia was the Capital of the nation,
a picture of the city's formal life is afforded by the ac
count of President Washington's levees held every two
weeks in his home. Upon entering, the visitor was pre-
75

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
sented to the President, who was clad in black velvet, his
hair powdered and gathered behind in a large silk bag.
Yellow gloves were on his hands, and he held a cocked
hat with a black cockade in it, the edges adorned with a
black feather. He wore knee and shoe buckles, and a
long sword.
With the exception of the Penn's Treaty scenes, which
will be presented in a later chapter, the Philadelphia
which the potters have commemorated is that of Frank
lin and his time, and comprises views of the Public Li
brary, Pennsylvania Hospital, Deaf and Dumb Asylum,
United States Bank, Masonic Temple, United States
Hotel, one church edifice, scenes in Fairmount Park, in
cluding the Dam and Waterworks, together with occa
sional glimpses of street life. There are also sketches
made in the suburbs of the city — country estates, bridges
over streams, a primitive ferry, etc. Unlike the result
of their search for the notable buildings of Boston and
New York, the quest of the old-time artists fails to ex
hibit a view of Philadelphia's historic State House, or
Independence Hall, within whose walls so much of vital
importance to the Colonies and the young Republic was
enacted, and wherein is preserved the piece of parch
ment which declares that the American colonies are "ab
solved from all allegiance to the British crown." The In
dependence Bell which rang out the first message of
76

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
"Liberty throughout all the land, to all the inhabitants
thereof," here likewise finds a permanent home.
Philadelphia owes her Public Library to Benjamin
Franklin, the thousands of volumes which to-day fill the
shelves of the building in Locust Street being the grad
ual outgrowth of three small cases of books which were
assembled in Pewter Platter Alley by Franklin and his
friends of the Junto Club. With characteristic fore
thought and wisdom, those gentlemen made a rule that
the volumes might be read not only by any "civil gentle
man" who cared to come there to do so, but also that
they might be carried home "into the bosom of private
families;" in this manner the system of circulating li
braries had its inception. The citizens of Philadelphia
contributed forty-five pounds to purchase new volumes
for the library, the learned Board of Managers modestly
sending the money to England without specifications as
to choice, and receiving in return a good, though rather
heavy, assortment. A more commodious apartment in
the State House was then secured to house the books,
and, after a time, Carpenters' Hall was leased, with a
librarian in attendance twice a week. Here the volumes
remained during the Revolutionary period, a solace to
both the American and English officers. After inde
pendence was achieved, in the year 1789, the corner
stone of the first real home of the Philadelphia Library,
77

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
the building illustrated upon the plate, was laid in Fifth
Street, having been engraved with the following curious
lines : Be it remembered
In honour of the Philadelphia youth,
(Then chiefly artificers)
That in MDCCXXXI
They cheerfully,
At the instance of Benjamin Franklin
One of their number,
Instituted the Philadelphia Library;
Which though small at first,
It became highly valuable and extensively useful ;
And which the walls of this edifice
Are now destined to contain and preserve.
In a niche over the doorway, Franklin himself stood
guard — a curious statue, made in Italy of finest marble,
draped in a Roman toga. Together with the books, the
statue was removed in the year 1880 to the present Li
brary Building in Locust Street, where it was given a
place of honor over the new portal, the old corner stone
also being preserved and reset in the new walls. A num
ber of interesting relics of early Philadelphia find a home
in this building, among them a bookcase and desk used
by William Penn, and his clock, still keeping time; a
clock once owned by Franklin is also there.
In the year of Christ
MDCCLV,
George the Second happily reigning,
(For he sought the happiness of his people)
78

PHILADELPHIA WATERWORKS: THE PUMPING
STATION IN CITY
( Jackson)

PHILADELPHIA LIBRARY
(Ridgway)

UPPER FERRY BRIDGE OVER THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER, PA.
(Stubbs)

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
Philadelphia flourishing,
(For its inhabitants were public spirited)
This Building,
By the bounty of Government
And of many private persons,
Was piously founded
For the relief of the sick and miserable.
May the God of Mercies
Bless the undertaking.
These are the words of Benjamin Franklin which are en
graved in the corner-stone of the Pennsylvania Hospital,
an interesting view of which is presented in the platter
illustration. The record of the "bounty of government
and of private persons" which made possible this noble
foundation is a pleasant one to read. In the year 1755,
the citizens of Philadelphia in order to found the needed
institution gave of their wealth, England as well con
tributing funds for the "relief of the sick and miser
able." From London came also a gift to the Hospital,
for medical work, of a human skeleton, a thing of such
novel interest that admission was charged by the thrifty
Friends to look upon it, a handsome sum being thereby
added to the Hospital funds. Benjamin Franklin was
a member of the first Board of Hospital Managers, later
on, its president, and to his wisdom and judgment are
due much of the success and prosperity of the institu
tion. The building itself, which when erected was con
sidered far out of town, was originally, as may be seen,
79

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
a simple and substantial Colonial structure set in the
midst of spacious grounds, shaded with spreading trees.
One of the trees is of special interest as being the out
growth of a sapling taken from the famous Treaty Elm,
after its fall in the year 1810 upon the bank of the Dela
ware River. The gentleman in the foreground, with
severely bent back, is evidently about to seek relief from
his infirmity within the institution.
A building of unusual beauty for the time is the old
Philadelphia Bank, the Bank of the United States as it
was at first known, founded in the early days of inde
pendence, when Philadelphia was the center of the na
tional life of the infant republic. The Bank of the
United States was the first building in the severe Quaker
City to be lavishly adorned, a stately white marble portico
with tall Corinthian columns and pilasters of the same
order being the principal features of its front. This
bank was the parent institution of the country, the main
office from which branches extended to other parts of the
Union. At the time the present sketch of it was exe
cuted, the bank was the property of Stephen Girard, a
wealthy Philadelphia citizen, and its name had been
changed to the Girard Bank. The old houses by the side
of the bank, the oddly shaped wagon and the pile of wood
upon the pavement are interesting details of this illus
tration. The taverns of old Philadelphia, like those of con-
80

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
temporary cities, reflected in their names and signs some
thing of the characteristic quality of their frequenters.
The "Crooked Billet Inn" was a public house which stood
on the wharf at Water Street, and had the distinction
of being the first house entered in Philadelphia, in 1723,
by the young Benjamin Franklin, upon his arrival in
the city. The "Pewter Platter Inn," with its sign a
large pewter platter, became so famous that it gave its
name to the alley at the corner of which it stood, obliter
ating that of "Jones." The "Bull's Head Tavern," with
its sign of a bull's head, was so named from the fact of a
bull thrusting his head through a window, the proprietor
remarking that the fact and the sign might draw trade.
There was the "Indian Queen," the "St. George and the
Dragon," the "Cross Keys," the "Blue Lion," and, last
but not least interesting, "The Man Loaded with Mis
chief," the sign portraying a man carrying his wife upon
his back, an inn which stood in Spruce Street. Sign-
painting was originally included among the finer arts,
and it is related of Benjamin West that he did not dis
dain to put his talent to this form of work, a tavern sign
done by him being considered of extreme merit. It rep
resented upon one side in bright colors a man sitting on
a bale holding up a glass of liquor as if looking through
it; the other side showed two brewer's porters carrying
a cask of beer slung with can hooks to a pole, which was
the way beer was then carried out.
81

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
One famous old Philadelphia inn is recorded in the
pottery records, the United States Hotel, the excellent
view of it being framed in an exquisite border of trees
and foliage. This place is memorable for the fashion
able "Assemblies" which at one time carried on their
festivities within its walls. Old chronicles relate that
as early as the year 1749, and continuing through the
years when Philadelphia was the nation's capital, with
the exception of the period of the Revolution, to quite
recent years, the Assemblies were a prominent feature of
the amusement season. Upon every Thursday evening
throughout the winter, the fashionable folk gathered at
the United States Hotel, arriving precisely at six o'clock.
The ladies who came first had places assigned to them in
the first set of the dance, later comers being distributed
throughout the other sets, the cotillion, minuet, reels and
the newly-introduced waltz being the forms of dancing
then in vogue. Card games were also indulged in at
these Assemblies, the two forms of amusement — dancing
and card playing, being looked upon by the Quakers with
kindlier eyes than performances at the theater. Sup
per was of the lightest order, chiefly being, we read,
"something to drink," and by twelve o'clock the entire
company were wending their way homeward through the
quiet streets. Cards of admission to these functions, as
well as the fashionable visiting cards of the day, were
playing cards, no blank cards being brought to the colo-
82

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
nies and nothing but playing cards imported for sale.
The invitation, or the name and address, were written or
printed upon the blank side of the card, the back pre
senting, as might chance, the effigy of the King of Hearts
or the Queen of Clubs. The United States Hotel wit
nessed also scenes other than those of gayety. Upon a
June morning of '75, a breathless messenger alighted be
fore its door bringing the startling news that the first
shot of war had been fired at Lexington ; in the year 'yj,
Lord Howe and his English soldiers being quartered
upon the city of Philadelphia, and Washington and his
army at Valley Forge, the weekly balls at the United
States Hotel were a prominent feature of that "rollicking
winter"; and upon an October morning of '81, another
messenger arrived, bringing the word that Yorktown
and Cornwallis had surrendered.
A sketch of but one of the many houses of worship of
early Philadelphia was transferred to English pottery,
that of Staughton's Church. The illustration exhibits a
low built structure whose dome-shaped roof and thickly
proportioned columns set between piers, in striking con
trast to the tall spires and rectangular proportions which
are the distinctive qualities of the early Boston and New
York edifices, call to mind the Pantheon at Rome and
present an excellent example of the classic influence
which was beginning to make itself evident in American
ecclesiastical architecture early in the nineteenth cen-
83

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
tury. Staughton's church stood on Sampson Street, be
tween 8th and 9th streets, and was erected in the year
181 1, for the Rev. William Staughton, a Baptist
clergyman of such strong personality that the edifice for
many years retained his name. The rotunda was cap
able of seating 2500 people.
Fairmount Park, or Faire Mount, as it was originally
called, is a picturesque tract of land bordering the
Schuylkill River above the city, and has always been, as
it is now, a favorite resort of Philadelphia citizens.
William Penn fancied the locality, and had the intention
of building himself a home there, writing in 1701 to a
friend, "My eye is upon Faire Mount." The plate-
decorations of Fairmount, one of them framed in the
eagle and scroll border of the potter Stubbs and the
others in the handsome wreath of mingled fruit and
flowers, show a rolling expanse of country on the edge
of the river, with two of the country homes of Philadel-
phians situated upon the opposite shore. The Schuyl
kill River at this point became the source of the city's
supply of water. Philadelphia's first water supply came
from the use of pumps, and not until after an epidemic
of yellow fever, in 1793, was the project of the intro
duction of river water seriously broached, many of the
citizens being reluctant to give up the ice-cold water from
their wells for the tepid waters of the Schuylkill. Ben
jamin Franklin, the city's great and versatile benefactor,
84

UNITED STATES HOTEL, PHILADELPHIA
(Tarns)

MENDENHALL FERRY ON THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER, ABOVE PHILADELPHIA
(Stubbs)

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
early foresaw the need of a fresh supply of water for
the city and recommended the Wissahickon Creek, the
volume of which was proved inadequate. In the year
1813, river-water was made available, and in the follow
ing year there were nearly 3000 dwellings receiving the
water from the Schuylkill at Fairmount; and when, in
1818, a steam engine was set in operation at the plant,
the number rapidly increased.
After the construction of the Dam and the Power
House for pumping water into a reservoir, these were
the chief attractions of Fairmount, making of it a popu
lar resort, the "glory of Philadelphia, combining beauty
of scenery, usefulness of purpose and magnitude of de
sign." The Philadelphia Dam and Waterworks are the
subject of two old china decorations, one view with a
side-wheel steamboat upon the water being here given;
the other view, with a stern-wheel vessel in the fore
ground, is presented in the chapter upon Early Modes
of Travel. In both illustrations, the dam across the
river, the artificial fall of water and the pump-house may
be seen, the last named being a white stone structure in
the Doric style of architecture, the wings occupied by the
offices of the company. The Waterworks were much
frequented by Philadelphians, who drove out to spend a
Sunday afternoon, bringing the children to play upon the
grassy slopes, and every stranger in the city felt his
visit incomplete without an excursion to Fairmount on
85

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
the Schuylkill to examine the far-heralded plant.
Lafayette was deeply impressed with the machinery at
Fairmount, which was explained to him, remarking in
his polite French way that he looked upon the Phila
delphia Waterworks as a model of the American Gov
ernment, "in which are found at once simplicity, economy
and power." The city receiving- fountain of the Fair-
mount Waterworks was situated in Center Square, and,
as may be seen in the print, was an ornamental structure
of marble, its circular, dome-shaped upper story giving
it the popular appellation of "pepper-box."
A number of interesting views of the suburbs about
Philadelphia served as decorations for rich blue dinner
sets. Owing to its mild and delightful climate and the
country-loving inclinations of its citizens, suburban life
became more of a feature of Philadelphia than of either
Boston or New York, and many of the surrounding hills
were dotted with handsome country homes. Glimpses
of some of these homes may be had in the background of
several of the sketches which have been reproduced, and
one or two separate estates form the subject of an entire
decoration, — "Woodlands," for example, on the bank
of the Schuylkill River, which was noted for its beauti
ful gardens. In Colonial times there were few bridges
over the rivers, fording and ferrying being the usual
modes of crossing. Pennsylvania, however, was an ex
ception, and the bridges which were constructed over
86

PHILADELPHIA OF PENN AND FRANKLIN
the many streams in the State became so numerous that
Pennsylvania received the title of "the state of bridges."
Several of these structures were very elaborate and ex
pensive and enjoyed a fame beyond their immediate lo
cality. Such was the "Upper Ferry Bridge" over the
Schuylkill River, a view of which is afforded in the beau
tiful platter decoration. In this illustration may be seen
one of the covered type of bridge which has now almost
entirely disappeared from the country roads of America.
It was erected in the year 1813, and was remarkable for
its single arch of a span of 328 feet. At the right hand
entrance to the bridge stands the once-famed Harding
Tavern, while in the foreground may be seen an old-time
covered Pennsylvania wagon drawn by six horses — both
bridge and wagon being valuable records of early
America. Another country scene typical of suburban Philadel
phia is that entitled, "Mendenhall Ferry," which illus
trates a common mode of river-crossing in the early days
— a rope ferry over the Schuylkill River a short distance
above the city. The country homes of Joseph Sims and
of Dr. Philip Syng Physick, the most celebrated surgeon
of his time and known as "the father of American sur
gery," may be seen upon the hillsides in the background,
while Mendenhall Inn, long a favorite resort of Phila
delphians, occupies the left of the design.

87

CHAPTER V
EARLY BALTIMORE
LESS than a dozen views of early Baltimore are pre
served upon blue china. The first one here pre
sented is a harbor scene known to collectors as the harbor
of Baltimore, but it is of disputed authenticity and re
sembles in its minaret-like spires some city of the Orient
rather than a settlement of the young American Repub
lic. The second harbor sketch is more probably taken
from the original scene. In it two flagstaffs rise from a
small wharf in the foreground, from which banners float
— one of them displaying an anchor, and the other, the
letter B. The water front of the city may be seen, with
sailing vessels and small steamboats passing to and fro,
and rows of low regular buildings lining the streets that
run down to the river. Here and there a church spire
or a monument towers above the roof line, those "spires
and grove of vessels" which Lafayette remarked when he
visited Baltimore in the year 1824. The French guest
considered Baltimore one of the handsomest cities in the
Union, with its streets so broad and regular, but without
the monotony of the streets of Philadelphia. He was
impressed with the elegance and delicacy of manners of
88

VIEW OF THE CITY OF BALTIMORE
(Godwin)

EARLY BALTIMORE
Baltimore's citizens, naturally ascribing the fact to the
influence of their French blood; likewise, he was im
pressed with the beautiful buildings of the city, many of
which had been designed by French architects. At
the time of Lafayette's visit, Baltimore numbered about
sixty thousand inhabitants.
Baltimore is younger than the other cities of the
United States which have already been considered. To
be sure, fourteen years before the Pilgrim Fathers
landed on the New England coast Captain John
Smith had sailed up the Patapsco River and looked upon
the site of the future city of Baltimore; and fifty-three
years later, Lord Baltimore, who afterwards gave his
name to the settlement, had come into the region; but
not until the year 1730, was the city laid out. Origi
nally, Baltimore consisted only of a group of plantations
whose owners were engaged in tobacco raising for the
English market — the Horn of Plenty and the full rigged
vessel in Maryland's Coat of Arms (presented in a later
chapter) symbolizing her agriculture and her commerce.
For many years the taxes of Baltimore were paid in to
bacco. A sketch of Baltimore which was made in the year
1752 shows that the city then contained but twenty-five
houses, four of them only being of brick. In the year
1756, there came to Baltimore from Nova Scotia that
little band of French exiles of whom the poet Longfellow
89

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
sings, "Friendless, homeless and hopeless, they wandered
from city to city." Here many of them found a refuge
and settled, a number of the old French names lingering
in the present city. Of Colonial and early Republican
Baltimore, Staffordshire pottery illustrations present the
Court House, Exchange, Battle Monument, Hospital,
Almshouse, University of Maryland and Masonic Hall,
several of them framed in borders of unusual attractive
ness. The Court House, which is not standing at the
present time, a view of which could not be procured, was
a large, square, dingy gray-stone pile built above a base
ment, with arches for openings, the structure resembling,
an old citizen remarked, "a house perched upon a great
stool." In the basement there stood during the strict
Colonial years a whipping-post, stocks and pillory — in
struments for the serving of the sentences imposed in the
Hall of Justice above.
The view of the Baltimore Exchange is very rare.
The Exchange was erected in the year 1820, and
in the old times at a certain hour each day the
merchants of Baltimore were accustomed to meet
in its great Hall for the dispatch of business. The
building excited much admiration in the early days, be
coming famed as one of the handsomest establishments
of its kind in the world. It faced as the illustration pre
sents it, upon an open square, several shops or ware
houses of old Baltimore being seen in its neighborhood,
90

BALTIMORE
( Unknown Maker)

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE
( Unknown Maker)

THE BALTIMORE HOSPITAL
( Unknown Maker)

THE BALTIMORE ALMSHOUSE
( Unknown Maker)

EARLY BALTIMORE
while a coach and pair typical of the period are driving
by. Indeed, our gratitude goes out to the English artists
not only for the exact and beautiful reproductions of the
prominent buildings of Colonial America which they
took pains to secure, but as well for the interesting and
significant details of everyday life which they depicted.
The border of fruits and flowers around this scene might
have been copied, so close is the resemblance, from some
old Flemish tapestry picturing an allegorical figure of
Abundance. From the fact that a large number of columns adorn
its public squares, Baltimore is known as the "Monu
ment City," Lafayette remarking a century ago upon the
number of her monuments, adding that the most beauti
ful one of them, the Washington monument, a white
marble column 200 feet tall surmounted by a statue of
the first president, called to his mind the lofty column in
the Place Vendome in Paris. Of the Battle Monument,
which was erected in memory of the soldiers of Balti
more who fell in the War of 1812, an old chronicle re
cords that on the day the corner-stone was laid a long
procession of citizens passed through the streets of the
city to Monument Square, a feature of the procession
being a funeral car surmounted with a model of the
intended shaft drawn by six white horses, caparisoned
and led by six men in military uniform. The corner
stone is inscribed, "On the 12th day of September, 181 5,
91

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
in the fortieth year of Independence, James Madison be
ing President, the Monument is dedicated to the memory
of the brave defenders of the city." The monument, as
a study of the illustration discloses, is of a peculiar style
of architecture. The square base twenty feet high is of
Egyptian type, the four corners of the pedestal being
ornamented with sculptured griffins, and a door with in
scriptions and reliefs being a feature of each front.
The column is in the form of a bundle of Roman fasces,
upon the bands of which are inscribed the names of those
whom it commemorates; the whole is surmounted by a
female figure, the emblematical genius of the city.
An elderly resident of Baltimore records the fact that
the first hospital building was located on Franklin Street,
near Calverton, outside the city limits, and that this
foundation remained the city hospital until the year 185 1,
when Baltimore removed the institution within the
municipality; the original structure is the one here pre
sented. The poor of Baltimore, before a special home
for them had been provided, were supported by a tax of
tobacco. From the years 18 12 to 1866, they were lodged
in the spacious institution situated in the outskirts of the
city which the potter-historians discovered and made sub
ject for decoration.
The University of Maryland was founded at a much
later date than the colleges of the northern cities which
have been considered, having been chartered in the year
92

THE BALTIMORE EXCHANGE
( Unknown Maker)

BATTLE MONUMENT ERECTED TO THE HEROES OF 1812
(Jackson)

EARLY BALTIMORE
1807. The rather indistinct view of the University
building which is presented upon the cup is of a dome-
covered structure with a many-columned f agade. Balti
more was the pioneer city in steam railway enterprise,
as a later chapter will explain. One of her citizens,
Peter Cooper, invented the first type of locomotive to be
tried on rails in this country, the "Tom Thumb." Pic
tures also of the earliest engines in use upon the Balti
more and Ohio railway, one of the first roads in the coun
try and one of the first highways into the great unculti
vated region west of Baltimore, will be found in another
chapter.

93

CHAPTER VI
WASHINGTON, THE NEW CAPITAL
LIKE Philadelphia, Washington was carefully
planned ; unlike Philadelphia or any other city of
the Union, Washington was built for a special purpose.
The youthful Government of the United States was in
need of a fitting home of its own, a city wherein its
President and other officers of government might reside,
and where Congress might meet and make the laws.
The first President of the new Republic had taken the
oath of office in New York, and for some time Congress
had assembled in the State House in Philadelphia; but
those cities, together with the others which the Union
considered, were situated along the north Atlantic sea-
coast out of ready touch with the States of the South,
and for the most part, they were centers of growing com
mercial activity, with interests inclining towards trade
and therefore unsuited to the business of government.
Where should the future Capital be located? The
discussion aroused bitter controversy, the Northern
States not wishing it placed too far south, and the South
fearing it might be situated too far north to be mindful
of the interests of the growing States of its own section.
94

"STATES" DESIGN. (Clews)
Names of fifteen states — President's House — Washington Portrait

WASHINGTON, THE NEW CAPITAL
At last, as a compromise, a plot of ground on the bank
of the Potomac River was settled upon as being "as near
as possible to the center of wealth, of population and of
territory," and President Washington was chosen to
select the site and to arrange for the building of the fu
ture Capitol. He called to his aid Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison, and together the three settled upon the
attractive situation with which we are familiar, an inter
esting view of which is presented upon a plate— the V-
shaped rolling plain lying between the junction of the
Potomac and its eastern branch.
The next step was to plan the new city, and the pro
posed design became such a widely debated topic that a
drawing of it was carried over seas to the English pot
teries, and may be found to-day upon a yellow jug of
Liverpool. Washington chose for the task of planning
the new city a French resident of this country, Major
l'Enfant, who carefully examined the site from all
points, and, realizing the fact that he was creating a
capitol not alone for thirteen States and three millions of
people, but for a future mighty republic, he studied the
plans of several of the beautiful cities of Europe — Rome,
Paris, London, Venice. Jefferson told him that in his
opinion none equaled the design of Philadelphia, "old
Babylon revived"; but l'Enfant considered the chess
board effect of Philadelphia's streets too monotonous, his
idea embracing three or four wide avenues running
95

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
obliquely across the city in order to introduce pleasing
curves and angles, as well as to render communication
more ready.
L'Enfant's design, substantially as it appears in the
illustration, was the one finally adopted. This charm
ingly executed drawing, full of significant details, is
worthy of careful attention. Two graceful figures of
women stand under the spreading branches of a tree
holding aloft a scroll unrolled to view, above which is
inscribed, "Plan of the City of Washington." The
figure at the left, matronly and commanding, with the
British emblem upon a shield at her feet, is supposedly
Britannia; the other figure, designated America by a
nearby eagle-adorned standard, is gazing interestedly
upon the circular spot in the center of the design, pre
sumably the site of the future Capitol of the new Repub
lic, to which her elder sister is pointing with her finger
as if in the act of explanation — or, possibly, considering
the source of the production, may it not be admonition?
The Capitol-site is upon the summit of a hill, with the
President's house one mile away, down a broad avenue,
or mall. Running east and west across the design are
the many parallel streets which were named for the let
ters of the alphabet, A, B, C, and so on ; while running
north and south, at right angles to them, laid out in the
drawing in prospective blocks, are other streets num
bered i, 2, 3, etc. Radiating from the Capitol and from
96

WASHINGTON, THE NEW CAPITAL
the Executive Mansion, start sixteen wide avenues,
named for the sixteen States which comprised the Re
public in the year 1800. The avenues, as may be seen,
cut the checkerboard at every variety of angle and form
the squares, triangles and circles which render so beauti
ful the Washington of to-day. In the background of the
illustration several sailing vessels appear upon a placid
expanse of sea, while the foreground shows a bit of the
"mille fleurs" pattern so popular in early decorative art.
Originally, the grounds of the Capitol and of the Presi
dent's House extended to the banks of the Potomac, the
"States" design reproduced in another chapter as well as
the view of the President's mansion here given indi
cating its lawn sloping to the river's edge. An eques
trian statue of Washington as an historic column from
which all distances on the continent were to be calculated,
five fountains and a grand cascade were among the fea
tures of the original plan which either were omitted or
altered. The new city unanimously received the name
of the first President and of its founder, Washington.
In the year 1793 the Capitol and the President's House
were begun, and for several years thereafter the
growing city was but a huge workshop, when long lines
of teams might have been seen hauling blocks of Vir
ginia sandstone from the river-landing to the places
where the new structures were rising. As soon as the
walls of the Capitol were laid, sculptors and skilled
97

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
artisans were summoned from Europe to chisel the orna
ments upon them; finally, in the autumn of 1800, one
wing was sufficiently completed for the use of Congress,
and a "packet sloop" sailed up the river bearing to their
new home the public records and furniture of the Govern
ment. At the same time, the President's House, though
not completed, was put in the best order possible for the
occupation of President Adams; in the meanwhile,
George Washington, the founder, having passed away
at Mount Vernon, before his eyes could look upon the
government of his nation housed in the city he had
planned. Mrs. Adams was the first lady of the Executive Man
sion, and her letters give us charming pictures of the
young capital city, then numbering about three thousand
inhabitants, and of the beginnings of its official life. On
her way to her new home she drove from Baltimore;
"woods are all you see from Baltimore until you reach
the city — which is only so in name," she wrote to a
friend. But, in spite of the slight progress it had made
in the twelve years of its existence, Mrs. Adams calls
Washington a beautiful spot, and adds, "The more I
view it, the more I am delighted with it." Pennsylvania
Avenue, which now sweeps so stately from the Capitol to
the White House, was, in the year 1800, mostly a deep
morass covered with alder bushes, fine buildings being
few and far apart, the roads muddy and sidewalks al-
98

PLAN OF CITY OF WASHINGTON
(Liverpool Pitcher)

THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSE
Rebuilt after Being Burned — South Front
(Jackson)

EARLY VIEW OF THE CAPITOL FROM
THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSE
(Wood)

SITE OF THE CITY OF WASHINGTON
(Unknown Maker)

WASHINGTON, THE NEW CAPITAL
most unknown. It is not to be wondered that disgusted
statesmen wrote home to their families that the new
home of the Government was "A Wilderness City," "A
City of Streets without Houses," "A City of Magnificent
Distances," "A Mud Hole," etc.
Northern journals stirred up feeling against the Capi
tal, reviling its lonely situation and its slow growth.
"The national bantling, called the city of Washington,"
they said, "remains after ten years of expensive foster
ing a rickety infant unable to go alone." "There sits
the President," they went on, "like a pelican in the
wilderness, or a sparrow upon the housetop"; they at
tempted, however, without success, to have the "bant
ling" removed to Baltimore.
In August, 1814, before the city had been completed,
the War of 1812 was nearing its close, and to Washing
ton came the British soldiers to destroy — a deed of re
prisal inspired and executed by remembrance of the de
struction of the Government buildings of York, the capi-
tol of Canada, by the soldiers of General Pike. A com
pany of redcoats reached the Capitol about six o'clock in
the evening, and for sport they fired volleys into the
windows; they trooped into the Hall of the House of
Representatives and held a mock session: "Shall this
harbor of Yankee democracy be burned ? All for it say
'Aye'!" was the question. There was no opposition.
"Ayes" and cheers rang out, books and papers from the
99

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Library of Congress, desks and chairs were heaped for
fuel, and within half an hour the beautiful edifice was in
ruins, the bare walls only remaining erect. On to the
President's House the British soldiers went, hoping to
find President Madison and his wife, whom they wished
"to exhibit in England," but the doors were locked and
the occupants, taking with them the document of the
Declaration of Independence and a portrait of Washing
ton, had fled. A torch was applied, and the mansion to
gether with all its furnishings was burned; the Patent
Office, the Post Office, a hotel and a few dwellings only
escaped the general destruction of the city. "The world
is speedily to be delivered of a Government founded on
democratic rebellion" was the approving comment of a
London journal upon the incident.
The sketches for the old-china illustrations of the
Capitol and the President's House were made soon after
the city was rebuilt, for, notwithstanding their work of
demolition, the British were among the first to picture
the glories of the restored capital city of the young Re
public. No less than six potters used prints of the Capi
tol, the handsomest building in America at the time Staf
fordshire pottery was made — a distinction which in its
present enlarged form, keeping pace with the Republic's
growth and importance, it proudly holds to the present
day — and in them it may be seen rebuilt and remodeled,
more imposing than before its ruin by fire. But the
ico

WASHINGTON, THE NEW CAPITAL
work of restoration had been slow, the autumn of 1819
seeing the Sixteenth Congress in possession of the new
wings only, the main portion being yet incomplete. In
the year 1824, Lafayette found workmen still engaged
upon the building. At the time of the distinguished
Frenchman's visit the city had a population of thirteen
thousand, but "it was not rare," he recorded, "to see a
plough tracing a furrow along Pennsylvania Avenue."
As late as the year 1842, Charles Dickens, after his visit
to Washington, wrote that "its streets begin in nothing
and lead nowhere."
The illustration of the Capitol which is here shown l is
of unusual interest, being taken from a sketch made
about the year 1830, and presenting but the kernel of
the present structure, before the addition of dome and
extended wings. In this view, the lines of the Capitol
bear a resemblance to the City Hall in New York, its
pilastered wings, columned entrance and approach of
many steps exhibiting those characteristic details which
make of the Capitol one of the best examples of the re
vival of classic influence in architecture, known in Amer
ica as Colonial, to be found in the United States. Jn
place of the proud group of structures which at the pres
ent time share with it the imposing hill-top site, the Capi
tol is here portrayed surrounded with a grassy lawn set
with spreading trees, the large tree in the foreground no
lAs the frontispiece. IOI

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
doubt being intended for the Washington Elm which was
planted by the first President. In the foreground, two
equestrian figures gowned in the styles of the day are
pictured as pointing with their riding whips to the great
foundation. The Capitol dome, for which the present
structure is justly famed, required eight years of labor
to erect. As one approaches the city of Washington
and looks upon the airy dome lightly soaring above the
roof-tops of the city, the scene calls to mind distant views
of Florence dominated by Brunelleschi's famous cathe
dral dome, or of St. Peter's seen from the Pincian Hill
in Rome. But, proclaiming it a product and expression
of another system of government, from its summit
springs a colossal figure of Freedom, represented as a
goddess, her feet resting upon a globe inscribed E
Pluribus Unum, the motto of the United States,
her head bound with a circlet of stars, and crowned with
eagles' plumes. The inner walls of the great dome, or
Rotunda, are decorated with mural paintings which illus
trate scenes of the pioneer history of America.
The President's House, as exhibited in the view upon
the plate, presents the appearance it did soon after it was
rebuilt about a century ago — "a very simple building,
but in good taste," was Lafayette's comment as he viewed
it. Here one sees a substantial structure of Virginia
sandstone, designed after the approved Colonial style of
the period, with a formally laid-out garden of walks and
102

WASHINGTON, THE NEW CAPITAL
parterres at the entrance, or south front, which was orig
inally planned as the main entrance — the growth of the
city changing it later on to the north side. To cover the
marks of the fire upon the blackened walls, white paint
was used when the mansion was rebuilt — the fact which
gave to it the popular, and later on the official,
title of White House. At the present time, although
enriched with the addition of a portico and a colonnade,
the home of our Presidents is fittingly defined by the
modest phrase of the observing Frenchman.
A visit to the capital city to-day is not complete with
out an ascent of Washington Monument, the imposing
pile erected in memory of the founder of the city, the
first President. Lining the interior as one ascends the
shaft may be seen marble tablets set in the walls, each
one engraved with the name of the donor — State or so
ciety which from all parts of the world contributed them
as memorials to Washington. From the summit, one
is able to comprehend the plan of the city, locating the
Capitol and the White House, with the connecting, but
still unfinished, Mall, and the Government buildings;
tracing the parallel streets and intersecting avenues
spread out to view as upon a map; noting also, in this
city dedicated solely to the uses of the government of a
great nation, the absence of all those signs of industry
and of commerce which are such prominent features in
the illustrations of the cities previously considered.
103

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Finally, the gaze of the beholder wanders over the beau
tiful stretch of valley, down the broad sweep of the Po
tomac, until it rests upon Mount Vernon, the spot where,
nestling in the dusky grove of cypresses, are the modest
home and tomb of the city's and the nation's founder.
Washington is destined to lead in beauty all other
American cities, and when l'Enfant's original plan shall
one day be carried to completion, with its glorious Mall,
lined on either side with suitable structures, sweeping
majestically from the President's Mansion up the hill to
the Capitol, as its characteristic feature, it will, as its
founder and designer dreamed, vie in distinction with the
renowned cities of the world.

104

PART II
THE AMERICAN NATION-BUILDERS AND
THEIR WORK

THE LANDING OF THE FATHERS AT PLYMOUTH
(Enoch Wood)

LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS
(Enoch Wood)

CHAPTER VII
PIONEERS OF AMERICA
a~wp y0U are fon(j 0f romance, read history," — the

I

counsel of the learned Frenchman applies with
special force to the stories of America's pioneers, for the
true record of their adventures surpasses in marvels the
fanciful imaginings of the weavers of romance. Out of
the long list of achievements of those adventurous spirits
of many lands who, from motives of conquest, explora
tion or home-making, braved the perils of unknown seas
and came to America, the English potters selected but
three incidents to illustrate and reproduce upon the sets
of tableware destined for this young Republic — the
Landing of Christopher Columbus, the Landing of the
Pilgrim Fathers, and the Treaty of William Penn with
the Indians.
The first series of views, numbering nine or more from
the pottery works of Adams in Tunstall, Staffordshire,
are fanciful sketches of the Landing of Christopher
Columbus in America. Printed in red, green, purple, or
black, upon plates and platters, the designs portray a wil
derness inlet, with two, sometimes three, caravels at an
chor in the bay, and small boats coming from them to the
107

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
shore. Columbus is represented upon the beach, to
gether with one or more of his Spanish companions ; and
native redmen in picturesque costumes are in hiding be
hind clumps of trees and shrubs. Tents and dogs are
also in evidence, and upon one plate, here presented, an
Indian is shooting at a wild goose. The border of the
series consists of a pattern of roses, alternating with
scrolls framing tiny landscape scenes, wherein roam wild
deer and moose — animals native to the Western Conti
nent. The trees and foliage of the Columbus series are
tropical — tall cocoanut palms with fruit among the
leaves, broad-leaved banana plants and other growths of
the southland which Columbus found; for the English
potters, like Columbus, long imagined the entire length
of the Western Hemisphere one stretch of tropic or Ori
ental wilderness.
Indeed, the beliefs of European peoples of the fifteenth
century, in which Columbus lived, in regard to the earth
seem at the present time extremely curious. The
marvelous tales which Marco Polo and his father had
brought to Europe a century before from their journey
into the Far East, and the glitter of the diamonds, emer
alds, rubies and pearls which fell from out their coats
when the seams were opened at a famous dinner party
in Venice, still dazzled the minds of men. To find a
shorter and less dangerous route to that kingdom which
Marco had discovered in Cathay, ruled over by a Tartar
108

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
Khan who dwelt in a palace roofed with plates of gold,
was the dream of every seaman. Wise men were say
ing, as some of the ancient Greeks had done, that the
earth was a sphere or a pear-shaped object rather than
the flat surface they had been taught to believe it — why
not, then, to the west instead of to the east, might lie
the shore of India where dwelt the lordly Khan?
Thus Columbus argued, and his final doubt was removed
when a learned man of Florence sent him a globe and a
chart, both plainly marked with the western route to the
eastern shores "where the spices grow."
But when Columbus laid his plan of sailing westward
in search of India before King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella, the learned company which they called together
to question him declared that it would take three years
of sailing to reach this far-off shore, and that the sailors
would die of starvation before they came to it. "Is any
one so foolish to believe," they asked, "that there are
antipodes with their feet opposite to ours; people who
walk with their heels upward and their heads hanging
down? Where trees grow with their branches down
wards, and where it rains, hails and snows upwards?"
Several of them objected that should a ship at last suc
ceed in reaching India, it would be impossible for it to
climb up the rotundity of the globe and get back again.
Familiar to all is the story of the three caravels, how
they were fitted out in the harbor of Palos in Spain, the
109

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Queen selling her jewels to obtain the necessary funds
for the expedition, and how Columbus and his compan
ions, after prayers were said for their safety, sailed out
amid the tears and cheers of their friends, into the un
known waste of sea.
At last the morning of October 12, in the year 1492,
dawns. Upon the plate the hero is pictured stepping
upon the far-off shore, the ten weeks of sailing into the
trackless West, of watching for signs of land, of cheer
ing the disheartened spirits of his men at an end, his
dreams come true. Two of the Spanish caravels ride at
anchor in the harbor, a small boat filled with their men
approaching shore. This to them is a new country and
these are a strange people who greet them — Indians,
Columbus names them — upon whose naked bodies gleam
rude ornaments of gold, and who crouch in fear behind
the trees, bows and arrows in their hands ready for de
fense. Is not this a part of the kingdom of Kublai
Khan — perhaps the island of Cimpango (Japan) which
Marco told about? Columbus, as the illustrated platter
shows, comes ashore arrayed in scarlet clothes, the royal
ensign in his hands. Behind him follow his men, some
bearing crosses, others holding aloft the standard of the
enterprise — a green banner embroidered with crowns
and the letters F and Y, the initials of Spain's rulers
Fernando and Ysabel. Columbus kneels, kisses the
ground and draws his sword in the name of Spain, call-
no

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
ing the land in honor of their safe arrival, San Salvador
— now Watling's Island.
The Spaniards are no less objects of wonder to the
natives. Observe them in the picture peering from be
hind the palm trees at the marvelous beings who, as they
believe, have flown down from the sky in their winged
boats. They come out from their hiding places and
touch the beards and armor and dress of the Spaniards,
and they gladly exchange their golden ornaments for the
gay caps, beads and bells which are offered them. When
asked where the gold comes from, they point to the south
and say that a great king lives there who is so rich that
he is served in vessels of gold — surely, thinks Columbus,
the "Khan" of Marco's tales.
After building a rude fort and a few huts on the
nearby Island of Haiti, Columbus left a number of his
men to search the island for gold, while he himself sailed
back to Spain. Upon his arrival, he arranged a proces
sion of American Indians bearing palm branches and
gayly colored parrots — Indians and palms and parrots
all brought by him from the new world he had discov
ered. The procession wound its way through the
crowded streets of Barcelona to Ferdinand and Isabella,
who were seated upon a throne in the open air, under a
canopy of gold brocade, and there Columbus related his
adventures. It may be a surprise to find horses pictured in one
in

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Columbus view, but Columbus tells us in his journal that
upon his second voyage to the new land he brought
Spanish horses, as well as other animals, in the little
caravels. His men rode the horses into the interior of
the island to visit the gold mines in the mountains, and
the latives upon seeing them believed them a new kind
of being, the horse and rider one animal, and great was
their astonishment when the men dismounted. Of the
subsequent adventures of Columbus in his later journeys
to America the potter-historians have left no record, but
the remainder of the tale, which the pictured dishes have
given us an eager desire to learn, may be found in the
delightful diary of his daily life in the Western Hemis
phere which Columbus kept for Queen Isabella.
Although Columbus, by finding land to the west, had
the good fortune to solve "the mystery of the age," to the
end of his life he never knew that he had discovered a
world. But another mystery, one which in his time
puzzled the minds of scholars, Columbus believed he had
cleared — the whereabouts of the Garden of Eden. Wise
men had located the home of our first parents in various
parts of Asia; Dante in his Divine Comedy had placed
it upon a mountaintop in the midst of the southern
ocean; Columbus, one day while coasting the northern
shore of South America, was almost capsized by a swift
flood of fresh water which poured out of the land and,
as he said, "sweetened the sea." He believed that this
112

r^%^

0m

m

'#

H

%m ¦/NU**

LANDING OF COLUMBUS— TWO CARAVELS
(A dams)

COLUMBUS— INDIAN SHOOTING WILD GOOSE
(A dams)

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
flood, now known as the Orinoco River, descended from
a great height of land which was the summit of the pear-
shaped earth, and that this river had its origin in the
Fountain which springs from the Tree of Life, in the
midst of the Garden of Eden.
THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS
The second romance of pioneer America which is re
corded in the pottery decorations is also a "Landing"
scene, but, in place of a gayly clad hero joyfully claiming
a new world for a royal crown, here is pictured a small
band of English Pilgrims struggling in a stormy sea to
draw their shallop upon the "rockbound coast" of -New
England. Out at anchor in the bay rides the small,
three-masted sailing vessel, the Mayflower, which after
a cold, bleak voyage of 63 days has brought the company
of 102 brave souls from the Old World to seek in this
untried wilderness of the New, freedom to worship God,
not according to the laws of a king, but in response to the
dictates of their own consciences.
Upon leaving the harbor of Plymouth, in England,
the Pilgrims wished to find homes near the Delaware
River, but had been driven by storms far to the north,
sighting first the land of Cape Cod, where they decided
to embark. Two days after reaching the site of their
future homes, on November 11, 1620, the Mayflower's
company, wishing to "combine together in one body and
"3

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
to submit to such government and governors as we
should by common consent make and choose," signed
a Compact in the cabin, pledging themselves faithfully to
keep what laws should be made — the first Declaration of
Independence in America and the herald of that freedom
in matters of government which has made of this coun
try a Promised Land. After five weeks of exploration,
the Mayflower reached the shore of Plymouth, the excel
lent bay, the wooded hills and pleasant streams which
they discovered deciding the party to land; a bowlder
protected by an ornamental shelter to-day marks the
spot upon which the Pilgrims first set foot in America.
In the illustration, may be seen John Alden, "the
youngest of those who came in the Mayflower," stepping
first upon the rock. The two Indians standing on shore,
one of them with arms outstretched as if in welcome, are
no doubt intended by the artist to represent Samoset and
Squanto, who unexpectedly appeared at the new settle
ment and astonished the people by saying in the excellent
English which they had learned from earlier comers:
"Welcome, Englishmen! Welcome, Englishmen!" and
who, after a treaty had been arranged between Miles
Standish and the Indian tribes, proved of great service
in teaching the Pilgrims the ways of life in the strange
wilderness. Upon the rock, may be read, "Carver,
Bradford, Winslow, Brewster and Standish," — five of
the most famous names of that little company who, as
114

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
William Bradford said, "agreed to walk together" in
this new land. The border of the design comprises a
sketch of the national eagle, together with scrolls en
circling the later historic dates, "America Independent,
July 4, 1776," and "Washington Born 1732, Died 1799."
John Carver was chosen the first Governor of the Eng
lish colony, and before the first spring came round a
row of low, thatched-roofed, log-houses lined one side of
the street bordering the bay, the residence of the Gov
ernor inclosed in a square blockade upon the opposite
side, and atop the neighboring hill a fort fortified for de
fense ; a meeting-house and a store-house had also been
built. But the first spring saw likewise the graves of
over one-half the band who had come in the Mayflower,
John Carver's among the number, the cold and priva
tions of the wilderness being more than they were able
to endure ; but, "It is not with us as with men whom small
things can discourage or small discontentments cause
to wish themselves home again," Elder Brewster said,
speaking for the entire company. To succeed Governor
Carver, they selected for Governor William Bradford,
who remained in that office for 37 years. As the months
went by, however, other vessels brought to them from
England new companions and fresh stores of provisions,
and renewed courage was theirs to establish firmly their
own and other colonies along the Massachusetts coast.
Two hundred years after the Landing of the Pilgrim
"5

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Fathers, in the year 1820, the specimens of tableware
pictured in the illustrations were made in the pottery of
Enoch Wood, in Staffordshire, being parts of dinner-sets
which at that time were sent over to this country in
large quantities as souvenirs of the many celebrations of
the bi-centennial. Much dining and speech-making in
honor of the historic Landing took place that year
throughout the United States, the principal festivities
being held in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the scene of the
original incident. And the banquet, at which Daniel
Webster made one of his most famous addresses, was
served upon one of the souvenir dinner-sets, the guests,
as they listened to the speaker's eloquent periods, look
ing down upon the pictured scene which was the theme
of his inspiration.
We as a nation owe much to this little group of Puri
tan Fathers, which is so quaintly presented upon the
old blue dishes — the deep Christian faith which they
brought with them, the love of freedom, the respect for
law — convictions which took firm root and flourished
bravely in the fresh New England soil. And later on,
from out that Massachusetts colony of noble men and
women there sprang and grew to manhood those regi
ments of fearless and liberty-loving patriots who, in
Revolutionary times, laid so strong and deep the founda
tions of the American Republic. With Daniel Webster
upon that notable anniversary day, we would ask:
116

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
"Who would wish that his country's existence had other
wise begun?"
WILLIAM PENN'S TREATY WITH THE INDIANS
One Staffordshire potter, Thomas Green, who potted
between the years 1847-59, at Fenton, England, seems
to have made use of but a single episode of American
history for the decoration of the ware which he shipped
across the sea to his American patrons — the famous
Treaty of Shackamaxon, which his compatriot, William
Penn, concluded with the tribes of Indians who roamed
the forests about his new settlement of Philadelphia.
As many as a dozen variants of the "Penn's Treaty"
scene have been found in recent years, printed upon
plates in the colors of the later period of Staffordshire
manufacture — red, black, brown, green, pink and light
blue — the border of the series being a delicate pattern
of small diamond-shaped figures arranged to imitate
open-work. The sketches used in the Thomas Green pottery, two
of which are presented, are the product of the imagina
tion of English draughtsmen, who held somewhat vague
ideas as to the character of American scenery. The
fact of the Treaty being held under an elm tree is a
tradition so well established that dispute is futile, the
spreading elm pictured in old prints upon the bank of
the Delaware River taking its place in the galaxy of the
117

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
world's historic trees. Nevertheless, in these sketches
Penn and his companions are represented in Quaker
garb, the artist having omitted to designate the blue silk
sash with which, tradition says, Penn was girt about the
waist upon the occasion, standing under a tall cocoanut
palm tree conspicuously laden with fruit. In the back
ground Eastern pagodas may be seen, one of them shel
tering a group of squatting squaws. Upon one Treaty
plate, Penn himself may be found in the robe of an
oriental mandarin — palms, pagodas, and robe all proofs
of the prevalent English belief as late as but a century
ago in the tropical and oriental character of the world
which Columbus discovered, an idea difficult, it seems,
to efface from the European mind, which for so long
had been nourished upon the adventures of Marco Polo
and other eastern travelers who cherished the belief
of the western route to India. Penn is represented hold
ing the parchment Treaty in his hand, Indians in fan
ciful costumes, with beautiful head-dresses, are con
versing with him, one of the braves extending his hand
as if about to receive the document.
Another "Treaty" scene, printed by an unknown pot
ter upon a porcelain plate, is a reproduction of one of
Benjamin West's famous paintings of the historic in
cident. Herein, a tall branching tree, supposedly the
elm, is represented as sheltering a small assemblage of
Indians and Quakers, while Penn stands in the center
118

LANDING OF COLUMBUS
(Blue and White Wedgwood Pitcher, in the
Dickins Collection. National Museum,
Washington, D. C.)

WILLIAM PENN'S TREATY WITH THE INDIANS
(T. G.)

'wm#'K

%$sfufWwt^

PENN'S TREATY
(T. G.)

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
of the group pointing to the document, which is being
examined by the braves in the foreground. The back
ground presents a row of buildings. Benjamin West
lived in Philadelphia sufficiently early in its history to
have heard the direct tradition of the Treaty, and in
one of his paintings of the subject he drew the portrait
of his grandfather as one of the group of Friends at
tendant upon Penn, history recording the fact that he
was present upon the occasion — a fact which, it is said,
inspired West to become a painter of the subject. The
English characters in West's paintings were all in
tended to be resemblances and were so far true to life
that at least one old-time citizen of Philadelphia could
name them all. Much to the regret of early Philadel-
phians, however, Penn neglected truth so far as to have
omitted the river scenery; to have given a wrong im
pression of the form of the Treaty tree; and to have
put into the background a range of houses "which were
certainly never exactly found at Shackamaxon." But
his critics declared the extenuating circumstances that
the artist was in England at the time he executed the
paintings, and therefore could have no picture of the
scene before his eyes.
A careful study of all of the designs, however, dis
plays neglect of the actual scene upon that historic oc
casion. Each artist has failed to put into his picture
those crescent-shaped groups of redmen who, as Penn
119

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
records, seated themselves in the open air by the river's
side, in solemn audience upon that autumn day in the
year 1682, "according to the mode of their ancestors,
under a grove of shady trees, where the little birds on
the boughs were warbling their sweet notes." In the
front row, sat the chiefs of the tribes with their wise
men beside them; behind these, in the form of another
half moon, sat the middle aged men; and, in the same
form, still farther back, the "young fry."
None spoke but the aged. One may picture to him
self the solemn air with which Penn arose and pre
sented to Tawenna, the Chief Sachem, the roll of parch
ment — that treaty "which was not sworn to and never
broken." After the terms of the treaty had been ex
plained by an interpreter, Penn admonished the Indians
to preserve the parchment carefully for three genera
tions, that their children might know what had passed
between them just as if he had remained to repeat it.
Thereupon, the Chief Tawenna slowly rose and of
fered to Penn, in exchange for the parchment, a Belt
of Peace, at the same time declaring with great solem
nity that "all Penn's people and all the Indians shall
be brothers of one father, joined together as with one
heart, one head and one body; that all the paths shall
be open free to both ; that the doors of Christian houses
and the wigwams of the Indians shall be open and the
people shall make one another welcome; that they shall
120

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
not believe false rumors of one another, but, when heard,
they shall bury them in a bottomless pit; that no harm
shall be done, one to another ; that complaints of wrong
doing shall be made by either side; and, finally, that
both Christians and Indians shall acquaint their children
with the league and chain of friendship, and that it shall
always be made stronger and be kept bright and clean,
without rust or spot, between our children and chil
dren's children, while the creeks and rivers run, and
while the sun, moon and stars endure."
This famous Indian Belt of Peace is now in the pos
session of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, as
it was brought over from England in the year 1857
by a great-grandson of William Penn, and presented
to the Society. The belt is woven of eighteen strings
of wampum, or beads made from muscle shells which
grow upon the shores of our Southern States. It is
twenty-six inches long and nine inches wide, the color
being white, which signifies that it is a Peace Belt. In
the center, two figures made of violet beads are repre
sented — one, an Indian, is grasping in friendship the
hand of another man, a European, known by the fact
that he has a hat on his head ! The Indian belts were the
customary public records of the tribes and were pre
served by them in chests ; they were taken out occasion
ally, and the words spoken again which were spoken
at the time of their giving. 121

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
In this manner, as the old-china records call to mind,
under the elm tree was cemented that friendship be
tween the Pennsylvania pioneers and their savage neigh
bors, which made possible the growth and prosperity of
Penn's City of Brotherly Love. For more than a cen
tury after the Treaty, the historic elm stood upon the
river bank, always cared for in the midst of the busy
scenes of the wharf. In the later years of his life,
Benjamin West wrote of the tree: "This tree, which
was held in the highest veneration by the original in
habitants of my native country, by the first settlers, and
by their descendants, and to which I well remember,
about the year 1755, when a boy, often resorting with
my school fellows, was in some danger during the
American War, when the British possessed the country,
from parties sent out in search of wood for firing; but
the late General Simcoe, who had the command of the
district where it grew (from a regard for the character
of William Penn, and the interest he took in the his
tory connected with the tree), ordered a guard of British
soldiers to protect it from the axe. This circumstance
the General related to me, in answer to my inquiries,
after his return to England."
Upon a Saturday night in March, in the year 18 10,
the elm was blown down in a storm, the root being
wrenched and the trunk broken off. Upon the follow
ing day, many hundreds of people visited the spot to
122

PIONEERS OF AMERICA
look upon it. The tree is described as having been re
markably wide spread, but not lofty, its main branches
which inclined toward the river measuring 150 feet in
length, its girth 24 feet and its age, as counted by the
circles of annual growth, 283 years. Many souvenirs
were made from the wood, chairs, desks, picture frames,
etc. Its most fitting memorial, however, was a descend
ant of the tree itself, grown from a stripling, which
until the year 1841, flourished in the lawn of the Penn
sylvania Hospital, no doubt one of the trees to be seen
in the illustration of that institution which has been
presented in a former chapter. A marble monument has
since been erected near the site of the original elm, the in
scription upon its four sides being, "Treaty Ground of
William Penn and the Indian Nations, 1682, Unbroken
Faith; William Penn, Born 1644, Died, 1718; Placed
by the Penn Society, A. D. 1827, to mark the site of the
Great Elm Tree; Pennsylvania Founded, 1 681, by Deeds
of Peace." A commemorative poem to the Treaty Elm,
written by a loyal Philadelphian of history-loving bent,
closes with these lines :
Tho' Time has devoted our Tree to decay,
The sage lessons it witness'd survive to our day,
May our trustworthy statesmen, when call'd to the helm,
Ne'er forget the wise Treaty held under our Elm.

123

CHAPTER VIII
GEORGE WASHINGTON
SCARCELY a person in Europe or America a cen
tury and more ago was unfamiliar with the fea
tures of George Washington, or unacquainted with the
principles and actions of his life. Therefore, in their
efforts for trade put forth by appealing to the patriotic
pride of the Americans, the potters could have selected
no more popular subject of design than the beloved fea
tures of "Liberty's Favorite Son"; of him who in the
hearts of loyal Americans, as a Liverpool pitcher af
firms, was "A Man without Example, a Patriot without
Reproach"; or, as an old punch-bowl declares, "First
in War, First in Peace" and "First in Fame, First in
Virtue." The list of pieces of pottery and porcelain which ex
hibit the name or portrait of Washington is longer than
that of ceramics bearing any other American design,
and includes specimens both of the deep blue pottery of
Staffordshire manufacture and of the black-printed yel
low wares of Liverpool. Numerous prints of his face,
some seemingly imaginary, others copies of well-known
paintings, are reproduced; his home at Mount Vernon
124

MARTHA WASHINGTON STATES' PLATE

GEORGE WASHINGTON
is pictured; his monument; his tomb and funeral urn;
the names of the States which he called into being are
festooned with stars about his portrait ; the dates of his
birth and death are intertwined with symbols of his pa
triotic warfare and with emblems of the glorious re
ward hereafter, to which his deeds entitled him. In
deed, judging from the number and variety of Washing
ton views, the English potters took pleasure in honoring
the gallant and successful foe of their own Empire.
The first illustration is from the sugar bowl belong
ing to a deep blue tea-service, and presents Washington
in Continental uniform standing upon the lawn of his
estate at Mount Vernon, his favorite mount nearby
held by a groom. Upon a similarly shaped tea-set of
Staffordshire, Washington is presented upon the same
lawn with an open scroll, doubtless the Declaration of
Independence, in his hand, the columned veranda of the
old mansion in the background of both sketches appear
ing the same as at the present day. The fact that the
features of Washington accompany the portraits of
Jefferson, Clinton and Lafayette upon specimens of ware
made to commemorate the opening of the Erie Canal is
judged by some persons proof that the potters held vague
and oft-times incorrect notions of American affairs, an
other proof offered being "Boston" and "Tenasee"
among the number of early States. But George Wash
ington was the idol of young America, so it would seem
125

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
but natural to link his memory with the others upon
memorials of the nation's greatest enterprise.
Another Washington design which originated in the
potteries of Staffordshire is known as the "States" pat
tern, and from the number of important circumstances
it records this may be said, as was remarked of the first
flag of Stars and Stripes, "to embody a whole national
history." The eye is attracted first to the charming bit
of landscape in the center, set in a graceful frame of
scrolls, the beholder seeming to gaze out of a window
upon the brilliantly illumined scene — a dignified man
sion said to represent the President's House at Wash
ington, with its well-kept lawn shaded by beautiful trees
sloping, as in l'Enfant's original plan of the capital city,
to the shore of the Potomac River. Two figures, a man
and woman, stand upon the bank of a stream, and a
small boat flying a very large flag rests upon the water.
Supporting the frame upon the right hand side and
gazing upon the scene it encircles, kneels a female figure
crowned with a many-plumed head-dress and bearing
aloft a Liberty cap, the word "Independence" appearing
upon the platform beneath her. At the left stands blind
folded Justice, the decoration of the Order of the Cin
cinnati upon her skirt being in honor of George Wash
ington, whose medallion portrait hangs suspended from
her right hand. Flowers and fruits complete the de
sign, and, enclosing all, a ribbon is festooned, each loop
126

GEORGE WASHINGTON, FESTOONED WITH
NAMES OF 15 STATES
(Liverpool Pitcher)

THE STUART PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON

SEAL OF U. S. (FRONT)
(Liverpool Pitcher)

f WASHINGTON IN GLORY "— " AMERICA IN TEARS"
(Liverpool Pitcher)

GEORGE WASHINGTON
of which bears the name of one of the fifteen States of
the Union, Kentucky and Vermont having joined the
sisterhood of the original thirteen at the time the device
was made; fifteen stars mark the intervening spaces of
the festoons.
An illustration from a Staffordshire specimen which
is reproduced in the chapter upon Lafayette presents a
fanciful Tomb marked "Washington," set in a brilliant
sunset-lighted landscape, and before it, in an attitude of
sorrow, reclines the figure of Washington's devoted
French friend.
Numerous are the portraits and eulogies of our first
President which the black-printed yellow pitchers and
punch bowls of Liverpool manufacture exhibit, some of
the portraits being fair likenesses, others with features
"leaning all awry," and suggesting the queries : "What !
did the Hand then of the Potter shake ?" or, "Was there
malice prepense in the heart of the fashioning artist?"
At the same time, the flattering sentiment ascribed to
Washington by the English potters at a period coinci
dent with extreme international bitterness, and even open
warfare, are astonishing revelations of British methods
of securing trade with the colonies and the infant States.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
contains a number of ceramic likenesses of Washing
ton, by both artists and amateurs (one painted in China,
with almond-shaped eyes, hair in oriental mode and man-
127

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
darin coat!), the best known being copies of the Savage,
Trumbull, Peale and Stuart portraits; the last named,
the Stuart portrait with the lawn ruffles which is here
reproduced, presenting the great American as we know
him best and admire him most. An especially poor por
trait is the next illustration, the face in profile, over
which a cherub holds a wreath inclosing the word
"Washington." Justice and Liberty are on either side,
while Victory kneels before him offering the laurel
branch. A ribbon scroll bears the names of fifteen
States and shelters fifteen stars.
But — was it by reason of the secret, but suppressed,
satisfaction they felt in the incident ? — the designs which
present Washington upon his monument or mounting
to heaven upon a shaft of light, in the Apotheosis of
Glory, borne aloft by winged seraphs and a choir of
cherub angels, reveal the fancy of the potter-historians
full and unrestrained. "Washington in Glory" we read
at the top of one old pitcher, and at the bottom, "Amer
ica in Tears"; a dignified delineation of the national
hero, surmounted with a laurel wreath and urn, adorns
the monument, with the dates of his birth and death be
neath: "George Washington, Born February 22, 1732,
Died December 17, 1799." Below the inscription is the
Coat of Arms of the Washington family — a shield bear
ing five bars in chief three mullets — and the crossed
swords of the dead warrior. The new Republic, repre-
128

GEORGE WASHINGTON
sented by a female figure, leans in sorrow upon the base
of the shaft, while an eagle, also typifying America,
droops his wings and head in symbol of the mourning
of a nation; abundant weeping willows, without which
no memorial design of the early nineteenth century was
complete, lighted with streaming rays of glory from on
high, form the background for the monument. Upon
the front of the pitcher, under the nose, is the design
of the Seal of the United States, while upon the reverse,
Ceres and Pomona stand at either side of a cannon upon
which an American eagle perches in attitude of pro
claiming to the world the successful achievement of
Washington, inscribed as: "Peace, Plenty and Inde
pendence" ; an early design of the national flag is an in
teresting detail of the background of this decoration.
Another monument pitcher gives a crude drawing of
a shaft adorned with Washington's bust, the line,
"Washington in Glory" above, and below, "America in
Tears," accompanied by the historic dates, while a weep
ing figure and weeping willow again symbolize the na
tion's sorrow. Still other Washington pitchers record
such eulogistic legends in honor of him and of the free
dom he achieved as, "First in War, First in Peace, First
in Fame, First in Victory," "He is in Glory, America
in Tears," "His Excellency General Washington,"
"My love is fixed,
I cannot range;
129

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
I like my choice
Too well to change,"
"Patria," "May Columbia flourish," "E Pluribus
Unum," the following lines to Liberty :
"O Liberty! thou goddess
Heavenly bright,
Profuse of bliss,
And pregnant with delight;"
also, the design of a harp in the hands of a soldier of
the United States, who is standing before Liberty, pre
sumably assuring her, as the legend states, that the in
strument is "Tun'd to Freedom for our Country."
A number of pottery devices associate the memory
of Washington with that of previous or contemporary
historical incidents, a pitcher of especial interest, which
is reproduced and described in a former chapter, bear
ing what is known as the "Map" design. This decora
tion, in addition to its valuable map of the United States,
assembles, like the "States" patterns, several important
historical records, for example — Washington and
Franklin are examining the territory their judgment and
deeds did so much to acquire; Liberty, the goddess of
their inspiration, stands by Washington's side; while
History, the muse who will record their acts, looks down
upon Franklin, Fame sounding a trumpet on high and
holding aloft a wreath inscribed, "Washington." A
very clear representation of the pine-tree flag, one of
130

GEORGE WASHINGTON
Scroll in Hand
(Wood)

"HONOR THE BRAVE"— "THE UNION, IT
MUST AND SHALL BE PRESERVED"
(Pitcher in the Dickins Collection, National Museum,
Washington, D. C.)

EMBLEMS OF SUCCESS OF REVOLUTIONARY
ARMS
(Liverpool Pitcher)

WASHINGTON MONUMENT
(Liverpool Pitcher)

GEORGE WASHINGTON
the earliest emblems of the Colonies (the significance of
which is explained in a subsequent chapter) forms an
especially valuable part of the Map device. Another
Washington pitcher exhibits, on the reverse side, a fe
male figure holding the American flag and facing two
Indians, while in the background are several would-be
portraits labeled, "Raleigh, Columbus, Franklin, Wash
ington," together with the legend, "An Emblem of
America." A pitcher marked, "Proscribed Patriots," presents the
portraits of Samuel Adams and John Hancock, the fiery
Boston leaders of Revolutionary times, side by side in
a medallion, surrounded with the following inscription,
"In Memory of Washington and the Proscribed Patriots
of America. Liberty, Virtue, Peace, Justice, and
Equity to All Mankind." Below is the patriotic coup
let, Columbia's Sons Inspired by Freedom's Flame,
Live in the Annals of Immortal Fame.
Upon the upper part of the device may be read, "Sacred
to the Memory of G. Washington, who Emancipated
America from Slavery and Founded a Republic upon
such Just and Equitable. Principles that it will," etc.
Upon another Liverpool jug, a soldier of the new nation
is seen standing with his foot on the head of a British
Lion, while below is his explanation of the unwonted
attitude, "By Virtue and Valor we have freed our Coun-
131

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
try, extended our Commerce, and laid the foundation
of a Great Empire" — strange words to put into the
mouth of one's successful foe !
A large yellow punch bowl in possession of the Con
necticut Historical Society exhibits Washington in full
uniform upon a battlefield, mounted upon a spirited
horse, with the accompanying inscription: "His Ex
cellency General Washington, Marshal of France, and
Commander in Chief of the North American Continen
tal Forces." It is recorded that, in order to overcome
a difficulty which arose over Washington's absolute con
trol of the united French and patriot armies in America,
the Count de Rochambeau being a lieutenant-general of
France and therefore only to be commanded by the King
or Marechal de France, Washington was made a French
Marechal, the French officers at Yorktown addressing
him as Monsieur le Marechal. The reverse of the bowl
has the fur-cap portrait of Benjamin Franklin which is
shown in a later chapter, with the legend : "By virtue
and valor we have freed our Country."
Our description of the Liverpool series of Washington
designs closes with the "Apotheosis," in which the great
American may be seen ascending to Heaven from his
tomb, somewhat after the manner of the saved in early
Italian frescoes of the Resurrection. Our first President
is supported by Father Time, an angel holds his hand,
at the same time pointing to rays of glory which mark
132

GEORGE WASHINGTON
the path to the upper regions, while charming winged
cherubs, which would not have disgraced Raphael's
hand, frame the top of the device; upon the tomb
may be read, "Sacred to the Memory of Washington ob
17 December, A. D. 1799, ae 68." A fitting epitome of
the fulsome praise accorded by the English potters to the
memory of the great American is recorded in the oft-
found expressions, "Peace and Prosperity to America,"
"America! Whose militia is better than standing
armies," as well as in the alarming portent : "Deafness
to the ear that will patiently hear, and dumbness to the
tongue that will utter a calumny against the immortal
Washington !"
In addition to tableware, a variety of busts, statuettes
and medallions of Washington were produced both in
England and in France, made of jasper and basalt, some
of the last being exquisite works of art and intended
for use as seals. Mirror knobs, or "Lookeing Glass
Nobs," as ante-Revolutionary advertisements made men
tion of them, were much in evidence supporting the
heavy mirrors in old-time Colonial homes, many of them
being portrait heads of Washington in a cocked hat, or
of Franklin with bald head and spectacles.
Several of the presidents who followed Washington
likewise figure in a limited number of decorations turned
out from the English potteries. "John Adams, Presi
dent of the United States," is found under the portrait
133

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
of Washington's successor in office. A "Proscribed Pa
triot" pitcher is described by Mrs. Earle in her delight
ful book, "China Collecting in America," as bearing,
among others, the following inscription, descriptive of
American policy at the close of the Revolution : "Peace,
Commerce and Honest Friendship with all Nations, En
tangling Alliance with none. Jefferson. Anno Do
mini 1804;" while upon another pitcher appear these
stanzas to Jefferson :
"Sound, Sound the trump of Fame,
Let Jefferson's great name
Ring through the world with loud applause
As the firm friend of Freedom's cause.
Let every clime to freedom dear
Now listen with a joy full ear.
With honest pride and manly grace
He fills the Presidential place.
"The Constitution for his guide,
And Truth and Justice by his side,
When hope was sinking in dismay,
When gloom obscured Columbia's day,
He mourn'd his country's threaten'd fate
And saved it ere it was too late."
Portraits of Jefferson also accompany those of Wash
ington, Clinton and Lafayette upon the pottery designed
to celebrate the completion of the Erie Canal. Presi
dent Madison, the War President of 181 2, appears upon
one of a series of Liverpool pitchers illustrating that last
armed conflict with Great Britain, while "Major Gen-
i34

WASHINGTON ON ERIE CANAL DISH
(Other views of this specimen may be found in Chapter XIV)
(Stevenson)

GEORGE WASHINGTON ON THE LAWN IN FRONT OP
THE MANSION AT MOUNT VERNON
(Unknown Maker)

GEORGE WASHINGTON
eral Andrew Jackson," who fought and won the final
battle of the War of 1812, and later on became Presi
dent of the United States, was not overlooked by the
English artists, a globose pitcher preserving a print of
his features. About the year 1840, John Tams, a potter
at Longton, turned out two souvenir designs, one of them
in honor of General W. H. Harrison, the other, of Henry
Clay. Both are portraits, the first accompanied with
symbols of warfare and the words, "Hero of the
Thames, 1813;" the second, with the legend, "Star of
the West." The log-cabin campaign of 1840, which
placed the western hero in the presidential chair, like
wise furnished decorations for the potters, a log cabin
with its barrel of cider by the open door, and portraits
of Harrison, being printed upon punch bowls and pitch
ers. American industries were likewise noted and made
subject for decoration, the Salem, Massachusetts His
torical Society preserving a punch bowl of Liverpool
make which bears the date 1800, together with two prints
representing scenes of timber-rolling and ship-building,
intended no doubt to commemorate the important Co
lonial industry of that town. Below the prints are the
lines :
"Our mountains are covered with Imperial Oak
Whose Roots like our Liberties Ages have nourish'd ;
But long ere our Nation submits to the Yoke
Not a Tree shall be left on the Field where it flourish'd.
135

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
"Should Invasion impend, Every Tree would Descend
From the Hilltops they shaded Our Shores to defend ;
For Ne'er shall the Sons of Columbia be Slaves
While the Earth bears a plant, or the Sea rolles its waves."
Brave words! which imply not only knowledge of the
spirit that imbued the colonists, but acquaintance as well
with the physical conditions of the American wilderness.
George Washington was fond of having china in his
home, and, after the close of the War, imported ware,
much of it gifts to himself and his wife, took the place
of pewter upon the table at Mount Vernon. The "Cin
cinnati" and other sets which he owned are described in
Supplementary Chapter A of this volume.
A piece of the "Martha Washington States" set of
china which was decorated for, and presented to, the
wife of our first President is here presented. A number
of pieces of this famous set are now in the National
Museum of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington.
Around the rim of the plate is a chain of fifteen links,
each link inclosing the name of one of the first fifteen
States. In the center is the interlaced monogram of
Martha Washington— "M. W."— in a wreath of laurel
and olive leaves, beneath it being a ribbon scroll upon
which is inscribed in clearly traced letters, "Decus et
tutamen ab illo." From the wreath spring rays of gold,
and what at first glance appears to be a stripe around
the extreme edge of the plate is in reality a gold serpent
with its tail in its mouth — a symbol of eternity.
136

^M^^n

WEST POINT MILITARY SCHOOL
Scene of Arnold's Treason
(Adams)

CHAPTER IX
SCENES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
EXHIBITING the same curious lack of patriotism
in their zeal for establishing commercial relations
that inspired the reproduction of portraits of great
Americans, the English potters made use of scenes of
battle, surrender and memorial in that War of the Revo
lution which was of such fatal consequence to British
arms. Bunker Hill, Quebec, Brooklyn Heights, Brandy-
wine, the Treason at West Point, the Surrender at York-
town — thrilling incidents the recital calls to mind! each
one being either suggested or told in full upon the
printed china.
Very clearly, from the brilliantly lighted and spirited
scene upon the surface of the blue gravy-tray, may be
read the familiar story of Bunker Hill. At the right
rises Breed's Hill which the patriots determined to seize
from the English, in the belief that their cannon once
placed upon its summit would drive the English out of
Boston. Upon the sides of the hill may be traced the
breastworks and the rail fences banked with earth and
brushwood which they hurriedly and quietly threw up
i37

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
in the silence of the night, fearful that some sound of
pick or shovel might arouse the enemy watching in the
ships of the nearby harbor. Upon the summit of the
hill is the redoubt, and at its base, in three divisions, the
"Thin Red Line of England" is seen marching under
General Gage to attack the raw patriot troops — "coun
try boys," General Gage derisively dubbed them — who
upon this spot first measured strength with the trained
militia of Great Britain:
"Why, if our army had a mind to sup,
They might have eat that schoolboy army up,"
being at the beginning of the struggle for independ
ence the popular British notion of the American re
cruits. Certain of victory, gay in their white breeches,
scarlet coats and cocked hats, carrying shining muskets,
the British advanced upon that June day in '75, to face
the schoolboy army lying concealed behind the redoubt,
the haystacks, the fences and the stone wall, patiently
waiting for them with such deadly fire that three at
tempts with overwhelming forces and ammunition were
necessary to dislodge them. It was such a costly vic
tory that General Gage in his report to the English Gov
ernor wrote: ". . . the rebels are not the despicable
rabble too many have supposed them to be; and I find
it owing to a military spirit encouraged among them
for a few years past, joined with an uncommon degree
138

BATTLE OP BUNKER HILL
(R. Stevenson)

SURRENDER AT YORKTOWN
The reverse of this specimen is shown in Chapter XIII
(Copper Luster Pitcher)

BUNKER HILL MONUMENT
(Jackson)

GILPIN'S MILLS ON THE BRANDYWINE RIVER, NEAR
BATTLEFIELD
(Wood)

SCENES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
of zeal and enthusiasm, that they are otherwise." In
the background of the illustration, beyond the hill, the
vessels in the harbor may be faintly discerned, and the
flames of burning Charlestown, and, farther away still,
the spires and roof-tops of Boston — vessel-rigging,
spires and roof-tops, we read, all crowded upon that day
with anxious spectators of the opening tragedy of the
War of the Revolution.
Although the scene of the Battle of Bunker Hill re
cords a British victory, the illustration of Bunker Hill
Monument, which 50 years later, was erected upon the
site of the battle, is a memorial of the final triumph of
the patriot cause. General Lafayette, as a later chapter
records, was present upon the occasion of the dedica
tion of the monument, and, as one of the survivors of
the War, he was the hero of the day. Upon Bunker Hill
the patriots lost their brave leader, General Warren, and
the autumn of the same year witnessed the death of an
other officer, General Montgomery, as he was making
an attack upon Quebec, he and Arnold having heroically
led a company of soldiers across the country and into
Canada. Imaginary death and battle scenes in which
these officers figure were printed as memorials upon
Liverpool pitchers, one being inscribed, "The Death of
Warren," and the other, "The Death of Montgomery."
A large punch bowl in the Museum of Gloucester, Massa
chusetts, links their memories in the following lines,
i39

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
"As he fills your rich glebs (glass)
The old peasant shall tell,
While his bosom with liberty glow,
How Warren expired,
How Montgomery fell,
And how Washington humbled your foe."
The view of New York City from Brooklyn Heights,
which may be found illustrated in a previous chapter,
calls to mind an important episode of the Revolutionary
War which took place in the summer of 1776, a short
time after the colonies had declared their independence
of British rule. It was upon those wooded heights that
Washington's army vainly attempted to oppose the en
trance of the British forces under General Howe into
New York City. In small vessels, such as those pictured
floating in the harbor, Washington in the Very face of
the enemy took his army across the bay on a moonlight
night, and entered the city just as Lord Howe and his
troops were seen to occupy their former position on the
heights of the Brooklyn side of the harbor. Then,
northward to the heights of Harlem and farther still to
the country about White Plains the patriot army
marched, leaving the English officers and soldiers to
settle themselves for a comfortable winter in New York.
The attractive country scene, white mill buildings and
drooping trees mirrored in the quiet Brandywine stream
— a design of Enoch Wood, known by the border of
shells and mosses — was found not far from the spot
140

SCENES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
where, in the year 1777, was fought the historic battle
which stained the still water with patriot blood. Wash
ington's army was drawn up along the bank of the
Brandywine engaged with a portion of the British forces,
when of a sudden Howe and Cornwallis appeared upon
the right flank, having led their main army far up
stream, crossed it, and come down with such force upon
Washington's army that Lord Howe's plans of spending
another comfortable winter in America, this time in the
city of Philadelphia, were assured; the gayety of the
English officers that winter in the city contrasting
strongly with the privations and sufferings of the patriot
army at Valley Forge. The paper mill in the illustra
tion stood on the farm of Gideon Gilpin, to whose home
Lafayette was carried wounded from the field of Brandy
wine. It is recorded that in this mill the first machine
to take the place of hand labor in the making of paper
was introduced.
The same autumn the surrender of Burgoyne took
place at Saratoga, a victory for the patriots which proved
to be the decisive turning point in the war, as it brought
France officially to the side of the colonies — an alliance
commemorated in the field of ceramics by an exquisite
porcelain statuette of Louis XVI and Benjamin Frank
lin, which is presented and described in the chapter upon
Benjamin Franklin. After a disastrous defeat at Bemis
Heights, General Burgoyne had retreated to Saratoga,
141

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
where he was followed and surrounded by a superior
army under General Gates, and, finding himself in a hos
tile and wilderness country far from his base of supplies,
there remained nothing for him but surrender.
Then occurred the great Treason of the War, the at
tempt of its commanding officer, Benedict Arnold, to de
liver to the enemy West Point, the key to the line of forts
situated along the Hudson River, and thus to end for
ever the chances of independence for the colonies. The
excellent view of the old fortress presents it as it ap
peared not many years after 1780, when Arnold had
command — low stone buildings forming a line along the
ridge of the mountain, taller hills rising beyond, and the
Hudson flowing below. Upon the river bank may be
distinguished the very spot where, in the darkness of a
September night, Major Andre came ashore, met the
traitor by appointment, and received from him the in
criminating papers which later on were found upon him
as he was attempting to pass to the English lines ; their
evidence sending the spy to his death, and Arnold to a
more congenial home in England.
Again, one marvels at the nineteenth century English
artists' lack of patriotic sensibility as he examines the
evidence upon the jug of glowing luster which portrays
the final scene of humiliation to British arms — the sur
render of the sword of Charles, Earl Cornwallis, at
Yorktown on October 19, 1781. This surrender, one of
142

THE BOSTON FUSILIER
(Liverpool Pitcher)

SCENES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
the famous surrenders which History records, was an
event of world importance, putting an end, by its dis
heartening effect upon English opinion, to the Revolu
tionary War and paving the way to peace. In his use of
military tactics which resulted in the surrender, Wash
ington is said to have equaled Napoleon in his famous
Ulm campaign. Marching his army all the way from
the Hudson River to Virginia — a distance of 400 miles
— in twenty-eight days, Washington joined the army un
der General Lafayette which had recently suffered de
feat at Cornwallis' hands, thus massing about twice the
number of the enemy's forces who had gone into York-
town. At once the patriot army surrounded the city,
for three weeks laid siege to it, until at last, the looked-
for reinforcements not being able to reach Cornwallis,
the English surrendered — soldiers, seamen, cannon,
muskets, ammunition, supplies and clothing, besides fri
gates and transports ; the army, it is recorded marching
out to the humiliating notes of the old English tune,
"The World Turned Upside Down." In the illustra
tion, two groups of officers appear face to face, Wash
ington and Lafayette at the head of the patriots, Wash
ington receiving the sword from the hand of General
O'Hara, as Lord Cornwallis refused to be present and
take his part in the scene of humiliation. Old records
say that at the time of the surrender the band struck
up "Yankee Doodle," so angering the British soldiers
143

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
that, as they laid down their swords they broke them in
pieces. The reverse of the jug, which is reproduced in
another chapter, bears a medallion portrait of General
Lafayette, crowned with laurel.
During the night following the eventful scene re
corded upon the luster pitcher, a messenger rode out
from the city of Yorktown bearing the stirring news of
surrender. At sunrise, he reached the city of Philadel
phia — and not many minutes thereafter, a German
watchman on his rounds of the quiet streets might have
been heard calling to the sleeping citizens : "Past three
o'clock — and Lord Cornwallis is taken !"
"With the assurance of independence came the estab
lishment throughout the Union of a number of com
panies of militia, one of them, known as the Boston
Fusileers, becoming of such widespread fame as to be
noticed by the English potters, who printed a reproduc
tion of one of its members upon a set of commemorative
pitchers. There he stands arrayed in the uniform of
his company, a flag of Massachusetts in his hand, while
above his head is the motto, presumably of the Order,
"Aut Vincere aut Mori" ; below may be read the inscrip
tion, "Success to the Independent Fusileer, Incorpo
rated July 4, 1789, America Forever." The reverse of
the pitcher presents Liberty, Justice and Peace, and the
motto, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall," together
with other figures emblematic of Agriculture, Trade and
144

SCENES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
Commerce — the design as a whole typifying the happy
results which were achieved by the long struggle for in
dependence in the great War of the Revolution under the
leadership of General Washington.

US

CHAPTER X
EMBLEMS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC AND STATES
IN the decoration of a number of Staffordshire
pieces, either in the border or as a detail of the de
sign it frames, is the figure of an eagle. Oft-times a
flag, bearing stars and stripes numbering either thirteen
or fifteen, flutters from a vessel's mast, frames a hero's
portrait or drapes his tomb; and a rare and valuable
series of plates illustrate the Arms of the original thir
teen States.
Emblems have always played an interesting part in
the history of nations. It may be recalled how in an
cient times the Roman legions marched to conquest un
der eagle-adorned banners, how wars were waged for
the red and the white roses, and how the Turk fought
always under the figure of the crescent. Familiar to
day, among the many devices of kingdoms and of em
pires, are the lilies of France, the lion and crosses of
England, the eagles of Germany and of Austria. Many
and varied, too, were the emblems which in the course of
the centuries floated over the land of America. Pre
vious illustrations have shown Columbus bringing the
banner of Spain, and the Pilgrim Fathers the colors of
146

ARMS OF NEW JERSEY
(Mayer)

ARMS OF PENNSYLVANIA
(Mayer )

EMBLEMS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
England; Canada long flew the lilies of France; and the
old fort on Manhattan, before it spread to the breeze the
Stars and Stripes, bore aloft first the Dutch and then the
English ensign.
During the Colonial and Revolutionary periods, flags
of various colors displaying devices other than the Eng
lish emblem to which the colonists owed allegiance were
made use of. The colors blue, red, and yellow and white
were combined in patterns or stripes, the sketch of a pine
tree together with the motto "Liberty" or the legend "An
Appeal to Heaven" appeared upon several of the flags,
while others bore the Liberty-tree in the center of the
field and the words, "An Appeal to God." In one of the
great historical mural paintings to be seen upon the Ro
tunda of the Capitol at Washington the Colonial troops
are represented marching under a red flag emblazoned
with a cross and a pine tree. Another Colonial flag is
elsewhere pictured flying an anchor and the word
"Hope," while still others, the words "Liberty and
Union." Upon the "Map" Liverpool pitcher which is
presented in a previous chapter may be seen a sketch of
a pine tree flag. The most popular device, however, to
be displayed upon Colonial flags was a rattlesnake coiled
and ready to strike, together with the warning, "Don't
Tread On Me," the rattles numbering thirteen, the num
ber of the colonies, and, likewise typical of the colonies,
each rattle distinct and at the same time joined to the
147

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
others in defensive union. Upon one rattlesnake flag
the tongue of the serpent was represented about to strike
at the English emblems, the crosses of Saint George and
Saint Andrew, while still another banner flaunted the
challenge, "Liberty or Death."
Previous to the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by
the new Republic, the emblems of the pine tree and the
serpent were also intertwined upon flags flown by the
vessels of the American navy — an act of such audacity
that it brought forth from an English journal the follow
ing comment: "A strange flag has lately appeared in
our seas, bearing a pine tree with the portraiture of a
rattle snake coiled up at its roots, with these daring
words, 'Don't Tread on Me.' We learn that the
vessels bearing this flag have a sort of commission from
a society of people at Philadelphia calling themselves the
Continental Congress." From the character of the de
vices chosen by the colonists to represent them, it is not
difficult to conclude that the decision to secure for them
selves the blessings of Liberty and Union were present
in the popular mind long before the actual struggle for
them was undertaken.
When the War of the Revolution was at last concluded
and the American people no longer were required to dis
play the hated British ensign, one of the foremost con
siderations of the new Republic was to choose fitting em
blems with which to signal its entrance into the family
148

ARMS OF RHODE ISLAND
(Mayer)

ARMS OF NORTH CAROLINA
(Mayer)

ARMS OF MARYLAND
(Mayer)

ARMS OF GEORGIA
(Mayer)

EMBLEMS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
of nations. And, as Staffordshire potters were at that
period manufacturing tableware for the American
market, the novel designs were naturally made use of
for decoration. It is to be regretted that the emblems
were not reproduced in the glowing hues of the originals,
but in blue alone, the favorite color then in use.
"O glorious flag ! Red, white and blue
Bright emblem of the pure and true ;
O glorious group of clustering stars !
Ye lines of light, ye crimson bars !"
Such is the flag which, on June 14, 1777, the Ameri
can Congress, in adopting the following Resolution:
"Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be
thirteen stripes alternate red and white; that the union
be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new
constellation," voted should proclaim the United States
of America.
Whence sprang the notion of the stars and stripes
which so happily represent the Republic ? One historian
declares that the stripes were borrowed from the great
coats of the Continental soldiers, who, minus uniforms,
made use of stripes to distinguish the different grades;
others affirm that the Dutch flag, whose stripes sym
bolize their own union against foreign oppression, fur
nished the inspiration. A more popular belief is, how
ever, that the Stars and Stripes were taken from the Coat
of Arms of George Washington, he who gave to the
149

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
colonies the freedom of which the emblem is now a sym
bol. The flag of the United States, a patriotic statesman
declared, is "a whole national history." In its thirteen
stripes may be numbered the thirteen colonies ; the colors
red and white are tokens of that daring spirit and of that
purity of motive which achieved the Union; and the
stars, thirteen in number upon the original banner, uni
form in shape and size, typify the likeness of the several
States, and, grouped upon the blue canopy of heaven,
they represent the strength and oneness of the young
Republic. George Washington ordered the first flag
made, taking a sketch of it to the little upholstery shop
of Mrs. Ross in Philadelphia, where for many years
"Betsey" Ross continued its manufacture.
The flag flying thirteen stars and thirteen stripes was
in use until the year 1791, when Vermont and Kentucky
joined the Union, and trouble arose. How were the new
States to figure on the flag? A new Act of Congress
was passed by which, "to keep the citizens of those states
in good humor," as one statesman argued, two stars were
added to those already on the field, and the stripes were
increased to fifteen. The flag of fifteen stars and fifteen
stripes may sometimes be found upon pieces of Stafford
shire pottery, a few specimens (the "Martha Washings
ton States plate" and the "States" platter, for example)
naming the fifteen States of the Union, Vermont and
150

ARMS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
(Mayer)

ARMS OF MASSACHUSETTS
(Mayer)

EMBLEMS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
Kentucky being among the number. After a few years,
Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana and Indiana came into the
sisterhood of the States, and the subject of the flag came
up anew. "We might go on adding and altering the flag
for one hundred years to come," complained a weary
statesman. It was at the time of this perplexity that the
present flag, exhibiting thirteen stripes alternate red and
white to represent the original thirteen colonies, one star
to be added to the field upon the admission into the Union
of each new State, was adopted. At the present time,
the star spangled banner flings forty-eight stars to the
breeze. The new-born Republic required a national Seal as
well as a flag, and tentative designs for the great Seal of
the United States were submitted by Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Franklin went to
the Bible for his inspiration and proposed Moses lifting
his wand and dividing the Red Sea, Pharaoh and his
chariot being overwhelmed by the waters. Adams fav
ored a classical subject — Hercules resting upon his
club after his labors (no doubt of forming the Union)
were ended. Jefferson suggested that the children of
Israel in the Wilderness might aptly represent the new
nation in the wilderness of the West, adding to his de
sign the motto, "E Pluribus Unum." Chosen commit
tees proposed Liberty (a female figure) with stars and
stripes, warriors, etc. The Seal finally adopted by Con-
151

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
gress, however— an American, or bald-headed eagle
upon whose breast an escutcheon bearing the Stars and
Stripes of the flag is displayed— is quite unlike any of
the proffered suggestions. One of the eagle's talons
holds an olive branch, while the other grasps a bundle
composed of thirteen arrows, branch and arrows denot
ing peace and war. A scroll inscribed E Pluribus Unum,
meaning one government of many parts or states, floats
from the eagle's beak, and thirteen stars appear in the
crest. No figures are pictured at the sides of the device
in the position of supporters, it having been no doubt
deemed out of place for a nation choosing to be repre
sented by that powerful bird to require any support
other than its own native strength.
Several adaptations of the design of the Seal of the
United States may be found in the illustrations. It
would appear that the English designers oft-times took
liberties with the new emblem, for the American eagle
may be found perched upon the shield with the arrows
and motto underneath him, or, with the shield used as a
background for the decoration; in one design, entitled
simply "America," the national bird is figured erect upon
a globe, the shield upon his breast, and the arrows and
olive branch in his talons. His attitude, wings raised
and beak open as if in angry dispute over his right to
the portion of the globe he stands upon, may possibly be
a sly joke of the English artist. A more exact copy of
152

ARMS OF CONNECTICUT
(Mayer)

ARMS OF NEW YORK
(Mayer)

ARMS OP SOUTH CAROLINA
(Mayer)

ARMS OP VIRGINIA
(Mayer)

EMBLEMS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
the great Seal may be seen upon the front of a Liverpool
jug in a previous chapter, displaying "Washington in
Glory." A series of decorations reproducing the Arms of the
States were printed by T. Mayer of Stoke-upon-Trent,
and, framed in an attractive border of trumpet-flower
sprays, surviving specimens are among the most highly
prized pieces of old Staffordshire. One device, the
Arms of New Hampshire, has never been found, search
in this country and in England thus far failing to bring
a specimen to light. It is believed to have been printed
along with the others, all pieces of it, however, having
been destroyed. In the "Arms" devices the emblems of
Justice and Independence and the colors red, white and
blue were frequently made use of, the States evidently
wishing to embody in their individual Seals emblems of
the principles for which the entire nation stood. A num
ber of the States likewise incorporated symbols of their
own particular life and activities.
As early as the year 1647, the colony of Rhode Island
provided that the "Seale of the Province shall be an
ancker." Later on, the word Hope was added, and
the design encircled with a scroll, the color of the anchor
and motto being blue, the scroll red and field white.
The emblem was no doubt adopted as a symbol of the
freedom, both civil and religious, in which the faith of
153

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
the early settlers of Rhode Island, supported by the spirit
of Hope, was so firmy anchored.
The first Seal of the colony of Maryland, still in use,
bears the Arms of her founder, Lord Baltimore. The
design which the potters made use of, however, is a
copy of the seal which was adopted in the year 1794 and
displayed for a period of twenty-three years only. In
a blaze of light stands a female figure of Justice hold
ing aloft the scales of her office in one hand, while the
other grasps an olive branch. The horn of plenty at
the base of the design symbolized the fertility of Mary
land's soil, and the ship at sea her extensive commerce.
The device of the Seal of Georgia adopted in the year
1798, is composed of three columns typifying Wisdom,
Justice and Moderation — virtues which support the arch
of the Constitution and uphold the laws of the young Re
public. By the side of one of the columns stands a man
with drawn sword — mute proclamation that the army of
Georgia is ever ready to defend the Constitution of the
Union. Connecticut adopted as her Seal three grapevines
laden with fruit, upon a white field, together with the
motto, Qui transtulit sustinet. The design was selected
as a memorial of the three plantations of Hartford,
Windsor and Weathersfield which formed the original
colony, and, as the motto explains, it was a witness of the
pious faith of the settlers of Connecticut in the divine
i54

ADAPTATION OF THE SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES

ADAPTATION OF SEAL OF UNITED STATES
"America"
(T. F. & Co.)

EMBLEMS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
assurance that "He who transplanted the vines was able
also to sustain them."
North Carolina's emblems are the Goddess of Liberty
and the Greek goddess of the harvest, Ceres — symbols
of North Carolina's faithfulness to the Constitution and
of the natural productiveness of her soil. Liberty bears
a wand topped with a liberty cap, while in her lap lies
the scroll of the Declaration of Independence. Stand
ing by her side, Ceres holds in one hand three ears of
corn and in the other a cornucopia, or horn of plenty,
overflowing with the fruits and flowers in which the
State abounds.
South Carolina also chose an emblem typical of her
soil — a single palmetto tree. From its branches hang
two shields and at its root are ten spears ; if to their total
the tree itself is added, the result is the number thirteen.
An English oak tree, pictured with roots above ground
and branches lopped, lies at the foot of the palmetto —
the power of England broken by the vigor of the young
republic, the lopped branches signifying that the Ameri
can colonies have deserted the parent stalk.
Pennsylvania's Arms embody three of the State's
activities : a sheaf of wheat for her agriculture, a plow
for her husbandry and a ship for her commerce. Over
all, forming the crest, a bald eagle grasps in his beak
a streamer bearing the words, Virtue, Liberty and In
dependence ; the supporters are two horses.
i55

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
The Arms of New Jersey are three plows upon a white
shield, Liberty and Ceres on either side as supporters
and a horse's head the crest — Industry, Plenty and Inde
pendence. New York, like Connecticut, went to her own beauti
ful landscape for a design, her Arms picturing the broad
Hudson River flowing between level banks, two passing
vessels, and, in the distance, the sun setting behind the
Highlands. Above the shield is a globe surmounted
with a heraldic eagle: Liberty stands on one side, her
foot upon an overturned crown ; while on the other side
blinded Justice holds in either hand a sword and scales —
tokens of deliverance from an oppressive royal yoke.
Below the shield is Excelsior.
Massachusetts, possibly in memory of her first inhabi
tants, chose an Indian dressed in shirt and moccasins to
represent her. At one side of the Indian's head is a
star, one of the United States of America, and the crest
is an arm grasping a sword. The motto, Ense petit
placidam sub libertate quietam, is one of the following
lines written two centuries ago by Algernon Sydney in
an album of the Public Library of Copenhagen, Den
mark: Manus haec inimica tyrannis,
Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietam.
The English translation is :
This hand, the rule of tyrants to oppose,
Seeks with the sword fair freedom's soft repose.
156

EMBLEMS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
The Arms of Delaware recite the homely story of her
agriculture and her commerce — a blue shield divided by
a white band into two equal parts, a cow occupying the
lower division, a sheaf of wheat and a bundle of leaf
tobacco the upper ; a ship under full sail forms the crest.
The supporters are a mariner and a hunter, beneath
whose feet is the motto Liberty and Independence.
Virtue, robed as an Amazon, a spear in one hand and
a sword in the other, appears upon the Arms of Vir
ginia. She stands upon the form of a prostrate man
who may be said to represent Tyranny, a crown having
fallen from his head, one hand still grasping a scourge
and the other a broken chain. The motto, Sic Sem
per Tyrannis, So shall perish all tyrants, upon a scroll
at the foot of justice, gives voice to Virginia's patriotic
sentiments.

157

CHAPTER XI
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
IT is a happy fact that the memory of Benjamin
Franklin, such a splendid type of the citizen of
Young America and such a fond lover of blue china, is
enshrined among our choicest ceramic treasures. His
well-known placid and kindly face looks out upon us
from many a jug and punch bowl, and his jolly rotund
figure lives forever in medallions and statuettes of
French and English porcelain.
"Your father's face is as well-known as that of the
moon," wrote Franklin from France to his daughter in
America, referring to the many prints and medallions of
his face which appeared in Europe ; and almost as famil
iar to each succeeding generation of school boys is the
interesting record of the life of this early American.
The story of how the Boston printer boy spent his leisure
hours reading such books as Plutarch's Lives, the Lon
don Spectator and Xenophon's Memorable Things of
Socrates, forming his literary style therefrom; how he
ran away to Philadelphia, reaching that city with but one
dollar in his pocket ; and how, by his own industry, thrift
and perseverance, he grew to be one of the greatest men
158

STATUETTE— LOUIS XVI. AND FRANKLIN
TREATY SCENE
(French Porcelain)
(From " China Collecting in America," by Alice Morse Earle;
copyright, 1802, by Charles Scribner's Sons)

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
in history, is, like the stories of Columbus, of the Pilgrim
Fathers and of William Penn, one of the helpful ro
mances of America's early years.
Franklin's home life in Philadelphia was plain and
simple, and for many years he ate his breakfast of bread
and milk out of an earthen porringer with a pewter
spoon. "But mark," he says "how luxuries will enter
families and make progress despite of principles ; being
called to breakfast one morning, I found it in a china
bowl, with a spoon of silver ! They had been bought for
me without my knowledge by my wife, and had cost her
the enormous sum of twenty-three shillings, for which
she had no other excuse or apology to make but that she
thought her husband deserved a silver spoon and china
bowl as well as any of his neighbors. This was the first
appearance of plate and china in our house, which after
ward, in the course of years as our wealth increased,
augmented gradually to several hundred pounds in
value." In this manner Franklin was introduced to
china tableware, the fondness for which grew with his
years and with his wider opportunities for acquiring
it. We cannot dig deeply into the records of any civic or
national institution of America without finding some
where near the foundation the name of Benjamin Frank
lin. He was interested in all projects for the good of
the colonies, his active mind putting into execution the
iS9

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
best methods for improving every condition of affairs,
therefore in examining the old-china chronicle of illus
trations many phases of his work are revealed. The
Philadelphia Library (as pictured in another chapter)
was a small plain building, but within its walls was first
sheltered the little collection of books which Franklin's
literary club, the Junto, gathered for the use of its mem
bers, the collection expanding into a vast public Library.
The Hospital Building (illustrated in the same chapter)
which afterwards grew into the great Foundation of the
Pennsylvania Hospital, affords another glimpse of
Franklin's many-sided activities.
Franklin organized the fire company and the police
force of Philadelphia, and the Academy he helped to
found is now the University of Pennsylvania. Small
affairs, as well as great, claimed his thoughtful atten
tion — smoky fireplaces gave place to the Franklin stoves
of our forefathers, farmers were instructed in the use
of fertilizers, and sailors were taught the value of oil to
still the troubled waves of the sea.
Franklin's famous discoveries that the frightful thun
derbolt of the sky is but a huge electric spark, and that
it can be drawn to earth and made the servant of man,
became a favorite subject of china decoration. Plates
picture the learned Doctor Franklin busily flying the
immortal kite, which added to the sum of human wisdom
by destroying forever the superstitious fear of lightning
160

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
as a weapon in the hands of an angry God. Sometimes
the portrait of Franklin is accompanied by this legend,
"Benjamin Franklin, Esq. LL. D. and F. R. S., the
brave defender of the country against the oppression of
taxation without representation — author of the greatest
discovery in Natural Philosophy since those of Sir Isaac
Newton, viz., that lightning is the same with electric
, fire."
V-j/f^ Franklin medallions, printed with the motto in Latin :
"He snatched fire from Heaven and the scepter from
tyrants," were popular in France where they sold in
large numbers. Franklin strove to supply not only the
physical necessities of the colonists, but he also set him
self the task of moral instructor, and his sermons, sent
out in his Almanack under the guise of Poor Richard's
sayings, entered thousands of homes where, with the ex
ception of the Bible, it was often the only source of help
ful influence. For twenty-five years the famous Alma
nack was printed, the value of its teachings being incal
culable. Franklin's popular sayings naturally made
their way across the sea to England, and the Stafford
shire artists found in them fresh pictures for the decora
tion of their wares, stamping drinking mugs and small
plates for children with colored pictures illustrating
Franklin's "Morals," "Proverbs" and "Maxims."
"Poor Richard" gave practical advice for every con
dition of life, some of it humorous, some caustic, all,
161

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
however, laden with a salutary lesson and an intent to
do good to some person, and hidden beneath the wise
saws we find Franklin's disgust for all shams, his cen
sure of evil, his firm stand for honest ideals. Franklin
collected the sayings of Poor Richard and printed them
in narrative form, as if told by Father Abraham, an
other fictitious character, at an auction. The book was
printed in England and later was translated into several
languages, Poor Richard thereby becoming as well
known a personage as Mr. Pickwick or Dr. Syntax.
The story goes that at the time Franklin was envoy of
the new Republic to the Court of France, Captain Paul
Jones was in Paris, unsuccessfully trying to obtain a
vessel from the French Court, and that one day while
reading a French translation of Poor Richard's Alma
nack, he paused at the line, "If you would have your
business done, go ; if not, send" ; without delay he went
himself to Versailles and obtained an order for a ship.
In gratitude he named the vessel Le Bon Homme Rich
ard, which means "Poor Richard"— and his conquest of
the Serapis is one of the historic tales of the sea.
In the illustrations may be found a number of Frank
lin's precepts which, set before children on their plates at
table, had a share in forming the character of Young
America. "Success to the Plow, the Fleece and the
Pail; May the Landlord ever flourish, and the Tenant
never fail" are homely sentiments illustrated by a milk-
162

FLOWERS THAT NEVER FADE
"Good Humour"

LIVERPOOL BOWL, WITH FUR CAP PORTRAIT OP
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
(From "Anglo-American Pottery " ; by permission of Dr. Edwin A.
Barber)

FRANKLIN'S MORALS
" Many a little makes a mickle. "
(Unknown Maker)

'No Gains without Pains"
(Unknown Maker)

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
maid, a sheep and the implements of a farmer. An
other illustration teaches a lesson of skillful labor,
"Handle your tools without gloves; Remember the cat
in gloves catches nothing." Again, a well dressed old
lady is pictured speaking to her daughter, who stands
near her with a bunch of flowers in her hand, offering
this advice: "Good Humor is the greatest charm that
children can possess; It makes them happy, and what's
more, it gives them power to bless." This illustration
is one of a series of pictured precepts entitled, "Flowers
That Never Fade," and is an expression of one of Frank
lin's favorite theories, one which he himself was in the
habit of practicing — that good humor is one of Nature's
flowers of character most powerful in its influence upon
men. "Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee," "Dili
gence is the mother of good luck," "He that riseth late
must trot all day and scarce shall overtake his business
at night," are a few of the saws with which Franklin
strove to drive home the lesson of diligent attention to
one's affairs. Franklin was a firm believer in improv
ing each moment of the day, as the following proverbs
make plain : "One To-day is worth two To-morrows,"
"Lost time is never found again," and the oft-quoted
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy,
wealthy and wise."
A brightly colored plate pictures within a border of
163

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
fruits and flowers a busy rural scene — a farmer planting
a tree, a boy engaged at his task, and a vessel made ready
to set sail — intended to illustrate the terse motto printed
upon the back of the plate, "No Gains Without Pains."
A familiar proverb of to-day, "Constant dropping wears
away stones, and little strokes fell great oaks," belongs
to this group. In a series of sayings classed under the
title "Poor Richard's Way to Wealth," may be found
these two : "What maintains one vice will bring up two
children," and "It is easier to suppress the first desire
than to satisfy all that follow." They are illustrated by
pictures of two men in a tavern, one of them lazily smok
ing his pipe and the other raising a foaming glass of
liquor to his lips. Upon the wall of the tavern is posted
this warning: "Landlord, Caution, Pay To-day and
Trust To-morrow," while in the background of the pic
ture stand a neglected wife and her two forlorn children,
the sad object lessons of evil habits. Another of the
.^Way to Wealth" series exhibits a portly prosperous
farmer whoTiaVprofited by Poor Richard's advice and
grown wealthy, as his fat sheep and hog bear witness.
His aristocratic neighbor approaches on horseback, lifts
his hat and bows in respect, while below we read the caus
tic lines : "Now I have a sheep and a cow, Everybody
bids me good-morrow." The design on the teapot, two
farmers in a field, one plowing and the other sowing
164

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
seed, illustrates the maxim : "He that by the plow would
thrive, himself must either hold or drive."
In the year 1757, Franklin was sent to London to
settle the disputes which had arisen in the colony of
Pennsylvania over taxing of the estates of the Penn
brothers, land which had been bequeathed to them by
their father William Penn. While Franklin was in
England, the process of transfer printing upon pottery
was first practiced in the potteries of Liverpool, and,
like all new things, it greatly interested him, and he tried
to induce the potters to print a series of chimney tiles
with his Poor Richard sayings, no doubt believing in
this manner to bring his moral teachings more readily
before the eyes and minds of the people of the colonies.
But our forefathers were spared this novel method of
preaching, as the English taste preferred livelier scenes
upon their chimney pieces.
Franklin went again to London for the purpose of ad
justing the measures of taxation, which England had
imposed upon the American colonies, for ten years re
maining there trying to prevent the enactment of those
laws of the mother country — the Stamp Act, Duty on
Tea and Boston Port Bill — which finally kindled into
flame the smoldering fires of revolution. "Depend upon
it," wrote Franklin in his practical way to a friend in
America, "I took every step in my power to prevent the
165

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
passing of the Stamp Act. ... We might as well have
hindered the sun's setting. That we could not do. But
since it is down, my friend, and it may be long before it
rises again, let us make as good a night of it as we can.
We can still light candles. Frugality and industry will
go a great way towards indemnifying us. Idleness and
pride tax with a heavier hand than kings and parlia
ments. If we can get rid of the former, we may easily
bear the latter."
As he was leaving England for his home in America,
Franklin, in conversation with a friend, compared the
British Empire to a beautiful china vase which if ever
broken, could never be put together again. The first
shot of the Battle of Lexington was fired while Frank
lin was on the sea, and it was as a conciliator in public
affairs that he took his place in the troubled colonies —
first, as a member of the Second Continental Congress,
and later, as one of the committee to draft the Declara
tion of Independence. When it came his turn to sign
the great document, Franklin, in response to Hancock's
remark, "We must be unanimous, there must be no pull
ing different ways ; we must all hang together," made the
oft-quoted reply: "Yes, we must, indeed, all hang to
gether, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
A beautiful French statuette of pure white porcelain
illustrates the distinguished part which Franklin took in
the affairs of the Revolution, in winning the recognition
166

FRANKLIN "BENNINGTON PITCHER'
"Toby" or "Cider Jug"

" He that by the Plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive. "

FRANKLIN'S MAXIMS
' ' He who lives upon Hope ' ' Handle your tools with-
will die fasting. " out mittens, " etc.

"Constant dropping wears "Three removes are as bad as a fire.
away stones, A rolling stone gathers no moss. "
And little strokes fall great
oaks."

'Keep thy shop " Not to oversee work-
and thy shop men is to leave them
will keep thee." your purse open."

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
of the countries of Europe for the young Republic. He
crossed the sea for the third time, now as Ambassador
of the infant Republic of the United States to the French
Court of Louis XVI and the unfortunate Marie An
toinette. The statuette was designed to commemorate
the treaty of the United States with France, made
largely through Franklin's influence, after the news of
the surrender of Burgoyne had opened the eyes of the
world to the strength of the American cause.
We are told that upon the occasion of the formal
recognition of the Treaty, Franklin intended to put off
his plain dress and to appear before the King in Court
costume, but the costume did not arrive in time, and the
wig which the hairdresser brought refused to sit upon
the Doctor's head. Franklin suggested that it might be
too small. "Monsieur, it is impossible," cried the per-
ruquier, and then dashing the wig to the floor, he ex
claimed, "No, Monsieur, it is not the wig which is too
small ; it is your head which is too large." In the statu
ette, Franklin is modeled in his simple republican dress,
a suit of striped silk which is now in the possession
of the Historical Society of Massachusetts, with wig-
less head, in striking contrast to the King in his
sumptuous royal garments. The face of Franklin is
very fine, with much nobility and intelligence added to
the benignancy and sweetness of expression with which
his other portraits make us familiar. The attitudes of
167

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
both King Louis and Franklin are full of dignity. Upon
the scroll which the King holds out to his companion are
inscribed in golden letters the words "Independence de
l'Amerique," and "Liberte des Mers." Indeed, Frank
lin's plain large features, oft-times topped with the fur
cap which he loved to wear, were almost always truth
fully represented by the French and English potters,
but his sober garb must have seemed to them scarce
suited to one of his exalted station, for the gray gar
ments are sometimes transformed in their kilns into
yellow waistcoat, pink breeches and cocked hat; in one
porcelain figure an ermine cape flows jauntily from his
ample republican shoulders!
While in France at this time, Franklin enjoyed the
greatest popularity with all classes of people. His "an
tique simplicity of dress and appearance" charmed the
Court; his wide learning made him the intimate of
scholars; shopkeepers ran to their doors to look upon
this unique representative of a new people as he passed
down the street. His picture was everywhere to be seen,
porcelain medallions of his face being plentiful in Paris.
"A variety of other medallions," writes Franklin at this
time to his daughter, in the letter already quoted, "have
been made since of various sizes; some to be set in the
lids of snuff-boxes, and some so small as to be worn in
rings ; and the numbers sold are incredible. These, with
the pictures and prints (of which copies upon copies are

POOR RICHARD'S "WAY TO WEALTH" SERIES
OF MAXIMS
"Now I have a Sheep and a Cow,
Everybody bids me good morrow. "

"What maintains one Vice would bring up
two Children."
" It is easier to suppress the first desire
than to satisfy all that follow."

POOR RICHARD'S MAXIMS
" Success to the Plough, the Fleece, and the Pail, " etc.

' Handle your tools without gloves — Remember the
cat in gloves catches nothing."

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
spread everywhere) have made your father's face as
well known as that of the moon, so that he durst not do
anything that would oblige him to run away, as his phiz
would discover him wherever he should venture to show
it. It is said by learned etymologists that the name of
doll for the image children play with is derived from the
word idol. From the number of dolls now made of him
he may be truly said, in that sense, to be idolized in this
country." Franklin's friendship with Lafayette began at the time
of this sojourn in France, through the young French
officer's application to him for a commission in the
American army — a friendship not overlooked by the pot
ters, for in consequence numerous Staffordshire tea,
breakfast and dinner sets picture a man in foreign dress,
supposed to represent Lafayette, seated before a tomb
inscribed "Franklin." An illustration of one of these
designs is shown in the chapter on Lafayette's Visit to
America. The English potters also produced Franklin
medallions and placques, Wedgwood designing a blue
and white jasper medallion of Franklin for his series of
"Illustrious Moderns."
Like George Washington, Franklin was fond of hav
ing blue china upon his table, and while he was in Lon
don he sent quantities of it home to his wife, at the
same time writing her that letter which contains the
oft-quoted lines : "I also forgot to mention among the
169

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
china a large fine jug for beer to stand in the cooler. I
fell in love with it at first sight; for I thought it looked
like a fat jolly dame, clean and tidy, with a neat blue
and white calico gown on, good-natured and lovely, and
put me in mind of — somebody."
Not only did the potters of France and England im
mortalize Franklin in their clay, but his fame spread to
the Orient, and the artists of China and Japan also pic
tured this strange representative of a new world. The
result, no doubt intended for flattery, is for us an occa
sion for smiles, for they have made him one of their own
almond-eyed selves and have transformed his familiar
fur cap into a close crop of woolly curls! The early
American potters of Bennington, Vermont, about the
middle of the nineteenth century likewise fashioned in
clay the figure of this great American, as the Franklin
cider jug or toby in the rich browns of their manufacture
bears witness.
The following amusing epitaph, composed by Franklin
during his early life as a printer in Philadelphia, de
serves a place in this story of his life:
The Body
of
Benjamin Franklin
Printer
(Like the cover of an old Book
Its contents torn out
And stript of its lettering and gilding)
Lies here, food for worms.
170

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS PRECEPTS
But the work shall not be lost
For it will (as he believed)
Appear once more
In a new and more elegant edition
Revised and Corrected
by J/^'
The Author.

171

CHAPTER XII
NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF l8l2
A GROUP of pitchers, tall, yellow and melon-shaped,
record in the illustrations on their sides stories of
the heroes and engagements of the infant navy of the
Republic. The Liverpool potters, when the new frigates
of the United States began to visit their harbor, turned
their attention to "Sailor Pitchers," decorating them
with pictures of British and American sailor lads grasp
ing hands in friendship, or with sketches of full-rigged
vessels flying the American flag, and inscribing them
with appropriate legends, such as: "May They Ever
Be United," "The True Blooded Yankee," "Success to
the Infant Navy of America," etc.; or, with jingles of
which the following are typical :
From Rocks and Sands
And every ill,
May God preserve
The Sailor still.
No more I'll roam,
I'll stay at home,
To sail no more
From shore to shore ;
But with my wife
Lead a happy, peaceful life.
172

BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE
' ' Commodore Perry's Victory "

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
Lonely Jack, strolling the streets of Liverpool in search
of a gift to carry home to sweetheart or wife in some
far-away New England village, was pleased to find the
attractive souvenirs and gave his hard-earned shillings
for them. One such pitcher, carefully preserved since
that time, is entitled "The Sailor's Return," and pre
sents a young sailor husband come home from the sea,
his happy wife beside him and their infant in his arms ;
the lines underneath the sketch doubtless are intended
to voice his sentiments:
I now the joys of life renew,
From care and trouble free,
And find a wife who's kind and true,
To drive life's cares away.
Soon after the differences between France and the
United States, which came to an issue in the year 1799,
had been fought out in the southern seas, the English
exploited on their pottery the congratulatory legend,
"Success to the Infant Navy of America." A set of
Liverpool pitchers is yet in existence which voice this
sentiment in a spirited print of a naval engagement ac
companied with the explanatory description: "LTn-
surgente French Frigate of 44 guns and 41 1 men strik
ing her Colours to the American Frigate Constitution,
Commodore Truxton, of 40 guns, after an action of an
hour and a half in which the former had 75 men killed
173

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
& wounded & the latter one killed & three wounded, Feb.
20th., 1799."
Commodore Truxton's capture of both I'Insurgente
and La Vengeance was almost as keen a source of de
light to Englishmen as it was to the people of the United
States, the English Government in honor of the feat
presenting the successful Commodore with many tokens
of esteem, including a service of silver plate — an expres
sion of generosity no doubt bitterly regretted in the years
immediately following, when that same "Infant Navy"
scored such brilliant "Success" turned against the
British battle fleet.
The efforts of American sailors in ridding the high
seas of the hated and feared African pirates who were
levying tribute upon civilized countries next inspired the
potters to print portraits of Commodores Bainbridge,
Decatur and Preble. Looking upon their faces, what
stirring scenes are called to mind : how, in the year 1800,
Bainbridge, then a youth of 26, was sent by the United
States Government with the vessel George Washington
to carry the annual tribute money to the dey of Algiers ;
how, when he arrived, the dey forced him to play er
rand boy, hoist the Algerian flag at the main of the
George Washington (which he promptly hauled down
as soon as he had cleared the harbor) and sail to Con
stantinople with gifts for the sultan of Turkey, the
overlord of the Barbary States. To his surprise, Cap-
174

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
tain Bainbridge was received by the Sultan with honor
as a representative of a new nation, and was presented
with a passport to insure respectful treatment in all the
Sultan's domains. Armed with this powerful weapon,
Bainbridge, upon his return to Algiers, refused to enter
..the harbor or to make a second voyage for the dey, and
he so frightened the Algerian potentate into respect
that he was even permitted to rescue and carry away
some French exiles in the city — for which service he re
ceived the thanks of Napoleon.
Captain Bainbridge's second adventure among the
Barbary Corsairs was more disastrous than the first.
Before three years had gone by, he was again in the
waters of the Mediterranean, this time as captain of the
Philadelphia, one of a small squadron of American fight
ing vessels under command of Captain Preble of the flag
ship Constitution. In order to overawe the insolence
of the pirates, Preble sent Bainbridge to blockade the
harbor of Tripoli. Sighting a vessel of the enemy
ahead, Bainbridge was giving chase in the shallow water
near the coast, when suddenly his ship ran upon a hidden
rock in twelve feet of water. All efforts were made to
back the Philadelphia off the reef, even her guns being
heaved overboard and her foremast cut away. These
measures being of no avail, and the vessels of the enemy
approaching, orders were given to bore holes in the ship's
bottom, drown the magazine and destroy everything
i7S

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
which would be of service to the pirates. Bainbridge
and his men were taken prisoners and carried before the
pasha, and for nineteen months they languished in the
dungeons of Tripoli. Two days after the disaster the
Philadelphia was floated by the pirates at high tide, her
guns were raised and remounted, and she was towed, as
good as ever, into the harbor of Tripoli — a prize of im
mense value.
Then followed the thrilling feat which will ever be
associated with the names of Decatur and Preble. The
daring scheme was proposed to fire the Philadelphia
lying at her moorings in the harbor, and from among the
many volunteers for the hazardous task, Commodore
Preble selected Decatur. With a crew of picked men,
a supply of combustibles and a Sicilian pilot who knew
the waters of the harbor, Decatur boarded a ketch, a
small vessel which had been captured from the pirates
and renamed the Intrepid. They waited outside until
evening, then quietly stole into the harbor; scarcely a
man was to be seen on deck, for they wished to allay sus
picion of being taken for a vessel of war, and to all ap
pearance the little ketch was only a pirate ship making
for port before nightfall. The watchword "Philadel
phia" had been passed among them so they might be able
to recognize one another should danger arise. A gentle
breeze wafted them over the smooth water towards the
huge bulk of the Philadelphia lying at her moorings and
176

SAILOR PITCHER
"May They Ever be United"

SAILOR PITCHER
"The Sailor's Return"

/' /

ii^W and dabvytf A Mm

COMMODORE BAINBRIDGE PITCHER
(Liverpool Type)
(From "Anglo-American Pottery "; by permission of Dr. Edwin A. Barber)

COMMODORE PERRY
"Hero of the Lake"
(From "Anglo-American Pottery'1 ; by permission
of Dr. Edwin A . Barber)

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
sharply outlined against the white walls of the city.
The men aboard the Philadelphia spied the approaching
vessel and called out to know her errand. The Intrepid' s
pilot, instructed by Decatur, answered that they had lost
their anchors in a gale and wished to tie up to the frigate
until morning. Permission was given, a rope passed,
and the ketch made fast to the Philadelphia, when sud
denly rang loud and clear over the water the cry,
"Americanos!" They were discovered. Decatur and
his men leaped aboard the frigate, struck down those
who had not jumped overboard in their fright, scattered
combustibles through the ship and kindled the flames,
and in exactly twenty minutes from the time they
boarded the Philadelphia they were again on the In
trepid, ropes cut and the men pulling for the open sea,
three rousing cheers echoing through the harbor. But
danger was not yet past : the enemy turned the guns of
the battery in their direction, and the heated guns of
the Philadelphia pointed their way — but no shot reached
them as they sped to safety. With this deed, which
Lord Nelson declared "the most bold and daring of the
age," the infant navy of the United States made its bow
to all the nations ; and the gallantry of the young Ameri
can seamen spread abroad the fame of the new republic
across the sea.
A little later, Commodore Preble made a successful
attack upon the city of Tripoli, the English in com-
177

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
memoration of his act bringing out a pitcher-design of
ships attacking fortifications, with these descriptive
lines: "Commodore Preble's Squadron Attacking the
City of Tripoli Aug. 3, 1804. The American Squadron
under Commodore Preble consisting of the Constitution
44 guns 2 Brigs & 3 Schooners 2 bombs & 4 Gunboats
Attacking the City and Harbour of Tripoli Aug. 3, 1804,
the city was defended by Batteries Mounting 115 Pieces
of heavy Cannon & the Harbour was defended by 19
Gunboats 2 Brigs 2 Schooners 2 Gallies and a Xebeck.
the city Received Great Damage Several of the Tripoli-
tan Vessels were sunk 3 of their Gunboats taken & a
Great Number of men Killed."
The navy, thus brilliantly introduced to the world, was
enlarged by President Madison, acting upon the coun
sel of Captains Bainbridge and Stuart, who foresaw the
need of an adequate naval defense if the Atlantic Ocean
were not to become, as one journal declared, "the back
dooryard of John Bull" ; that parent, like many another,
being loth to recognize the fact that his latest born had
attained to manhood with its "inalienable rights" to be
respected. A medallion portrait of President Madison,
the "War President," is presented upon a tall yellow jug,
encircled with thirteen wreaths, each wreath enclosing
the name of one of the States of the Union. Upon a
ribbon scroll above the portrait is the inscription, "James
Madison President of the United States of America";
178

SAILOR PITCHER
"The True Blooded Yankee"

U. S. FRIGATE "GUERRIERE " BOUND
FOR RUSSIA
(Reverse of the "Defense of Stonington")

COMMODORE STEPHEN DECATUR

PRESIDENT MADISON— WAR PRESIDENT

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
the reverse bears the legend, "Independence and the Fed
eral Union, 1815."
Continued British interference with American ship
ping, however, as well as the forcible impressment of
American seamen into British service, finally led to open
rupture with England, resulting in a declaration of war.
When after a few months the War of 181 2, the actual
"war of independence," as Benjamin Franklin had
prophesied would come (the first being but a "war of
revolution"), resolved itself into a series of spectacular
sea-fights, the potter-historians of Liverpool found in
illustrating them a new and a greater opportunity for
trade, at the same time gratifying the pride of the Amer
ican people; and the result was a large quantity of jugs
and punch bowls bearing portraits of American Commo
dores, together with scenes of their engagements.
Who can look upon the forceful features of Captain
Isaac Hull, framed in the emblems of his calling, with
out a thrill of pride as he calls to mind the brilliant open
ing of the great sea-drama of 100 years ago? The cur
tain rose upon the first important act on July 17, 181 2;
the scene was the open sea off the coast of our southern
States ; the action was a race rather than a battle. Hull,
who had won honors in the Tripoli incident, sailed out
from Chesapeake Bay in the frigate Constitution, and
soon sighted a squadron of the enemy, who, when morn
ing dawned, were seen to surround him. As fighting
179

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
against such odds was out of the question, all that re
mained for Hull to do was to run for home— and the
manner in which he ran made this act, without fighting
or damage on either side, forever famous in the annals
of the sea.
The ocean was so calm that no headway could be made
with sails, so Hull began by kedging. He sent a small
boat ahead for perhaps half a mile to drop a kedge an
chor and carry the lines back to the ship, then the crew
fastened the lines to the windlass and wound them up,
pulling the vessel to the anchor. In this manner Hull
gradually walked away from the enemy, much to their
mystified surprise, until they caught sight of the "deus
ex machina" and employed the same method. Hull
promptly cut away some of the woodwork of his cabin,
ran two twenty-pound guns out of his windows and
mounted another gun as a stern chaser to keep the enemy
at a proper distance. The unique spectacle is pictured
before us — eleven vessels pursuing one, and all at the
mercy of the wind, the star actor in all sea performances
before the age of steam. For three days the chase con
tinued; upon the evening of the second day a heavy
squall came up and the Constitution furled all canvas ; the
enemy, sighting this maneuver, did the same. Then,
under cover of the darkening storm, the Constitution
quickly hoisted all sail and ran for home. When morn-
180

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
ing broke, the enemy was far astern and had given up the
chase. One month later, Hull again sailed out, this time from
Boston, in search of adventure, and before long he came
up with it in the form of an English frigate flaunting
upon her mainsail in huge red letters the challenge :
All who meet me have a care,
I am England's Guerriere.
She proved to be one of the squadron which had recently
chased Hull out of the southern seas ; now she was alone
and no time was lost in giving battle. For two hours
the Constitution returned fire for fire in as fierce a sea
duel as ever the ocean witnessed. At last, the boastful
English flag was lowered and Hull lay by until the
whitening dawn revealed the Guerriere a wreck, then
her men were taken aboard Hull's vessel, fire was applied
and she was blown to pieces. Captain Hull was the
hero of the hour when he landed in Boston with his
prisoners. He made a sort of triumphal progress to
New York and Philadelphia, through villages decorated
with banners and arches, gifts of snuff-boxes and swords
being everywhere pressed upon him. Congress voted
him a gold medal, a silver one to each of his officers and
$50,000 to the crew. In this engagement the Constitu
tion for the second time proved herself something more
181

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
than the English journal's slighting description, "a
bunch of pine boards under a bit of striped bunting," the
same journal now voicing England's new-born fear that
"this new enemy, unaccustomed to such triumphs, might
be rendered insolent and confident by them."
That the confidence, at least, of the Republic was
strengthened by success may plainly be understood by
a study of the next pictured engagement — the duel be
tween the American sloop-of-war Wasp, Captain
Jones, and the English brig Frolic, which took place off
Cape Hatteras on October 17, 181 2. The fray con
tinued close and furious for forty-three minutes, with
the two vessels at last so close upon one another that
the muzzles of two of the Wasp's guns were actually
in the bow parts of the Frolic, her last discharge sweep
ing the English ship from stem to stern. Seeing no
sign of submission from the enemy, a sailor of the Wasp
leaped aboard the Frolic and to his amazement met no
opposition — all were dead or wounded except the man
at the wheel. The end of the engagement, however,
was like the end of the fable — a British frigate suddenly
hove in sight, made prize of both vessels and bore them
off to Bermuda.
Upon the same day of the battle between the Wasp
and the Frolic, Captain Decatur won a brilliant victory
with the frigate United States over the British ship
Macedonian, near the Azores Islands. On his return
182

COMMODORE HULL

GENERAL PIKE

THE "WASP" BOARDING "THE FROLIC"

BATTLE OF THE "ENTERPRISE " AND " BOXER "

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
to New York with his prize in tow, he, like Hull, was
honored with a banquet, public rejoicings and a gold
medal. "No one could suppose such an event could
have taken place," was England's astounded comment,
while at the same time a Liverpool potter printed on a
jug, underneath a portrait of the successful Commo
dore, the following lines :
"Then quickly met our nation's eyes
The noblest sight in nature,
A first-class frigate as a prize
Brought back by brave Decatur."
And an American rhymster voiced the attitude of the
American public thus :
Let Britain no longer lay claim to the seas,
For the trident of Neptune is ours, if we please,
While Hull and Decatur and Jones are our boast,
We dare their whole navy to come to our coast.
The following act in this drama, fast taking on the
^appearance of a melodrama, with eager spectators
agaze over all Europe, took place off the coast of Brazil.
It was the battle between the now veteran Constitution,
this time in command of Captain Bainbridge, and the
English frigate Java. The story of the Constitution
and the Guerriere was repeated — after nearly two
hours of fighting the wrecked Java was fired, while the
American vessel received but slight injury. "Avast
183

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Boys, She's Struck!" the words of Captain Bainbridge
as he saw the enemy surrender are printed under his
potrait upon a mug of Liverpool manufacture, together
with this jaunty couplet :
"On Brazil's Coast She ruled the roost
When Bainbridge was her Captain."
Captain Bainbridge came in, after this victory, for his
share of gold snuff-boxes and silver services, while the
staunch ship Constitution (now preserved in the Boston
dockyard for all to inspect) was newly christened Old
Ironsides. The English papers then said that the sit
uation called for "serious reflection," while they la
mented that upwards of five hundred British vessels
had been captured in seven months by Americans —
"500 merchantmen and three frigates (ay and three
sloops-of-war!)" are their words. That "Nucleus of
trouble" which Lord Nelson had prophesied lay in the
American fleet was developing rapidly for the mother
country. The naval scenery of the war now shifts from the
ocean to the inland waterways lying between American
territory and Canada, to secure control of which at this
time was one of the chief concerns of the English.
Many skirmishes took place along the wilderness shores
of the Great Lakes, one of which is recalled by the por
trait of General Pike, accompanied with his prophetic
184

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
words: "Be always ready to die for your country."
General Pike expired as he was about to enter, a victor,
into the city of York, now Toronto, at that time the capi
tal city of Canada. The act of firing the Government
Buildings of that city by the American soldiers, against
General Pike's orders, was later on in the war avenged in
kind by the British burning the public buildings at Wash
ington. Command of Lake Erie was gained for the Americans
by that brilliant engagement, the recital of which will
forever stir the imagination of each succeeding genera
tion of American school boys. "Perry's Victory on
Lake Erie," as they named the episode, was a favorite
subject for illustration by the English potters, sketches
of this first "fleet action" of the war decorating sets of
Staffordshire blue tableware as well as numerous yellow
pitchers of Liverpool.
Perry collected his boats at Put-in-Bay, and on the
evening before the battle, September 9,- 1813, he gave his
orders to his officers, showing them a flag with "Don't
Give Up The Ship" in white letters upon it — the dying
words of Captain Lawrence in the battle between the
Chesapeake and the Shannon fought upon the sea near
Boston three months before, words and portrait of Cap
tain Lawrence being also printed upon a commemorative
pitcher. "When this flag shall be hoisted at the main
yard of the Lawrence, it shall be your signal for going
185

BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN
Commodore Macdonough's Victory

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
and resulted in the death of both captains. The poet
Longfellow, then a lad of seven years living in Port
land, in later life recalled the scene in his poem, My Lost
Youth :
I remember the sea fight far away,
How it thundered o'er the tide !
And the dead captains as they lay
In their graves, o'erlooking the tranquil bay
Where they in battle died.
And the sound of that mournful song
Goes through me with a thrill :
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."
The charming view of the harbor of Stonington,
Connecticut, framed in a waving steamer inscribed, "The
Gallant Defense of Stonington, August 9, 1814. Ston
ington is Free whilst her Heroes have one Gun left,"
tells its own story. The little settlement of 100 houses
situated upon an exposed neck of land was attacked, the
ships of the enemy bombarding it with every kind of
missile known to that war. The citizens of Stonington
possessed plenty of courage, but only one gun, and when
the enemy ceased firing on one side and sailed around
to the other of the narrow peninsula, the patriots
promptly dragged the lone six-pounder across the nar
row strip of land and did such deadly execution with it
that the disheartened enemy withdrew. The reverse
of the pitcher (shown in another illustration) bears a
187

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
print of a vessel under full sail, with the words beneath :
"United States Frigate Guerriere, Commodore Mac-
donough bound to Russia July, 1818." It is recorded
that a citizen of Stonington went to Russia on public
service in the Guerriere, and while en route he stopped
at Liverpool and ordered these pitchers, he himself mak
ing the drawing of the battle scene for the English en
graver. The china-history of the sea engagements of the War
of 1812 closes with a sketch of the Battle of Lake Cham-
plain. Like the Battle of Lake Erie, this too was a fleet
action, and the tactics of Captain Macdonough which
had much to do with deciding the final victory equaled
in brilliancy and courage the dash of Perry through the
enemy's line. Before taking command of the fleet on
Lake Champlain, Captain Macdonough had seen con
siderable naval service, having been aboard the Phila
delphia when she was captured by the pirates and towed
into the harbor of Tripoli; and later, having served
on board the Enterprise under Commodore Decatur.
At sunrise on September 11, 1814, as the British squad
ron came in sight on Lake Champlain, Captain Mac
donough called his officers about him upon the quarter
deck, and together they prayed for wisdom and guidance
in the task before them. The British vessels advanced
to within a few yards, when a pet game cock on Mac
donough's flagship flew upon a cannon and crowed
188

MEMORIAL OF COMMODORE PERRY
The Temple of Fame
(Stevenson)
(From " Anglo-American Pottery " ; by permission of Dr. Edwin A. Barber)

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
lustily — a favorable omen, the sailors believed, as they
cheered and rushed into the fray. In addition to com
manding the fleet in this action, Macdonough worked
like a common sailor at any task that came to hand, being
also able to maneuver his flagship, the Saratoga, in such
a way that it could be turned completely around, and,
after deadly firing had disabled all the guns of his star
board side, to pour such a volley from his larboard bat
tery that after two hours of desperate struggle the Eng
lish hauled down their colors — and New York State was
saved from invasion. When the English officers came
to offer their swords to him, Captain Macdonough cour
teously said, "Gentlemen, your gallant conduct makes
you worthy to wear your weapons. Return them to
their scabbards."
Two interesting pitchers which aid in the recital of
the story of the War of 1812 remain to be described.
The first, of copper luster ware, shows a full-rigged ves
sel surrounded by a chain of elliptical links containing
the names of Hull, Jones, Lawrence, Macdonough,
Porter, Blakey, Beatry, Stuart, Washington, Perry,
Rogers, Bainbridge, and Decatur, with two clasped hands
holding the chain. Upon the other side, an American
eagle with "E Pluribus Unum" is enclosed in a similar
chain which links the names Brown, McComb, Ripley,
Pike, Porter, Miller, Brainbridge, Izard, Van Rensselaer,
Adair, Lewis, Gaines, Scott and Jardson — what a galaxy
189

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
of events these groups of historic names summon to the
mind! The second pitcher was made by Enoch Wood & Son
at their potteries in Burslem, Staffordshire, about the
year 1824, and is immense in size for a pitcher, standing
twenty inches high, with a body eighteen inches in diame
ter. This is known as the "Historical Pitcher of the
War of 181 2," the decorations portraying many inci
dents of that period. Upon either side of a secondary
handle are portraits of Washington and Adams, while
one side of the body bears portraits of Captain Jones of
the Macedonian, Major-General Brown of the Niagara
campaign, Commodore Bainbridge of the Constitution,
and prints representing the Constitution escaping from
the British fleet, Commodore Macdonough's victory on
Lake Champlain, and an American eagle with the motto,
E Pluribus Unum. Upon the reverse are portraits of
Commodore Decatur, Commodore Perry and Captain
Hull of the Constitution; below are represented the en
gagements between the Chesapeake and Shannon off
Boston Harbor, June 1, 1813, Commodore Perry's Vic
tory on Lake Erie, and the line from his message, "We
have met the enemy and they are ours." This pitcher
was made for an early citizen of Troy, New York, and
was first publicly used at a reception given in that city in
honor of General Lafayette upon the occasion of his visit
in September, 1824. 190

NAVAL HEROES OF THE WAR OF 1812
The final battle of the War of 1812 was a land engage
ment fought at New Orleans, the United States forces
under command of General Jackson, who later on became
President. Before the battle was ended, peace with
Great Britain had been agreed upon, the Treaty being
signed at Ghent, Belgium, on December 24, 1814.
Upon December 26, an envoy set out for the United
States with a copy of the document, crossing the Atlantic
upon a British sloop of war. He arrived in New York
February 11, having been thirty-eight days upon the
voyage — and the tidings which he brought with him one
hundred years ago were a few months past the cause of
quiet, owing to the tragic circumstances of the other
contracting party to the treaty, but intense satisfaction
and congratulation. In the hearts of all Americans
' echoes the sentiment which a century ago was inscribed
upon a Liverpool pitcher : "May they ever be united."

191

CHAPTER XIII
GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
NO event in the early history of the United States
stirred such depths of popular affection as the
famous visit of General Lafayette — for, was he not the
friend of the first President, the adopted son of Amer
ica, as well as, in many minds, the savior of the coun
try? His life had been filled with stirring romance
— the years of early manhood spent in defense of the
freedom of the American colonies, in forwarding the
cause of liberty in his own land and as a prisoner of state
in the dungeons of Austria. Then, at the age of sixty-
seven, after an absence of nearly half a century, upon the
invitation of the young republic of the United States he
crossed the ocean once more to look upon the land of his
youthful affection.
From one limit of our territory to another he went,
passing through each of the twenty-four States. He
visited all of the principal cities ; he was the guest of two
presidents in the White House ; he took part in three an
niversaries of the Revolutionary War, in every place
such crowds thronging to see him that few persons failed
to catch a glimpse of his face. 192

LA GRANGE— LAFAYETTE'S HOME IN FRANCE
(E. W. &¦ S)

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
Many souvenirs in honor of Lafayette's visit made
their appearance — the ladies wearing Lafayette buckles
upon their slippers and his portrait upon their scarfs and
their gloves ; his features also appeared upon buttons and
upon the material of which men's waistcoats were made.
And, as blue china decorated with American views was
then at the height of its popularity, numerous dinner and
tea sets bearing the pictured story of his visit came to
America from over the sea. "Welcome, Lafayette, the
Nation's Guest and our Country's Glory" and "As Brave
and Disinterested as Washington" were among the senti
ments printed upon china with which the English potters
honored their one-time foe. Lafayette's visit was coin
cident with the completion of the Erie Canal, therefore
his portrait (as the following chapter relates) graced
also the pottery produced in honor of that occasion.
The first illustration is of the Cadmus, the sailing ves
sel in which Lafayette, accompanied by his son George
Washington Lafayette, and his secretary, came to Amer
ica. This picture is of special value, for it preserves
a sketch of an American merchantman, a type of vessel
in common use upon the seas for many years after the
colonies had become a republic. The Cadmus was
placed at the disposal of General Lafayette and his party
by its New York owners after the offer of President
Monroe to send a Government vessel to fetch them had
been refused. No other passengers were allowed on
i93

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
board, no cargo was shipped, nor would the owners ac
cept any reward for their services, deeming the honor of
conveying the distinguished guest a sufficient return.
As it appears in the illustration, framed in an appropri
ate border of sea shells and mosses, the little vessel seems
to float upon as calm and sunlit a sea as that which bore
the hero to our shores.
After fifteen days' sail the Cadmus reached New
York harbor, and, welcomed by the booming of cannon
from Fort Lafayette, she put into port at Staten Island.
It was Sabbath day, and, in compliance with the wishes of
the citizens of New York, the guests were quietly re
ceived at the home of vice-President Daniel D. Tomp
kins on Staten Island. Upon the following morning the
formal entry into the United States took place, and from
the beautiful blue platter inscribed : "Landing of Gen
eral Lafayette at Castle Garden, August 16, 1824,"
may be read the story of that famous landing scene.
The old fort, or Castle Garden (other views of which
may be found in a former chapter), is separated from
the Battery by a bridge 300 feet long; the harbor is
thronged with gayly trimmed vessels ; the Battery guns
are booming forth a welcome ; and heralds are galloping
excitedly to and fro. Three of the newly invented
steamboats, "floating palaces," Lafayette called them,
may be seen — the one in the center being the Fulton, and
the large boat at the left the Chancellor Livingston, with
194

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
the honored guest on board — the Chancellor Livingston
at that time being considered the most beautiful and luxu
rious vessel in the world. Following in the train of the
steamboats, as the naval procession makes its way to the
landing at the Battery, comes the Cadmus "borne in
triumph rather than towed" by the new vessels. Look
ing upon this scene, in fancy one hears the welcoming
huzzas of two hundred thousand people as Lafayette
steps upon the shore ; strains of the French song, "Where
can one better be than in the bosom of his family," fill
the air ; and listen, do you not catch the broken voice of
the battle-scarred warrior of the Revolution as he grasps
his hero's hand : — "I saw you in the heat of battle. You
were but a boy, but you were a serious and sedate lad."
To the City Hall (the beautiful building pictured in a
former chapter), Lafayette's carriage is drawn, and
the illustrious guest listens to the Mayor's speech of wel
come, the popular sentiments of gratitude which he
voices being later echoed throughout every State in the
Union :
"Posterity will never forget the young and gallant
Frenchman who consecrated his youth, his talents, his
fortune and his exertions to their cause, who exposed his
life, who shed his blood, that they might become free and
happy. They will recollect that you came to them in the
darkest period of their struggle, that you linked your
fortune with theirs when it seemed almost hopeless — that
i95

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
you shared in the dangers, privations and sufferings of
that bitter struggle, nor quitted them for a moment till
it was consummated in the glorious field of Yorktown.
The people of the United States look up to you as one of
their most honored parents."
In preceding chapters many of New York's buildings,
streets and squares that met the eyes of the distinguished
guests have been pictured, among them the City Hotel
on Broadway, the famous hostelry in which they lodged;
Saint Paul's Chapel, then out in the fields, in which
Lafayette attended a concert of sacred music, remarking
upon the beauty of the ladies of the audience ; Columbia
College, Scudder's Museum, the Hospital and Alms
house. The French guests went to see a play at the
Park Theater, and such a tumult arose upon Lafayette's
entrance that the actors were obliged to stop the per
formance and to sing verses bearing the refrains, "The
Companion of Washington," "The Captive of Olmutz,"
"The Guest of the Nation."
At a banquet tendered by the French residents of
New York to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the Battle
of the Brandywine, Lafayette found the table carved in
imitation of the Erie Canal, then nearing completion.
For a distance of seventy feet, the length of the table, a
slender stream of water found its way between banks
lined with trees, under miniature bridges and through
meadows dotted with tiny houses and cattle. The Grand
196

THE " CADMUS," IN WHICH LAFAYETTE
CAME TO AMERICA
(Wood)

LAFAYETTE AS HE APPEARED IN 1824
Erie Canal Series
(Stevenson)

LAFAYETTE MOURNING AT TOMB
OF WASHINGTON
(Wood)

LA GRANGE— EAST VIEW
(Enoch Wood & Sons)

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
Fete, for which the city had been preparing for many
weeks, eclipsed all other entertainments. It took place
in Castle Garden, the guests passing from the Battery
over the long bridge, now laid with rich carpets, lined
with evergreens and adorned with statues of Washing
ton and Hamilton. From the center of the bridge rose
a pyramid seventy-five feet high, illumined with colored
lamps and crowned with a star blazing the name Lafa
yette. In the interior of the Hall stood thirteen col
umns, each one decorated with the Coat of Arms of one
of the original thirteen States. Lafayette entered the
vaulted building through a triumphal arch, and as he
took his seat the familiar refrain, "Where can one bet
ter be than in the bosom of his family," filled the hall, up
rolled the curtains which formed the sides, and a huge
transparency of Lafayette's French chateau La Grange,
entitled "Here is his Home," was flashed before him, to
the accompaniment of rousing cheers.
Lafayette and his party, together with an escort of
New York citizens, set out for a visit to Boston, travel
ing by coach, as it was several years before the days of
railroads. At every village and hamlet in their five
days' journey they were greeted with banquets, speeches,
fireworks and processions; they passed under triumphal
arches inscribed with the names of Lafayette and Wash
ington, or with the dates of the Battles of the Brandy
wine and Yorktown; torch-bearing horsemen escorted
197

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
them from village to village; and their passage was
lighted with bonfires kindled on the hilltops and cheered
with bugle calls echoing through the valleys. The ap
proach to Boston was lined for two miles with militia,
among the escort being a company of sixty boys drawing
a cannon, which, in their eagerness to salute the guest,
they stopped now and then and fired. Upon Boston
Common, Lafayette made his way through a long double
line of boys and girls from the public schools, each one
decorated with a Lafayette ribbon; a little girl stepped
forward and was raised to the General's carriage, she
placed a crown of evergreen upon his head, embraced
him and called him "Father."
The Boston which greeted General Lafayette has al
ready been studied in illustrations — the State House and
the homes of the city's prominent citizens, fronting upon
the Common; the churches, Library, Hospital, and
places of business and amusement. In the Halls of Har
vard College, Lafayette attended the exercises of Com
mencement, and was greeted with especial honor as one
who had "founded a democratic government under which
education best flourishes." Commodore Bainbridge,
one of the naval heroes of the War of 1812, received
Lafayette at the Charlestown Navy Yard. At Bunker
Hill, Lafayette paused at the grave of General Warren ;
and he went quietly out to Quincy and gladdened the
heart of his old friend, ex-President John Adams, then
198

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
a man of eighty-nine. At Lexington, the militia defiled
before Lafayette as he stood beside the pyramid which
still marks the place where the first martyrs of American
liberty fell, the French hero himself, as the speaker said
in his address, "A second and living monument of the
Revolution." Boston's farewell banquet was served un
der an immense tent on the Common, to twelve hundred
guests, the center of the table being graced with a silver
dish filled with arms, shot, military buttons, etc., col
lected on Bunker Hill.
A pleasant incident of the return journey to New
York is suggested by the illustration of the Deaf and
Dumb Asylum of Hartford, Connecticut, the first institu
tion of its kind in the United States, having been opened
but seven years before Lafayette's visit by Thomas H.
Gallaudet. The unfortunate children who were drawn
up in line to greet Lafayette pointed to a banner which
they held over their hearts, inscribed with the words,
"What others express, we feel." In this city a com
rade of Revolutionary days presented to Lafayette the
very epaulettes and scarf which he wore upon the field
of Brandywine; they still retained traces of his blood.
The party made a short stop at New Haven in order to
pay a visit to Yale College, before returning to New
York. Lafayette's sail up the Hudson River in the steamboat
James Kent, accompanied by a number of ladies and
199

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
gentlemen of New York, was one long gala jaunt. A
group of Revolutionary veterans attended the General,
and together they spent many hours on deck in enjoy
ment of the beautiful scenery — the Passes in the High
lands, the mountains, the fertile shores, and the boats
of many kinds plying up and down the river. As their
vessel passed historic points on the river banks, the com
pany reviewed the events of fifty years before: ap
proaching Tarrytown, they pronounced the names of the
three militiamen, John Paulding, David Williams and
Isaac Van Wert, who near that spot had taken Major
Andre prisoner, as he was attempting to pass to the
English lines with treasonable papers concealed in his
boots ; a little farther up the river, all eyes turned in the
direction of a house standing alone, not far from the
river bank — in that house Benedict Arnold had traf
ficked for the ruin of his country.
At West Point, the party went ashore and were driven
in carriages up the hill to the Military Academy, where
Lafayette reviewed the cadets, two hundred in number,
and partook of their entertainment. Upon the platter
pictured in a former chapter is a view of the river bank,
the hills and the small group of buildings as they ap
peared to the guests in 1824. The James Kent was four
hours late in arriving at Newburgh, and the thousands
of people who had gathered to greet Lafayette had be
come impatient and beyond the control of the officers.
200

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
At last, while the General was at dinner, the tumult be
came so loud that the mayor of the town took Lafayette
by the hand, and, preceded by torches, they made their
way to an upper balcony of the hotel which overlooked
the street.
"Gentlemen," called the mayor to the crowds below,
"Do you wish to distress the Nation's Guest?"
"No! No! No!"
"Do you wish that Lafayette should be deprived of his
liberty in a country indebted to him for its freedom ?"
"No! No! No!"
The people became silent and respectful.
Poughkeepsie, the next landing place, was at that time
a town of nearly five thousand inhabitants, and Lafa
yette was entertained in the very house where Washing
ton, Hamilton, Chancellor Livingston and Mr. Jay had
met to discuss the Constitution which afterwards was
adopted by the United States. Continuing their voy
age, the party spent the night at Clermont, the country
residence of Chancellor Livingston, the name of which
Robert Fulton gave to the first boat to make the trip by
steam upon the Hudson.
As the vessel wound its slow way up the river, glimpses
of the Catskill Mountains, which have been presented in
the "Tour of the Land," called forth exclamations of de
light from the passengers. When, at the village of Cats-
201

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
kill, Lafayette was greeted by a soldier who had fought
with him on the field of Brandywine, and at Hudson, an
other veteran handed him a sword which he had once
received from Lafayette, with the words: "After my
death this sword will change owners, but its destination
shall never be changed : it shall always serve in defense
of liberty," the General's joy was expressed in tears.
Albany awaited the Guest of the Nation with elabo
rate festivities, "those who shared with you the toils of
the Revolution and still live," as the speaker said, pay
ing him tribute. Lafayette noted important changes in
the city which, as a village upon the frontier of a vast
wilderness half a century before, had served him for
army headquarters. Now it was rich and powerful, the
seat of government of New York State, with a popula
tion of 16,000 people. Ex-Governor DeWitt Clinton,
of Erie Canal fame, accompanied Lafayette to Troy,
where the citizens bore the General upon their shoulders,
and the fair members of the Troy Female Seminary
wept tears of joy over him.
Shortly after his return to New York, Lafayette set
out upon his third excursion, this time through the States
of the South and the West. Like the New England and
the Hudson River journeys, this, too, was marked by a
succession of festivities and of reunions of old com-
panions-in-arms, at many places memories of the Revolu
tion and of his friend Washington crowding upon him.
202

LANDING OF LAFAYETTE AT CASTLE GARDEN
(Clews)

DEAF AND DUMB INSTITUTE AT HARTFORD, CONN., WHOSE
INMATES GREETED LAFAYETTE
(Ridgway)

LAFAYETTE AT THE TOMB OF FRANKLIN
(Wood)

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
At Bergen, in New Jersey, a cane made from a branch
of the apple tree under which he had once breakfasted
with Washington was presented to him : Princeton Uni
versity made him a member of one of its societies : and
at Trenton, an elaborate entertainment befitting the his
toric character of the place was in waiting.
Upon his approach to Philadelphia, it seemed to Lafa
yette that the entire population of the city had come out
to meet him. He drove past several groups of men
representing the different trades, in the center of each
corps being a workshop in which the workmen were
busy at their employments, each shop bearing a banner
decorated with portraits of Washington and Lafayette,
and the legend, "To their wisdom and courage we owe
the free exercise of our industry." As Lafayette passed
the shop of the printers, a freshly printed "Ode to Lafa
yette" was tossed into his coach and copies were scattered
among the crowd. After driving through thirteen
triumphal arches, Lafayette found himself in front of
Independence Hall, where, at the foot of the statue of
Washington, he received a welcome to the city of Penn
— the city in which, in the year 1777, he had pledged him
self to devote his life and his fortune to a cause then al
most desperate.
With his usual eagerness to look upon the changes
which nearly half a century had brought to the Ameri
can cities, Lafayette spent much time apart from the
203

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
gayeties prepared for him in visits to the public institu
tions of Philadelphia. He was interested in the Library
building, in the Pennsylvania Hospital and the United
States Bank, all of which we have already looked upon
in the illustrations of a former chapter. The pictures
of the Dam and Waterworks on the Schuylkill River
present the identical sight which Lafayette drove out to
see, and over the mechanical skill of which he marveled.
Remembering Lafayette's affection for Benjamin Frank
lin, the English potters printed sets of dishes with a
fanciful scene supposed to represent the French hero
mourning at the tomb of his old Philadelphia friend.
Upon the battlefield of Brandywine, Lafayette pointed
out to his son the exact spot where the British army
crossed the river in 1777, and the principal places where
the patriot army had maneuvered and fought and where,
when wounded, his own blood had been shed. The pic
ture of Gilpin's Mills, in another chapter, was taken upon
the estate of Gideon Gilpin, at whose home Lafayette
was cared for when wounded, and where upon this visit
he found Mr. Gilpin, his former host, an aged and in
valid man.
Baltimore greeted her distinguished guest by sending
out to meet him at Fort McHenry a company of her sol
diers who, in the War of 1812, had gallantly defended
that fortress from the British guns. As Lafayette ap
proached the gates of Baltimore, twenty-four young
204

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
women, armed with lances inscribed with the names of
the twenty-four States, crowned him with laurel. Views
of early Baltimore which have been shown include the
Battle Monument, the Exchange, the University, Alms
house, etc. While in Baltimore, Lafayette attended
the annual Fair of the Farmers of Maryland, and dis
tributed the prizes for the best livestock, he himself be
ing presented with a young bull, some heifers, wild
turkeys and hogs for his estate in France. At the So
ciety's banquet Lafayette proposed the following sug
gestive toast : "To the seed of American liberty trans
planted to other shores — choked until now, but not de
stroyed, by European weeds; may it germinate and
spring up anew, more vigorous, and less degenerate, and
cover the soil of the two hemispheres."
From Baltimore to Washington the Nation's Guest
traveled by carriage, and entered the capital city accom
panied with a long escort. They proceeded at once to
the Capitol, where Congress formally welcomed them,
then to the President's House, where President Monroe
presented them to the members of his official and domes
tic families. In his wanderings about the city Lafayette
found many evidences of the disastrous British occupa
tion in the War of 1812, the President's House and the
Capitol having been since rebuilt. The remainder of
the winter of 1824-5, with the exception of an excursion
to Yorktown, saw the nation's guests in Washington,
205

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
feted and honored. The scene in the House of Repre
sentatives upon the occasion of Lafayette's introduction
was one long remembered — the members of the Senate
were also assembled in the House, and as Lafayette en
tered and passed to the center of the Hall, all rose and
listened to Henry Clay's words of greeting. The line
"Republicans are not always ungrateful," which appears
on one old jug, has reference to the act of Congress in
presenting Lafayette, in recognition of his services to
the cause of liberty, the sum of $20,000 and an estate
of 240,000 acres of our public lands. The famous Mon
roe Doctrine was discussed in Congress that winter, and
the French guests were interested listeners to the de
bates. Lafayette sailed down the Potomac to pay a visit to
Mount Vernon, the former home of Washington. Three
nephews of Washington greeted the French party and
welcomed them to the estate, at the same time present
ing Lafayette with a ring containing locks of the hair
of their illustrious uncle and his wife, and engraved
with the words, "Pater Patriae, Mount Vernon, 1776
and 1824." George Washington Lafayette was much
affected as he strolled about the estate which twenty-
eight years before had been his home for two years,
while terror reigned in France and while his father was
a prisoner of state in Austria. A visit to the Tomb of
Washington ended their stay at Mount Vernon. Can
206

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
we not picture to ourselves the little procession as it
wound its slow way from the mansion to the cypress
grove not far away, where stood the Tomb so sacred
to their eyes? Lafayette entered the enclosure alone
and returned with his face wet with tears ; then he took
his son by the hand, and together they passed through
the gate and laid wreaths upon the last resting places of
their old friends, George and Martha Washington.
Slowly, thoughtfully, the little band found its way down
to the river bank, each with a branch of cypress in his
hand, and in silence they boarded the waiting vessel.
The fanciful view with which the English potters com
memorated this solemn scene, a man in foreign dress
seated before a tomb marked "Washington," is quite
out of keeping with the setting of the original occur
rence. Yorktown awaited its hero with banners flying and
streets thronged with people gathered from all the coun
tryside. Under an arch erected upon the site of the
English redoubt which he had formerly carried at the
head of the American troops, Lafayette, crowned with
laurel, addressed the assemblage in the name of the
"Sons of the Mountains." He reviewed Revolutionary
days and talked over old campaigns with former com-
panions-in-arms, one of whom affectionately entreated
him not to return to Europe, but to remain in America
where "in every heart you have a friend." By chance,
207

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Lafayette was lodged in Yorktown in the very house
which Cornwallis had occupied forty-three years before,
and, while rummaging in the cellar, one of his men came
upon a large chest of candles which had been left there
since the English officer's time. The candles were car
ried to the camp upon the Common and arranged in a
large circle, and to the light of their burning dancing
went on all the evening — a ball in Yorktown in 1824 by
the light of Cornwallis' candles being so unique an occur
rence that the old soldiers were unwilling to retire until
the candles were all consumed. Small English crearn
jugs of copper luster ware picture the hero of Yorktown
with two angels about to place a crown upon his brow,
the reverse of the jug (shown in a previous chapter)
bearing the scene of the surrender of the English sword.
Two ex-presidents of the United States were at the
time of Lafayette's visit upon their estates in Virginia
— Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, and James Madison
at Montpelier. Can we not picture to ourselves the wel
come which awaited their old French friend at these
homes, and the long visits, far into the night, when by
gone issues of the nation were recalled, and the newly
arisen problem of slavery was debated?
In response to the urgent appeal of the people of the
South and the West, Lafayette set out from Washington
upon a tour of those sections of the country. His party
traveled by carriage and horses, often, when the roads
208

wave, a„d «g di»i rtto*^0
As- vv^lSHIjVGTON.'

LAFAYETTE PITCHER
"The Nation's Guest"
"As Brave and as Disinterested as Washington'

LAFAYETTE CROWNED AT YORKTOWN
(The reverse of this specimen is shown in Chapter IX)

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
were impassable, by horses alone, and at times they were
obliged to cross swollen streams over trunks of fallen
trees, in this way making a slow and difficult passage
through the pine forests and sandy plains of North and
South Carolina ; upon the larger rivers and the lakes they
took advantage of the newly inaugurated steamboat
travel. At Camden, South Carolina, Lafayette assisted
in dedicating a monument to Baron de Kalb, he who, like
Lafayette, had come from Europe to America in the
cause of liberty. At Savannah, Georgia, the citizens
were awaiting Lafayette's arrival to unveil monuments
to General Greene, a Revolutionary hero of the South,
and to General Pulaski, a Polander who had given his
life for the freedom of the nation. After a night spent
at an Indian Agency in the heart of the Georgia forest,
where the Indians called Lafayette the "White Father"
and "A Messenger from the Great Spirit," the party
pressed on to the Alabama River, where they exchanged
carriages for a steamboat which carried them to New
Orleans. In New Orleans, originally settled by French
people, the greetings, "Vive la liberte, Vive l'ami de
l'Amerique, Vive Lafayette," were pleasant and familiar
sounds. Up the Mississippi River, bordered with plantations
and thick forests and bristling with dangerous snags,
they sailed to St. Louis, the western limit of our terri
tory. Thence, turning their faces eastward, they took a
209

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
steamer bound up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh, Penn
sylvania. At the village of Erie, on Lake Erie, memo
ries of Commodore Perry's victory awaited them in a
banquet spread under a tent made of sails of English
ships which Perry had captured in the Battle of Lake
Erie. At Buffalo, Lafayette met the Indian chief Red
Jacket, whom he had known in 1784. "Time has
changed us much," said Lafayette. "Oh," cried Red
Jacket, "time has not been so severe with you as with
me : he has left you a smooth face and a head well cov
ered with hair, while I — look!" And, taking off his
handkerchief, he showed a forehead entirely bald.
Lafayette, to soften the feelings of the aged chief, then
removed his blond wig and exhibited to the astonished
Indian a poll as bare as his own.
After a short visit to Niagara Falls, Lafayette
hastened his journey through New York State by the
Erie Canal, so as to reach Boston in time to assist in the
celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of
Bunker Hill.1 He was the honored guest upon that
famous 17th day of June, 1825. Never had the old city
seen such a procession, 17,000 men in line! Two hun
dred officers and soldiers of the Revolution and forty
veterans of the Battle of Bunker Hill were among those
who filed from the Common across the river to the site
1 A view of the Monument which he helped to dedicate has been presented
in a previous chapter. 2IO

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA
of the historic battle. Lafayette was the hero of the
day. "Fortunate, fortunate man," said Daniel Webster in
that immortal address which every school boys knows,
"Heaven saw fit to ordain that the electric spark of lib
erty should be conducted, through you, from the Old
World to the New."
Lafayette reached New York in time to celebrate the
forty-ninth anniversary of the Declaration of Inde
pendence, then he went to Washington, to sail thence for
home. Upon September 8, 1825, the ship Brandy
wine with the French guests on board, sailed out from
the mouth of the Potomac River towards the center of a
brilliant rainbow, one end of which rested upon the shore
of Maryland and the other upon that of Virginia — the
last triumphal arch raised in America in honor of the
great Frenchman.
Lafayette returned to La Grange, his estate near
Paris, and there, surrounded with his children and his
grandchildren, he passed in peace and quiet the re
maining ten years of his life. La Grange, as the illus
trations show, is a feudal chateau of stone, three stories
high and flanked with five round towers. The entrance
was once over a drawbridge spanning a deep moat, but
the moat has been filled in on two sides. The estate is
beautifully laid out with ancient woodlands, ponds and
gardens, broad roadways winding through avenues of
211

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
apple and chestnut trees. Lafayette's library is in the
tower, and there visitors are shown the mementoes which
he carried home from his famous visit to America.
"The vain wish has sometimes been indulged," said
Henry Clay in his speech of welcome to Lafayette "that
Providence would allow the patriot, after death, to re
turn to his country and to contemplate the changes which
had taken place — to view the forests felled, the cities
built, the mountains leveled, the canals cut, the highways
constructed, the progress of the arts, the advancement
of learning, the increase of population."
To General Lafayette in this visit was given the rare
fortune to realize the full measure of this prayer.
It is of interest to add that at the time of the present
writing, the great European conflict being at its height,
the memory of General Lafayette and of the services
which he rendered to the patriot cause in time of its
greatest need is honored by the establishment of a "Lafa
yette Fund" by the people of the United States, with
which to contribute supplies for the soldiers of France
fighting, in their turn, for the existence of their Repub
lic.

212

THE ERIE CANAL AT BUFFALO
(R. S.)

CHAPTER XIV
OPENING OF THE ERIE CANAL
ALMOST as great in number as the cities which
disputed the honor of Homer's birthplace, were
the claimants of the original idea of the Erie Canal.
George Washington, making a tour of New York State
shortly after the close of the Revolutionary War, was
perhaps the first one to suggest a waterway as a means
of more ready communication between the Eastern
States and the vast rich lands of the little known West ;
but actual work was not begun, however, until many
years later, after much heated debate over the subject
of routes and the manner of building. Finally, the
Erie Canal, as brought to a successful construction
through the enterprise of Governor DeWitt Clinton and
at the expense of New York State alone, astonished
the world, for it was an undertaking of such magnitude
that the like of it had hitherto been accomplished only
by the greatest empires of the Old World and by means
of the labor of slaves.
It is but natural, therefore, that the unique spectacle
of the celebration of the opening of the great waterway,
upon a stage stretching from Buffalo to New York,
213

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
before an audience composed of a large part of the pop
ulation of the State, should appeal to English artists in
search of American views, and that their sketches should
be used to decorate the pottery of Staffordshire. It is
with pride mingled with wonder and no little amuse
ment that one reviews the story of the opening cele
bration, as it is recorded in the old-china illustrations.
The celebration began at Buffalo, the junction of the
canal and Lake Erie, continued at each little hamlet
and city along the banks, culminating at last in a blaze
of glory and patriotism as the waters from the Great
Lakes were mingled with the Atlantic in New York
harbor. No resplendent Doge of Venice standing upon
the prow of his gayly bedecked Bucentaur and casting
the jeweled ring into the waters of the Adriatic, thereby
symbolizing the marriage of Venice to the sea, was ever
more proud than was Governor Clinton as, standing
upon a primitive canal boat draped with the Stars and
Stripes, he poured a barrel of Lake Erie water into the
Atlantic Ocean, thereby accomplishing the union of our
West and East.
The first illustration presents a view of the harbor
entrance of the canal at Buffalo, with sail boats in the
bay, low warehouses on the dock, and a packet boat
upon the canal, which sailors are tying to the warf.
The study of this scene kindles one's imagination, and
in fancy he hears the pealing of the bells at nine o'clock
214

GOVERNOR CLINTON— JEFFERSON— WASHINGTON
Inside of Vegetable Dish
(Stevenson)

THOMAS JEFFERSON— LAFAYETTE— CLINTON
Inside of Vegetable Dish
(Stevenson)

THE AQUEDUCT BRIDGE AT
ROCHESTER, N. Y.
(Wood)

THE AQUEDUCT BRIDGE OVER THE GENESEE RIVER AT
ROCHESTER, N. Y.
Vegetable Dish

OPENING OF THE ERIE CANAL
upon that beautiful morning of October 26, 1825, and
he beholds the throngs of people gathering at the Court
house. After prayer has been offered and speeches
have been made, the procession marches to the dock
where the flotilla is in waiting, ready to make the long
voyage down the canal. With something akin to awe
one listens to the sound of that reverberating cannon-
shot, which, fired at Buffalo and repeated in succession
by cannon stationed along the entire length of the canal,
proclaims in one hour and twenty minutes to the peo
ple of New York City that the little fleet is under way.
Four gayly bedecked horses then proudly prance along
the tow-path drawing the canal boat Seneca Chief,
which bears Governor Clinton and his associates, fol
lowed by the canal boats Superior, Commodore Perry,
and Buffalo. At the end of the procession is Noah's
Ark, from the "unbuilt city of Ararat," having on board
a bear, two eagles, two fawns, birds and fish, besides
two Indian boys in native costume — all taken along to
gratify the curiosity of the effete New Yorkers in re
gard to the wild West.
One smiles at the allegorical picture, painted in honor
of the occasion, which hangs in the cabin of the Seneca
Chief, for in it may be seen Hercules resting upon his
favorite club after his labor of finishing the canal, Gov
ernor Clinton in a Roman toga standing by his side,
gazing upon the placid water and inviting Neptune and
215

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
his Naiads, who coyly hang back as if hesitating to ap
proach domains not theirs by right, to enter through
the open lock. Upon the deck stand two brightly
painted kegs marked "Lake Erie" — the water from the
lake which is to be used in the celebration in New
York. A quantity of bird's-eye maple and cedar wood
is stored below deck for the purpose of making boxes and
medals with which to commemorate the coming event.
While the little flotilla proceeds on its way to the accom
paniment of gay music and the salutes of guns, the citi
zens of Buffalo repair to the Eagle tavern for a banquet
and speeches, the day ending with a grand ball where,
an eye-witness tells us, "beauty, vieing conspicuously
with wit, contributed to the enlivening enjoyment of the
scene." It is to be regretted that there are no illustrations of
the canal at Lockport, for in that village is one of the
most difficult and picturesque pieces of engineering to
be found the entire length of the canal — the great locks
which lift and lower the boats. As the little flotilla
passes through the locks the passengers are greeted with
salutes of a cannon which Commodore Perry thirteen
years before had used in his gallant Battle of Lake
Erie, here adding to its service a record of peaceful
achievement. The first day of the celebration ends at
Lockport with fireworks and illuminations, and a ban
quet at the tavern where the guests are introduced to
216

OPENING OF THE ERIE CANAL
a local celebrity — the man who planted the first orchard
and built the first frame barn west of Utica.
A number of pieces of pottery record the scenes of
the celebration in Rochester. In that city the canal is
obliged to pass over the Genesee River, and the neces
sary aqueduct is a marvel of construction for that early
time. Rochester was an important city of western New
York in the year 1825, and had materially aided and
encouraged the canal project, therefore her prepara
tions for the celebration of the opening have been elab
orate. But alas ! rain is pouring down upon the crowds
waiting along the banks of the canal for the arrival
of the fleet, eager to catch the first glimpse as it comes
out of the West. When at last it arrives, the following
dialogue takes place between the Young Lion of the
West, the Rochester boat stationed at the entrance of
the aqueduct to challenge all newcomers, and the flagship
Seneca Chief:
"Who comes there ?"
"Your brothers from the West on the waters of the
Great Lakes."
"By what means have they been diverted so far from
their natural course ?"
"By the channel of the Great Erie Canal."
"By whose authority and by whom was a work of
such magnitude accomplished?" 217

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
"By the authority and the enterprise of the patriotic
people of the State of New York."
After the surprising ignorance of Rochester has been
thus dispelled, the Young Lion gives way, and the flo
tilla with the Governor in full view floats into the basin
amidst the cheers of the wondering crowds. There
follows a mass meeting in the church, with appropriate
speeches, and at the hotel are held a banquet and a ball.
The next morning the fleet, adding to its train the
Young Lion of the West, bearing the first citizens of
Rochester and carrying wolves, foxes, raccoons and
eagles from the forests, and Rochester-made cedar tubs,
continues its journey.
The china which illustrates the canal scenes of Roch
ester are beautiful specimens of the early Staffordshire
potters' art. Upon it is preserved a view of the old
aqueduct which to-day is but a memory, the aqueduct
scene being sometimes combined with views of prom
inent American buildings, or with those of castles and
landscapes of England. In the border of the vegetable
dish are medallion portraits of George Washington,
General Lafayette, DeWitt Clinton and Thomas Jef
ferson. General Lafayette had visited many of the
canal cities while he was the nation's guest but a few
months before the celebration, and therefore he is given
a place in the illustration; while Washington and Jeffer-
218

ERIE CANAL AT ALBANY
(Wood)

AQUEDUCT BRIDGE AT LITTLE FALLS
(Wood)

UTICA INSCRIPTION PLATE
(Unknown Maker)

DE WITT CLINTON EULOGY PLATE
( Unknown Maker)

OPENING OF THE ERIE CANAL
son, it is claimed by some, appear through ignorance of
the potters in regard to the dates of our political his
tory. Upon reaching the town of Syracuse, the party is
again greeted with speeches and a banquet. At Rome,
they are forced to call to mind that Fourth of July of
the year 1817, the day the first ground for the section
of the canal lying between Utica and Rochester was
broken at this place by Governor Clinton. The Romans,
for whom the present ceremony is one of mingled emo
tions, owing to the placing of the new waterway out
side the limits of their town instead of inside it as they
had wished, undertake to convey their complex feelings
in the manner of their reception. The citizens form
in line as the little fleet comes in sight, and, to the sound
of muffled drums, they convey a black barrel filled with
water from the old canal and empty its contents into the
new one just completed. Having thus figuratively dis
posed of their chagrin, they march in quick time back
to the tavern and forget their disappointment in hos
pitable festivities.
The "Utica Inscription" illustration commemorates
the opening of the section of the canal between Utica
and Rochester, the lines which fill the center recounting
the usual list of benefits which this waterway conferred
upon the villages through which it passed :
"Utica, a village in the State of New York, 30 years
219

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
since a wilderness, now inferior to none in the western
section of the State in population, wealth, commercial
enterprise, active industry and civil improvement."
The border pictures canal boats, aqueducts and locks,
framed in graceful medallions. It is Sabbath day when
the flotilla reaches Utica; the company is conducted to
services in the meeting house, and later to the old Acad
emy to listen to rousing speeches and songs.
The illustrations which picture the aqueduct at Little
Falls, with the Mohawk River raging underneath, seem,
like the Rochester aqueduct scenes, to have made strong
appeal to the English potters, for they too are accom
panied with portraits of our four canal worthies, with
sketches of American buildings or with "Picturesque
Landskips" and "Romantick Gentlemen's Seats" of old
England. At this place occurs another celebration of
welcome — lengthy orations and odes of congratulation
delivered amid bonfires and illuminations upon the banks
of the Mohawk River.
Leaving Little Falls, the gayly bedecked flotilla floats
serenely along the man-made river, the guests seated
upon the open decks (as quaint views of the celebration
preserved in old prints record) enjoying the scenery
and returning the huzzas of greeting from the people
who line the banks. Whenever they pass through ham
lets too small to offer a festival, the "yeomanry," an
220

OPENING OF THE ERIE CANAL
old chronicle states, "gathered at the banks of the canal
and cheered the passing spectacle."
Upon November 2 the fleet reaches Albany, and here
a Grand Fete befitting the Capital city of the Empire
State awaits the distinguished guests — the illustrations
picturing the "Entrance of the Canal at Albany" show
ing the very arches which were erected for the celebra
tion. The two vessels at the dock, one a freight boat
and the other a passenger packet boat, give a clear idea
of canal traffic and travel in the early days ; while in the
background the home of one of Albany's prominent
citizens may be seen. The guests repair to the Capitol
building and listen to eulogies and to odes, and, as they
pass through the streets, they gaze upon large banners
and transparencies which blaze the tidings that "The
Great Work is Done"; at the evening performance in
the theater there is a "Canal Scene," wherein are shown
a real canal and locks and horses and passing boats.
At Albany the little fleet enters the Hudson River and
is taken in tow by the new steamboat, the Chancellor
Livingston (pictured in a later chapter) heading the
procession as admiral and followed by twelve vessels
of various types. A sympathetic writer of that time
compares the spectacle to a "fleet from the dominion
of the Fairies," adding that Alexander of Macedon
when he descended the Indus was not more proud than
221

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
were "these brave Americans sailing down the Hudson
River." The population of the villages along the banks
give signals of greeting as the fleet passes by, and, when
darkness falls, lights and fireworks from the vessels re
spond to the fireworks and illuminations on shore.
At daylight on November 4, New York is reached,
and a three-day celebration takes place, the setting of
which may be in part recalled by a study of the illustra
tions. In a previous chapter a number of New York's
important buildings of that day have been shown —
Park Theater, Scudder's Museum, the Almshouse, Saint
Paul's Chapel, Columbia College, the City Hall, where
a public gathering was held and speeches were made in
honor of the canal opening, and Castle Garden and the
Battery — the site of the closing canal festivities. But
many of the scenes of entertainment of those three days
are but memory pictures, and cause us to regret that
more of them were not secured by the English potter-
historians. For what a pity to neglect the pictorial
possibilities of the marvelous parade through the
streets; of the Grand Canal Ball, with its supper table
adorned with a miniature canal boat of maple sugar
floating in a pool of Lake Erie water ; of the ceremony
at the harbor where the "Lord of the Seas" wedded the
"Lady of the Lakes," by pouring the water brought from
Lake Erie into the Atlantic Ocean, the nuptial rites be
ing completed by sending a keg of sea-water, "Nep-
222

ERIE CANAL AT LITTLE FALLS: HORSES
ON TOW PATH
(Jackson)

ENTRANCE OF ERIE CANAL AT ALBANY

OPENING OF THE ERIE CANAL
tune's Return to Pan," from the ocean to Buffalo, to be
emptied into Lake Erie.
In this manner was celebrated the completion of the
"big ditch," which skeptics declared "would be filled
with the tears of posterity," but which, instead, has
so amply justified the sentiment inscribed upon the
"Eulogy" plates :
"The Grand Erie Canal, a splendid monument of the
enterprise and resources of the State of New York, in
debted for its early commencement and rapid comple
tion to the active energies, preeminent talents and en
lightened policy of DeWitt Clinton, late Governor of
the State."
The journey from Buffalo to New York was made
possible in the steam packets upon the canal in six days,
at a cost of about eighteen dollars. Commerce was at
once stimulated by the new and quicker route to the
sea ports ; travel was made more convenient for curious
foreign tourists who crossed the sea to make the grand
tour of the new country, and to look upon the famous
cataract of Niagara; emigration was pushed farther
westward along the waterway, causing new settlements
to be established ; and a broader opportunity for educa
tion was opened, the young men and women of the
western sections being able by means of the canal to
attend the schools and colleges of the Eastern States.
But the rapid rate of canal travel was long looked
223

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
upon by conservative persons as a fearful danger, and
one to be risked only after serious and anxious thoughts
of the future. A certain old gentleman of that day, after
he had completed a canal journey in safety, penned these
lines to a friend: "Commending my soul to God, and
asking His defense from danger, I stepped on board the
canal boat and was soon flying toward Utica."

224

CITY OF PITTSBURGH, PA.
( ' ' Pennsylvania ' ' Steamboat)
(Clews)

CHAPTER XV
INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
THE stories of Colonial America embodied in the
decorations of old blue-china conclude with a re
view of the new modes of travel introduced by our fore
fathers, for, although theirs was the leisurely day of
the stage coach and the sailing vessel, it was their good
fortune to witness the dawn of the Age of Steam.
Many persons are familiar with the engraving, fre
quently found upon old-time parlor walls, of the small
boy sitting at a tea-table pressing a spoon over the nose
of the kettle and watching the steam lift the lid. The
boy was James Watt, who in the year 1774 inaugurated
in England trial tests of the strange power he had thus
discovered. Half a century later, the people of Amer
ica were gazing in wonder and awe upon the sight of
boats moving up the Hudson River, and of coaches pass
ing over the land, by means of this same magic power.
Success in steam experiment was attained with water-
vehicles at a period earlier than with coaches operated
upon land, the clumsy little vessels pictured upon the
dinner plates sailing the American rivers and lakes a
number of years before the whistle of primitive loco-
225

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
motives waked the sleeping echoes in our valleys. The
last quarter of the eighteenth century, a number of Eu
ropean and American inventors, mindful of the ancient
prophecy that "a steam carriage would one day go al
most as fast as birds fly," experimented with the new
found power and turned out eccentric vehicles. In the
year 1788, John Fitch, a Philadelphia clock maker,
launched a steamboat with a row of propelling paddles
on either side (the idea of wheels not occurring to him),
and with three ranges of chains, suggested by his trade,
along the sides. Failure to interest the public in his
experiment brought him but the popular verdict, "Poor
fellow ! What a pity he is crazy." Another Philadel-
phian, Oliver Evans, fitted a sort of scow with a steam
engine, added paddle wheels to the stern and set it on
wheels. He ran this contrivance through the streets
of Philadelphia out to the Schulykill River, where he
launched it and propelled it down the stream and up
the Delaware to the city. About the same time, Colonel
Stevens and his son were constructing such marvelous
engines in their shops in Hoboken that the fame of the
family crossed the seas, and a view of the Stevens man
sion, which was considered one of the handsomest homes
in America, found its way upon English pottery. The
illustration portrays a large Colonial house set in a spa
cious lawn, shaded with tall pine trees.
But it remained for Robert Fulton, with the aid of
226

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
Chancellor Livingston, to carry to success the experi
ments of those who had paved the way in steam naviga
tion. Fulton first made trials of steam engines upon the
rivers of France, before bringing, in the year 1806, an
English engine to New York, where he ordered a hull
built for it in the East River shipyards. There the new
fangled thing was jeered at and dubbed "Fulton's Folly."
And indeed the Clermont, as he named the boat for the
country home of Chancellor Livingston, was a novel
sight — the engine in plain view of the passengers, the
boiler set in masonry and covered with a little house like
that on a canal boat, the rudder resembling the rudder
of a sailing vessel, and huge uncovered paddle wheels
revolving heavily upon either side.
Upon a beautiful Sabbath morning in August in the
year 1807, the Clermont made her trial trip up the Hud
son River, her decks filled with Fulton's guests. The
ride was a thrilling experience, the passengers all the
time fearful for their lives, and the inventor by no means
certain that his vessel would move in the water. The
Clermont started bravely, went a short distance, then
stopped. "I told you so," might have been heard among
the passengers, but Fulton adjusted the parts and on
they went, the machinery groaning and creaking, and
the water splashing the deck and mingling with the
clouds of cinders from the engine. Soon another
trouble presented itself — the captains of sailing vessels,
227

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
jealous of this new rival in their field, ran into the Cler
mont and then made the accident appear the fault of the
new vessel's clumsiness. The fiery object moving up the
river struck such terror to the folk along the bank that
some of the more ignorant among them fell upon their
knees and prayed to be delivered from the monster, while
those less timid long looked upon the power obtained
from fire and water as of the Evil One. The vessel
reached Albany in safety. "I ran it up in thirty-two
hours and down in thirty hours. The power of propel
ling boats by steam is now fully proved," wrote Fulton
to a friend, after the accomplishment of the journey.
The success of the Clermont paved the way for the
construction of other vessels, and the following spring,
to the intense delight of the people, the era of steamboat
navigation was launched by the establishment of regular
sailings between New York and Albany. Little by little,
luxurious equipment and furnishings were added to the
boats, such as cabins fitted with comfortable beds, bands
of music on board, and, an item of especial interest, din
ing tables were provided with sets of blue dishes ordered
from Staffordshire decorated with pictures of the boats.
Surviving specimens of these sets are to-day highly
prized. One of the earliest of the Hudson River boats, the
steamship Fulton (a disputed sketch of which is pre
sented), was considered a very marvel of elegance and
228

"*<

-.«*»«.*

^C#

STEVENS MANSION, HOBOKEN, N. J
(Stubbs)

'FULTON" STEAMBOAT

STERN-WHEEL STEAMBOAT
Philadelphia Dam and Waterworks
( Unknown Maker)

DARK BLUE CUP AND SAUCER, CALLED "BALTIMORE
AND OHIO RAILROAD"

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
luxury. "There is not in the whole world such accom
modations afloat as the Fulton affords," a journal of the
day commented, adding the prophecy, "Indeed, it is
hardly possible to conceive that anything of the kind can
exceed her in elegance and convenience." The Fulton
was built in the year 1814 and plied between New York
and Albany, starting from the foot of Cortlandt Street
every Saturday morning and arriving in Albany on Sun
day morning, the fare being ten dollars ; she had accom
modations for 60 passengers. The Fulton was the first
boat to make the dangerous passage of Hell Gate, as a
reward for the feat receiving the name of the inventor.
In the "Landing of Lafayette" scene which is presented
in a former chapter the steamboat in the center was in
tended to represent the Fulton, but is wrongly drawn, as
the real Fulton was fitted with one mast only for sails,
while she is shown with three ; she had but one funnel.
The other large steamboat in the "Landing" scene at
the Battery is the Chancellor Livingston, the last boat
designed by Robert Fulton and not completed until after
his death. Another old-china decoration exhibits the
Chancellor Livingston sailing the Hudson River near the
town of Fishkill, a location readily recognized at the pres
ent time and one which no doubt appealed for its pic
turesque beauty to the old-time English artists. The
Chancellor Livingston measured 165 feet in length, had
a draft of seven feet, and her 75 horse-power engine car-
229

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
ried her on an average of eight miles an hour. Her
sleeping and dining apartments, it is recorded, were noted
for their luxury. She was the most powerful and the
most elegantly appointed vessel in the world at the time
General Lafayette came to America on his famous visit,
and for this reason she was chosen to carry the nation's
guest in the great "Landing" naval parade.
Another notable steamboat was the Chief Justice Mar
shall, of which there is a sketch preserved upon speci
mens of her tableware, framed in the familiar border of
sea-shells and mosses. The Chief Justice Marshall was
built in 1825, and, as the large-lettered sign upon her
rail announces, she belonged to the "Troy Line" of ves
sels. The "Union Line" was a rival Hudson River
Company and one of its fleet, similar in type to the Troy
vessels, is also reproduced. Three examples of early
Pennsylvania steamboats appear upon specimens of the
dinner service in use in their dining rooms. One of them
is a single- funnelled side-wheeler greatly resembling the
Clermont, from which no doubt it was modeled ; this ap
pears in the chapter upon Philadelphia. Another one,
here presented, is a stern-wheel vessel; both are repre
sented as steaming past the Dam and Waterworks of
the Schuylkill River, near Philadelphia. The third
Pennsylvania steamboat, with the name Pennsylvania
in plain view upon her wheel-box, is fitted with two fun
nels and is pictured before the city of Pittsburgh, at that
230

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
time but a small group of buildings at the foot of the
mountains on the bank of the Allegheny River. In the
view of the harbor of Detroit, Michigan, which a pre
vious chapter presents, a number of other interesting
types of primitive American craft may also be seen.
Until the year 1831, all steam-vessels were equipped
with one or more masts for sails, the old-time device be
ing retained in order to make use of the wind in case of
trouble with the engine, or to attain greater speed. The
mania for fast sailing thus early seized upon the people,
and racing upon the rivers resulted in many accidents.
The first accident occurred in 1830, to the Chief Justice
Marshall, her boilers bursting as she was leaving the
dock at Newburgh one day, many of her passengers be
ing injured. The steamboats upon the western rivers
became notorious for racing. To "Never be passed on
the river" was the slogan of the Mississippi engineers,
and in order to acquire more steam from the blazing pine
knots in the furnace they sometimes threw lard and hams
into the flames ; oft-times the interior of the boat would
be destroyed for fuel before port was reached. Burst
ing of boilers and grounding on snags became such fre
quent occurrences that upon the Ohio and Mississippi
river banks groups of stranded passengers might often
have been seen waiting for a passing vessel to pick them
up and carry them to their journey's end. General Lafa
yette, while on his tour of the West in 1824, had a nar-
231

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
row escape from drowning in the Ohio River through
the reckless speeding of the small steamboat he was in,
the engineer landing the craft upon a snag in the middle
of the stream. At midnight upon a dark night, Our Na
tion's Guest, in scant attire, had to be lifted bodily into a
small boat and rowed ashore. A mattress was rescued
from the waves, shelter was found under a tree, and
there the great man was forced to remain until a pass
ing steamer took him aboard. In 1825, "safety barges"
were attached to steamers by cables, and the passengers
occupied them at ease, unworried over the possible burst
ing of the boiler or the grounding of the steamboat in
front of them.
The change from the old to the new mode of travel
upon land — stage coach and horses to carriages drawn
by steam locomotives — came a few years later than the
change from sailing vessels to steamboats, and the inno
vation was slower of adoption by our forefathers. The
"Old Style" and "New Style" of travel are curiously
illustrated in a design impressed upon the sides of an old
English pitcher. Underneath the historic dates "1800"
and "1848" are the words "Past" and "Present" and
"The Two Drivers." Upon one side of the pitcher is
pictured a stage-coach driver, a man of rotund figure,
wearing a large hat and carrying a whip ; upon the oppo
site side, a small boy is seen seated in the branches of a
232

STEAMBOAT "CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL,'
"TROY LINE"
(Wood)

EARLY STEAMBOAT ON HUDSON, "UNION LINE"
(Wood)

^<%*£

V' %^m*-"

BALTIMORE AND OHIO R. R.
(Wood)

BALTIMORE AND OHIO R. R— INCLINED PLANE
(Wood)

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
tree and gazing down in wonder upon a locomotive run
ning over an iron track.
A real personage was the stage coach driver, usually
a portly, florid-faced man wearing an air of authority
that was most impressive, and, when seated upon his box
grasping the reins of his four- or six-in-hand, he was
looked up to by the villagers along his route as almost the
equal of the squire or the minister. In addition to car
rying passengers, the stage coach driver was accustomed
to perform many other duties of various kinds. He de
livered messages, paid bills or collected them, was an
agent of banks and brokers — and all of this business he
carried in his head, or his hat! For a stage driver's
hat, even in the days when the monstrous bell crown was
the fashion, was usually filled with letters and parcels
put there for safe keeping, the owner being thus a com
bined forerunner of the modern postman, expressman
and parcel post. No doubt, had the stage driver been
told that one day two parallel iron rails and a tea kettle
on wheels would dethrone him from his proud position
and render staging unfashionable and almost obsolete, he
would have smiled in pity upon the speaker as either a
fool or a madman.
Previous to the time locomotives were introduced into
America, the country was a maze of stage routes, the
year 1811 showing 37,000 miles of post roads, several
233

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
state roads and a national turnpike, each thoroughfare
dotted here and there along its way with roomy, sloping-
roofed taverns for the accommodation of travelers. Be
fore the introduction of regular stage routes, the post
had been carried by men on horseback, from city to city.
In 1755, Benjamin Franklin, who acted as postmaster,
gave notice that mail between Philadelphia and New
England would start by post once a week, "whereby an
swers may be obtained to letters between Philadelphia
and Boston in three weeks, which used to require six
weeks." After the Revolutionary War, a scheme was
set on foot to form a line of posts from Falmouth, New
England, to Savannah, Georgia, "with cross posts where
needful." The first stage between Boston and New
York started in June, 1772, to run once a fortnight as "a
useful, new, and expensive undertaking," the time re
quired for the journey being thirteen days ! A half cen
tury later, in 1829, the "Albany Coach" left Boston three
times a week, and arrived in Albany on the third day at
noon, the distance being 160 miles and the fare six dol
lars ; the "Boston and New York Mail" left Boston daily
at ten o'clock in the morning and arrived the second
afternoon in New York. The "Pilot Stage" ran from
New York to Philadelphia daily in 14 to 16 hours, fare
ten dollars, with accommodations in summer for seven
passengers. It had connections with another line for
Baltimore and Washington, whence still another carried
234

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
the passengers on to Richmond. Imagination pictures
the long, delightful hours of these journeys for indul
gence in political discussions or personal gossip, and for
enjoyment of the scenery through which the stagtes
passed !
The change from stage coach to steam carriage
aroused in the country an opposition similar to that
which prevailed when steamboat travel was broached.
"What is to become of America," the critics asked,
"after the unfortunate country has fed to its locomotives
the last pound of its limited supply of coal ?" The rapid
rate of travel and the shock of the sudden stopping, they
argued, could never be endured until we had brains of
brass or iron. Tales came from England, where, follow
ing the successful experiments of George Stephenson
with his "Puffing Billy," steam cars had already been in
troduced, of the brains of business men becoming so
addled by the swiftness of railroad travel that they for
got what they had set out for and had to write home to
find out. One elderly gentleman, after a prolonged de
bauch of railroad travel, dashed his brains against a post
and shivered them to pieces, a gruesome story ran. The
introduction of steam power was a source of grief to
John Ruskin, who saw in it a menace to peace and wel
fare. The rural villages of this country did not relish
the notion of their quiet being disturbed by noisy trains.
Daniel Webster drove out one day to Quincy from Bos-
235

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
ton, to inspect the horse-power railroad in operation at
the quarries, and on his way back he shook his head and
gave it as his opinion that the frosts on the rails in win
ter would prove a difficulty which never could be over
come. In spite of protests, however, the idea of steam travel
on land gained friends, and in the summer of 1829 four
locomotives were ordered from England for trial on the
rails already laid at quarries and mines for cars operated
by horses. One of the English engines, the "Stour
bridge Lion," was hauled to the tracks of the Delaware
and Hudson Railroad near Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and
its historic run was made the occasion for a holiday, the
entire countryside turning out to witness the trial. No
one believed the strange monster would go, even the man
who guided her being in doubt, for the timber of the
roadway had cracked and warped from the summer's
heat, and a thirty-foot trestle over a creek had to be
crossed on a curve. "As I placed my hand on the
throttle valve handle," he afterwards said, "I was unde
cided whether I should move slowly or with a fair degree
of speed, but preferring, if I did go down, to go hand
somely, I started with considerable velocity, passed the
curves over the creek safely and was soon out of hearing
of the cheers of the vast assemblage. ... At the end
of two or three miles I reversed the valve and returned
without accident, having made the first locomotive trip
236

THE "CHANCELLOR LIVINGSTON" (WITH THREE MASTS AND
ONE FUNNEL) PASSING THE HIGHLANDS, HUDSON
RIVER
(Wood)

LEEDS TEAPOT
Fulton's Steamboat Passing West Point
(In Dickins Collection)

OLD ENGLISH PITCHER
Stage Coach Driver— " Old Style" Travel

REVERSE
Early Railway Train — " New Style " Travel

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
on the Western Hemisphere." The "Stourbridge Lion"
is now in the National Museum of the Smithsonian In
stitution in Washington.
The railroad fever then quickly seized upon the peo
ple and spread like a contagion; charters for new roads
multiplied ; iron-banded wooden rails were laid through
out the land; engines were built, odd-looking contriv
ances, with vertical, bottle-shaped boilers, chimney-like
smokestacks and tenders merely an open platform on
wheels. Each locomotive originally was given a name,
as is the custom with vessels to-day, a custom still in
vogue in several countries of Europe. The earliest pas
senger coaches were modeled after the stage coach, with
seats both inside and out, the inside seats being at first
arranged around the sides ; later on, the center aisle with
which we are familiar was adopted, in preference to the
English compartment model with a narrow ledge along
the outside — a style which continues in use in the Old
World. The two scenes which are framed in the rich shell bor
der of Enoch Wood are of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road, which was built to connect the eastern States with
the semi-wilderness region of the Ohio River. The first
scene represents an early locomotive of the English type,
drawing a load of freight cars ; the second, a stationary
engine may be seen at the summit of a hill near the en
trance to a mine, with a number of cars running down a
237

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
very steep grade. The corner stone of the Baltimore
and Ohio was laid in Baltimore July 4, 1828, by Charles
Carroll, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of
Independence, and was an event of great importance,
celebrated by a procession, and, it is recorded, by sending
to Lafayette (who had visited Baltimore a few years be
fore) a fine pair of specially designed satin shoes, which
were placed in the museum at La Grange.
In the year 1829, Peter Cooper built the "Tom
Thumb," a model one-horse power engine, and ran it
for a short distance upon the tracks of the Baltimore and
Ohio, but regular service of railway travel in America
was not established until the following year. Peter
Cooper describes the "Tom Thumb" thus : "The engine
was a very small and insignificant affair. It was made
at the time I had become the owner of all the land now
belonging to the Canton Company, the value of which I
believed depended almost entirely upon the success of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. When I had com
pleted the engine I invited the directors to witness an
experiment. Some thirty-six persons entered one of the
passenger cars, and four rode on the locomotive, which
carried its own fuel and water; and made the first
passage of thirteen miles over an average ascending
grade of eighteen feet to the mile, in one hour and twelve
minutes. We made the return trip in fifty-seven min
utes." Several of the favored directors, we learn else-
238

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
where, who were aboard the train upon this historic run,
took out their notebooks and wrote sentences in them in
order to prove that they were able to do so while travel
ing at such rapid speed.
In the cup and saucer decorations another early loco
motive, whether of English or American manufacture is
a disputed question, may be seen drawing a passenger
car of the stage coach type, a car which closely resembles
those which were used upon the tracks of the Mohawk
and Hudson River Railroad. The honor of being the
first railway line to establish regular train service in
America belongs, however, to the Charleston and Ham
burg Railroad of South Carolina, with a bottle-shaped
vertical engine known as "The Best Friend of Charles
ton"; this was in the year 1830.
An interesting scene, printed in pale blue and framed
in delicate mosses, pictures one of the first railway trains
to be run in New York State — without doubt one of the
earliest representations of the old DeWitt Clinton engine,
the pride of museums and expositions ever since the day
she made her historic run from Albany to Schenectady,
over the tracks of the Mohawk and Hudson River Rail
road. It was a joyous occasion, and not since the open
ing of the Erie Canal six years previous was there so
great excitement. The people of the countryside along
the route turned out to view the spectacle, for long dis
tances lining the track on both sides with all sorts of
239

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
vehicles. Chronicles of the period relate how on the
evening of August 8, 1831, the guests who were to board
the train on the following morning bought their tickets
at the hotel in Albany, and how at daybreak they made
their way to the outskirts of the city and were carried
up a hill to the place where the train awaited them. The
state officials occupied the foremost coaches (some of
them stage coaches pressed into service), while as many
persons as possible seated themselves along the sides of
the cars and upon the roofs, hundreds, however, for lack
of room either to sit or stand, being obliged to remain
behind. The time came to start ; a horn tooted ; the en
gineer, fearful that the load was too heavy for his engine,
started with such a jerk that it sent hats flying and peo
ple sprawling. Forward the train moved out into the
country, the passengers enjoying the novel experience of
the rapidly unrolling scenery, when unexpected trouble
developed — clouds of sparks streamed from the engine
over those who were upon the roofs, setting fire to their
clothing, and the umbrellas raised for protection were
quickly tossed overboard in flames. The crowds of peo
ple along the track cheered lustily the novel spectacle;
horses jumped and ran in terror from the snorting
monster ; at last, the train came to a stop upon the sum
mit of a hill, and the jolted passengers were lowered to
the city of Schenectady, their journey at an end. The
festivities of celebration continued — music, cannon,
240

TRAIN ON MOHAWK AND HUDSON RIVER RAILWAY
(C. C.)

INTRODUCTION OF NEW MODES OF TRAVEL
salutes, processions, speeches — and the eventful day
ended with a banquet where was offered the prophetic
toast : "The Buffalo Railroad : May we soon breakfast
at Utica, dine at Rochester, and sup with our friends on
Lake Erie."
In this manner was ushered in the Age of Steam, that
historic era in which sailing vessels and stage coaches,
the last mementoes of our Colonial forefathers which
English pottery records, gradually gave place to the
steam-driven ships and railway trains of the present.
At some future time, it will no doubt come to pass that
new marvels of science will cause the luxurious trains
and steamships of the present day to appear as clumsy
and old-fashioned as the little boats and locomotives
which are pictured upon the old blue dishes appear to
the youthful generation of to-day.

241

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS

THE PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT CHINA

CHAPTER A
THE WHITE HOUSE COLLECTION OF PRESIDENTIAL CHINA
FOREMOST perhaps among the numerous historical attrac
tions which lure the American pilgrim to Washington is
the stately old Mansion which, with one exception, has been
the home of all the presidents of the United States. And among
the mementos of bygone administrations which the White House
shelters at the present time, not the least in popular interest is the
collection of specimens of porcelain and glassware which from
the earliest days of the Republic graced the table of the Chief
Executive. Twenty-four groups, of from one to ten pieces in
each group, at the present writing make up the exhibit, the Presi
dent Johnson administration alone being as yet without repre
sentation in the collection; while the President Taft and the
President Wilson administrations have continued in use the porce
lain selected by Mrs. Roosevelt. The collection is a growing one,
however, and in time it is hoped that each administration will,
through loan or gift, be adequately represented. The articles are
arranged in cabinets upon either side of the Lower Corridor of the
White House ; while accompanying them hang upon the walls the
portraits of six of the former Mistresses of the Mansion — Mrs.
Van Buren, a daughter-in-law of President Van Buren, Mrs.
Tyler, Mrs. Polk, Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. Harrison, and Mrs. Roose
velt, that of the present Mrs. Wilson being soon to be added to the
number. Martha Washington's portrait hangs in the Red Room
above, near to that of our first president. A plan is now on foot
to place the collection of porcelains and glass in one of the rooms
adjoining the Lower Corridor where it now is, building for it
permanent and commodious wall cabinets, thereby ensuring
greater security for the exhibit as well as, for the visitor, a more
satisfactory opportunity for observation and study.
245

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Like many another enterprise, the idea of forming a collection
of china belonging to past presidents long preceded its actual un
dertaking. Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, while pre
siding over the Mansion, each conceived a plan somewhat similar
to the one which later on was inaugurated and carried to nearly
its present state of completion by Mrs. Roosevelt — to gather to
gether by means of patriotic loan or gift specimens of presidential
china which had come into the possession of descendants of the
original owners. For/with the revival of interest in all things
' pertaining to the pasfhistory of our country, upon search it was
discovered with surprise and dismay that very little of the older
pieces of porcelain remained upon the White House pantry
shelves, and that a knowledge of their characteristics was therefore
in danger of being entirely lost. The cause of this state of
things, by the way, may be directly traced to the time of George
Washington, for, when he removed the seat of Government from
New York to Philadelphia in 1790, Congress enacted a law
whereby "the decayed furnishings of the President's House should
be sold for refurnishing the new house in Philadelphia." There
after, when the city of Washington became the permanent home
of the Government, with each incoming administration Congress
voted a sum of money (frequently twenty thousand dollars) for
fresh furnishings for the President's House, the amount to be
expended under the direction and according to the taste of the
new Chief Executive and his family. And any of the old fur
nishings which they might be pleased to consider "decayed" were
promptly sold at public sale — carpets, tables, chairs, window-
hangings, beds, linen, tableware, etc., etc/" This practice led to
greater or less alterations in the character of the interior of the
mansion with almost every administration, and twice in its his
tory — under President Monroe, after its partial destruction by
the fire of the British soldiers in 1814, and under President
Roosevelt, who, in his message to Congress submitting the
architects' report, declared that it "had become disfigured by in
congruous additions and changes" — the White House interior has
undergone complete remodeling and refurnishing. At the present
246

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
time, restored to the plan of James Hoban, its original architect,
and made consistent with modern ideas of sanitation, the home of
our presidents is one of appropriate dignity and utility. And, in
place of the careless and haphazard manner in which it formerly
was looked after by the Government, the White House has been
put under the direct supervision of the Bureau of Buildings and
Grounds. The White House collection of presidential china, although
far from as complete as it eventually will be, is noteworthy in that
perhaps to a greater degree than most other displays of historical
relics in this country it bears interesting and intimate witness to
the progress, halting and varying as it has been, in luxury and
in taste of the American people throughout the century and
more of national life. For, unlike the existing specimens of
Anglo-American pottery which form the special subject of this
volume, and which in early years found a place upon the humble
tables of the mass of American citizens, the White House collec
tion almost uniformly presents examples of fine and costly porce
lains, the choicest output of French, Dutch, English, and Oriental
potteries which was brought overseas to grace the boards of our
forefathers of wealth and fashion. Exquisite design, color, and
form characterize several of the groups belonging to those admin
istrations which were co-temporary with the vogue of French
taste in America, due to the close relations with that country
growing out of its attitude toward the American struggle for in
dependence, as, for example, some of the Washington, the Madi
son, and the Monroe pieces. The Polk china, too, with its dainty
bird design, displays the same characteristics; while the Pierce
and Lincoln groups attract the eye for the broad bands of rich
color and the graceful forms which they display. The showy
Hayes and Arthur specimens, challenging the beholder to pause
and examine, are a reminder of the current styles of interior
decoration which were popular in that flamboyant era we have
come to designate as mid- Victorian ; the Cleveland and Benjamin
Harrison groups, on the other hand, claiming attention for the
quiet elegance of their decoration, portraying the prevailing taste
247

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
of the succeeding decade as well as that of their sponsors. And
one will pause, as the writer did, before the Roosevelt exhibit, ap
preciating how distinctly its simple elegance accords with the
recognized trend of to-day's thought. Indeed, so expressive not
only of the popular inclination of the moment but also of that
patriotic ideal which the America of to-day has developed, is the
Roosevelt china, that the suggestion has been offered to perpetuate
the design for the official White House table, the Taf t and Wilson
administrations having already signified their approval by merely
supplying breakages from it in place of introducing other styles.
A piece of china which belonged with every properly planned set
in our early Republican times, and one which a later-day mode
seems to have relegated to disuse, is the fruit-compote, a number
of examples of which may be seen in the collection. This dish
consists of a bowl, sometimes round but more often oblong or
diamond-shaped, generally of openwork lattice pattern, and set
upon a standard from six to ten inches high. Decorated with the
same design as the remainder of the set, the compote is an im
posing piece, an excellent specimen being the beautiful one illus
trated with the Lincoln china. Another piece, which by the way
present day fashion is returning to favor, is the pretty little
covered custard-cup, an example of which the Lincoln group like
wise presents. Also, a punch bowl, decorated to match the other
pieces, was oft-times included in old-time sets of porcelain. The
Coat of Arms of the United States has been several times fittingly
incorporated in the pattern adopted for state sets, the number of
stars it displays equaling the number of states in the Union at
the time of printing.
Although George Washington died before the completion of
the Executive Mansion, in the erection of which he was deeply
interested, the story of presidential china properly begins with
mention of the wares once used by him, a small number of pieces
of which stand at the head of the White House collection. The
years of Washington's life spanned the periods between pewter
and porcelain as articles of table use in America, the close of the
War of the Revolution rather definitely marking the transition.
248

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CHINA

THE JOHN ADAMS
GOBLET

THE JEFFERSON STATE SET

THE MADISON CHINA

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
That Washington owned and used pewter, many dinner dishes of
that material decorated with his crest and initials remain to attest ;
while the contents of his camp mess chest, now preserved in the
United States National Museum in Washington, D. C, are of
pewter. But the war ended and peace restored, our first presi
dent had leisure to indulge the fondness which he, in common with
Benjamin Franklin, conspicuously possessed for those "little
azure-tinted grotesques that, under the notion of men and women,
float about uncircumscribed by any element, in that world before
. perspective — a china teacup." Attactive indeed to Washington
must have been the newspaper advertisements of his day announc
ing the infrequent arrival of vessels from the Orient, and setting
forth long lists of cargoes of china, teas, and precious stuffs, to
be sold at "Publick Vendue." A letter written by him under date
of 1785 is extant, in which he gives orders for the purchase at
one of these sales in Baltimore, among other articles, of a "sett of
the best Nankin Table China, Ditto — best Evening Cups and
Saucers, A sett of large blue and white China, 1 Dozen small
bowls blue and white, 6 Wash hand Guglets (small jugs) and
Basons, etc., etc." Soon after his inauguration in New York in
1789, Washington established himself in a mansion on Franklin
Square which had been repaired and refurnished, and which be
came known as the President's Palace. In a letter to a friend, a
young New York woman of that time writes : "There is scarcely
anything talked of now but General Washington and the Palace
. . . the best of furniture in every room and the greatest quantity
^f plate and china that I ever saw ..." By the time of his
return to private life at Mount Vernon, Washington had evidently
acquired a goodly quantity of porcelain, for he gave directions for
the appropriation of a small room in the remodeled house for
"the Sevres china and other things of that sort which are not in
common use."/The tableware which was in common use both in
"""New York and in Mount Vernon was the blue and white Canton
ware which is familiar to all, two pieces of which — a badly cracked
platter and a dinner plate — which were purchased at President
Washington's sale of household effects when he left New York
249

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
for Philadelphia in 1790, are to be seen in the White House col
lection. The remaining articles in the Washington group include
a cup and saucer which formed a part of the well-known "white
and gold tea-set" belonging to Martha Washington, and a dinner
plate of the "Cincinnati set" (to which Order Washington be
longed), over the acquisition of which there has been much dis
cussion. It is now agreed that Washington most probably pur
chased the set himself upon its arrival from China, where quan
tities of it were decorated with the insignia of the Order from a
drawing supplied in America. As may be seen in the illustration,
the design which occupies the center of the plate, within a border
of blue Oriental scroll and leaf ornaments, consists of a figure of
winged Fame in a light green robe and pink scarf, blowing a
trumpet and holding suspended from one hand a colored repre
sentation of the Society's badge./ A plate of the "set given me
by Mr. Van Braam," so designated by Martha Washington in
her will, and popularly known as "the Martha Washington
States" china, is illustrated and described in a former chapter of
this volume. A number of pieces of this set are in the National
Museum at Washington and other pieces, said to be reproductions,
are at Mount Vernon, but the White House collection is without
a specimen. /
John Adams occupied the President's House (as it was then
known) but nine months, completing his term begun in Phila
delphia. Unfinished and uncomfortable as the mansion was,
(the famous East Room was used to dry the family laundry and
fireplaces barely took the chill from the large drafty apartments),
nevertheless its levees and state dinners were conducted with the
same regard for ceremony for which Washington had established
the precedent. While residing abroad, John Adams had made
many purchases of furniture and tableware, some of which he
doubtless used in Philadelphia and in Washington, but as yet
the White House collection contains but two articles with which
to commemmorate his administration — the bowl of a cut-glass
goblet (the stem and base having disappeared) set in a properly-
fitted silver standard, and a framed silhouette of Abigail Adams.
250

THE PRESIDENT MONROE CHINA

THE JOHN QUINCY ADAMS COLLECTION OF CHINA AND GLASS

THE PRESIDENT JACKSON CHINA AND CANDELABRUM

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
The bowl is etched with floral wreaths festooned from a deco
rative band, and upon one side is the letter "A." Underneath the
letter are the initials S. C. T. — Sarah Corcoran Thorn, to whom
the goblet was given by a great-grandson of John Adams, who
had her initials placed upon it. The goblet was presented to the
collection by Mrs. Harry Reade, the daughter of Mrs. Thom.
The silhouette is an interesting memento of that period, exhibiting
Mrs. Adams in a quaint frilled head-dress. A letter of presen
tation accompanies the relic, it having originally been a gift to
a classmate of Mrs. Adams, a daughter of Jeremiah Bailey,
by whom it was given to the donor to the White House collec
tion. A notion of extreme simplicity in all matters pertaining to the
Executive regime has in later years come to be associated with the
name of Jefferson, the father of the Democratic party, but a
glance at the White House exhibit of his administration goes far
to prove that conception erroneous, at least so far as his table
appointments were concerned. For as elegant a group of porce
lain as the entire collection can boast, together with a time-yel
lowed family cook-book called "The Virginia Housewife," con
taining many choice recipes in Jefferson's own hand (among them
the writer noted one for a Cabbage Pudding which had come to
him from his French cook Petit), occupy an entire shelf. The
accommodations in the President's House had become somewhat
better by the time Mr. Jefferson moved in than they were during
the Adams occupancy, and, in accord with his own personal tastes
as well as with his deep-rooted conviction as to the political value
of dinners, openhanded hospitality characterized the Mansion
during his terms of office; a letter of ex-President Adams in later
years declares: "I dined a large company once or twice a week,
Jefferson dined a dozen every day." Humboldt, Tom Moore,
Jerome Bonaparte, and Tom Paine were among the notables at his
table. It has been stated that Jefferson was very fond of olives,
figs, mulberries, crabs, venison, oysters, partridges, pineapples and
light wines, his household records containing frequent entries of
these delicacies. And there are also tales of small dinners in the
251

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
mansion, when strict privacy was secured by means of a "dumb
waiter" at each guest's chair filled with all necessary articles like
extra plates, knives and forks, finger bowls, etc., and by the
additional means of a set of revolving shelves placed in the wall,
evidently somewhat like the contrivance at the entrance to certain
European convents of cloistered nuns to make possible unseen
communication with the outside world, whereby fresh viands
entered the room as the emptied plates swung around into the
pantry. Being a widower, Jefferson's official table was at times
presided over by his daughters, but more frequently by the wife
of his Secretary of State, Mrs. Madison. Four pieces of a din
ner set used upon his table are upon exhibition — a large covered
soup-tureen, a large platter, a plate, and the cover of a broken
vegetable dish. The porcelain is heavy, a piece of this set being
described by Mrs. Earle as of Chinese manufacture of the type
erroneously known as Lowestoft. The decoration consists of a
wide outer rim and an inner border of deep blue diaper, accentu
ated by dainty gold bordering lines. The center of the flat pieces
and the sides of the tureen and covers bear a blue outlined shield
carrying thirteen stars and enclosing a gold letter "J." Above the
shield is a blue and gold helmet drawn with visor closed. During
Jefferson's term the celebrated De Tuyll silver was purchased in
Paris, pieces of which bearing the faint ancestral markings are
now in the original chest, and, as the writer observed, upon the
sideboard of the private White House dining room. It is claimed
that over three hundred pieces of this plate were purchased by
Monroe, at Jefferson's request, irom a Russian nobleman named
De Tuyll, whose financial straits compelled the sacrifice.
James Madison, whose portrait (upon a Liverpool jug) may
be found in a previous chapter of this volume, has been de
scribed as "a little, apple-faced man with a large brain and
pleasant manners but no presence." His wife, "Dolly" Madison,
however, "a fine, portly, buxom dame," amply supplied the qual
ities wanting in her husband, her career as mistress of the Man
sion extending over practically four terms and eclipsing that of
most of her contemporaries. Her first term as mistress in her
252

THE PRESIDENT TYLER PLATE

THE PRESIDENT POLK CHINA

THE PRESIDENT PIERCE RED-BANDED SET OF CHINA

THE PRESIDENT LINCOLN CHINA

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
own right was a continuous blaze of gayety, her toilets, and
especially her Paris turbans of unheard-of daring and elegance,
having been many times described. State papers show that Mrs.
Madison selected a state dining set of porcelain and a quantity
of plate for use in the President's Mansion. In the midst of
this brilliancy occurred the second War with England, the British
soldiers entering Washington in August, 1814, as Mrs. Madison
fled leaving the table spread for a dinner prepared in honor of our
supposedly victorious officers. A wagon had been hastily heaped
with such valuables as could be carried, including the portrait of
Washington which now holds the place of honor above the man
tel in the Red Room of the White House. The British officers
entered, and enjoyed the dinner before giving orders to fire the
structure. William Lee, who later on had charge of refurnishing
and redecorating the injured building, in his report tells how
thorough was the work of vandalism: "There was no recourse
in the remnants of glass, earthenware, china, linen, etc., of which
scarcely an article would serve; indeed, we may say, there re
mained none of these articles fit for use." Nevertheless, a num
ber of pieces of a beautiful set of French porcelain now known
as the "Dolly Madison china" are claimed to have escaped the
catastrophe, and two examples of it — a plate and a tea cup
and saucer — are preserved in the collection of presidential ware.
Another piece of the same set, which Mrs. Harrison after she
became mistress of the Mansion found broken in three parts upon
the White House pantry shelves and which she had carefully put
together, is an exquisite punch-bowl about two feet in height, the
bowl upheld by figures of the three Graces resting upon a stand
ard. Restored to its original beauty, the punch-bowl now adorns
a small table in the private White House dining room. The de
sign which this set displays is a dainty one of blue and gold, its
distinguishing characteristics being the wide bands filled with
small gold dots and bordered with fine blue and gold lines, which
encircle each specimen, together with the blue and gold shield-
shaped decoration filled with dots which marks the center of the
flat pieces. The cup has a deep gold band inside the rim. The
253

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
two plates of another set in the Madison group upon exhibition
in the Corridor are also of French porcelain, the deep buff rings
carrying a series of wheel patterns outlined in black, alternating
with a conventional branch-like pattern.
President Madison and his family did not again occupy the
Mansion, being forced to transfer the Executive home to other
quarters upon their return to the partially ruined Capital, and for
a year they lived in the Octagon House wherein was ratified the
Treaty of Ghent. This house is still preserved in its original
form, and in a circular upper room the table upon which the his
toric document was signed, is shown to visitors. Mr. Monroe
came into office as the final repairs were being put upon the Presi
dent's House, the close of his administration seeing the semi-cir
cular South Portico added to the original front of the mansion,
as it appears in the illustration of a previous chapter of this
volume, and naturally he impressed his taste upon the refurnish
ing. A large sum of money was appropriated by Congress, and
the newly-elected president, accustomed as he was to life in France
and being in sympathy with the prevailing Empire styles in house-
interior decoration, ordered in Paris the new furniture, plate, and
ornaments of that decorative period. In the bills describing the
contents of the 41 packages which arrived at Alexandria from
France, one reads of curtains, screens, candelabra, candlesticks,
mirrors, lamps, fauteuils, consoles, a "set of table china of gilded
porcelain for 30 people," a "dessert service made by Dagoty, with
amaranth border and five vignettes representing Strength, Ag
riculture, Commerce, Art, Science, with Arms of the United
States in center," and many other dishes besides. The dining
room being as yet unfit for use, state dinners were given in the
East Room, which they called "the banqueting hall." The fa
mous "surtout de table," or table plateau, which to this day is oc
casionally unpacked and placed upon the White House table, was
also purchased in France by Monroe at a cost of 6000 francs — a
piece of unwarranted extravagance in the eyes of his political
critics. Mrs. Taft, in her charming book, "Recollections of Full
Years," describes this table piece, which is 13 and one-half feet
254

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
long and two feet wide, thus: "Based upon oblong plate glass
mirrors, each about three feet in length, they (the separate pieces)
stretch down the middle of the table, end to end, a perfect riot
of festooned railing and graceful figures upholding crystal vases.
Then there are large gilded candelabra, center vases and fruit
dishes to match . . . appropriate to the ceremony with which a
state dinner at the White House is usually conducted." Several
of the ornamental clocks, pieces of statuary and bric-a-brac which
Monroe purchased now adorn the mantels and cabinets of the
state apartments of the White House. Of all the table china
which the mansion boasted during this administration, however,
but three pieces have as yet found their way back to grace the
new collection — a plate and cup and saucer from a tea-set, and a
plate from another set. The two match pieces carry a dainty
scroll and lattice design in red, blue and gold, while the odd plate
shows a dull orange rim in flat tone broken at the edges by six
groups of white leaves ; the center bears a bunch of flowers.
The John Quincy Adams group, as may be seen in the accom
panying illustration, is made up of three tall-stemmed English
wine glasses of differing size and form, two salt cellars of Meis
sen ware bearing the familiar onion pattern, and a dinner plate
which was used at state dinners during his term of office. The
plate is of French porcelain, the flat rim carrying a decoration
consisting of five small panels of pale lavender outlined in gold
enclosing two white interwoven figures resembling sea-horses,
these alternating with a wheel pattern and scroll in gold. A
large gold rosette marks the center.
The disturbing events of Andrew Jackson's terms of office, from
the "Pretty Peggy Eaton affair" which disrupted his cabinet at
the beginning, to the mammoth 1400 pound gift cheese which,
standing in the White House vestibule and served to all comers
to his farewell entertainment, gave forth an odor, not of sanctity,
but, as one who was present remarked, "like that to which the
mephitic gas over Avernus must be faint and inocuous," are
well known matters of history. The East Room, which had pre
viously been lighted with candles held in candlesticks nailed to
255

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
the wall, was now fitted with chandeliers suspended from the
ceiling and gleaming with glass prisms. Large gilt-framed mir
rors, chairs to match covered with damask, rich window hang
ings, a Brussels carpet of pronounced pattern, and bouquets of
artificial flowers set in painted vases, transformed the room into
a reflection of the mode of the period. Jackson also purchased
a quantity of tableware, for we read from the accounts covering
expenditures for the White House in 1833 : "One set of French
china, for dinner with the American eagle, $1,500;" "a dessert set,
blue and gold, with eagle, $1000;" besides plates, cups and
saucers, glass, plate, etc., etc. It may be of interest to know
that President Jackson purchased his glassware in Pittsburgh, as
Congress had ordered by Act of 1826, but for his porcelains and
silks he sent to France. But alas! the freshness of these new
furnishings was not to endure, for the mobs of visitors of all
ranks of life who, with a practice of democracy exceeding that
of Jefferson's day, thronged the receptions of the "Hero of New
Orleans," in their boisterous efforts to secure the cake and punch
which the waiters were serving upset the trays and deluged the
curtains, cushions and carpet, while bits of china and glass were
ground underfoot. Like Jefferson, President Jackson was a
widower, the lady who presided over his official home being the
wife of his secretary (who was Mrs. Jackson's nephew), Mrs.
Emily Tennessee Donelson. The first baby said to have been
born in the Mansion was the secretary's child, Mary Emily Don
elson, and it was her daughter, Miss Mary R. Wilcox, who placed
as a memorial to her mother the present interesting exhibit of
china, glass, and plate in the White House collection. It in
cludes a two-branched silver candelabra which was presented to
General Jackson by Tammany Hall upon the occasion of a visit
to that organization, one side of the pedestal bearing the name
Andrew Jackson, and the other the inscription: "Our Federal
Union ; It Must Be Preserved." There are also two round open
work fruit-compotes of white and gold, a silver tea knife, a red
Bohemian glass flower-vase, a finger bowl, a cut glass decanter
and four wine glasses, in the group. An interesting recent addi-
256

SPECIMENS OF THE PRESIDENT GRANT COLLECTION

THE FAMOUS HAYES SET OF PRESIDENTIAL CHINA

THE PRESIDENT GARFIELD CHINA

THE PRESIDENT ARTHUR CHINA

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
tion is the coffee cup and saucer to be seen in the foreground of
the illustration, which was commonly used by the President at
breakfast during his first administration. The cup is large and
flaring at the rim, the gold band being much worn away. We
read that Jackson found great solace from the troubles which
beset his office in smoking a pipe, sitting by himself in the big
south room of the second story and puffing the smoke up the
chimney because, as he explained to a visitor, Emily Donelson
disliked the smell of tobacco. It perhaps brings the man and his
time a little nearer to us to look upon his pipe-bowl of coarse
green clay which forms a part of the exhibit.
The single article commemorating Martin Van Buren's occu
pancy of the historic mansion, an elegant silver water pitcher
about ten inches in height, is curiously suggestive of the criti
cisms of extravagance made by his political enemies, which some
how Jackson seemed to have escaped. But it would appear only
natural that a man of Van Buren's type, a bon vivant habituated
to luxury, should feel the necessity of thoroughly renovating the
mansion after eight years of a regime such as the foregoing had
been. The carpets were taken up and cleaned, the furniture was
repaired, and much redecorating was done. Quantities of wine
glasses and fluted decanters, "blue-edged dishes, blue-printed
plates, gold band china coffees, willow plates and dishes," were
purchased. The "surtout," or "pictured tray," as it was con
temptuously dubbed, was "dressed up" at a cost of $75. Alto
gether, nearly $27,000 were spent, and a critic in Congress
accused the President of maintaining a "royal establishment," in
a "palace as splendid as that of the Caesars and as richly adorned
as the proudest Asiatic mansion," the special objects of attack
being upon one occasion the silver and gold plate upon the table
and the large number of spittoons in the halls and parlors ! The
silver pitcher was presented to the collection by Mrs. Helen
Singleton Green of Columbia, South Carolina, whose aunt, Mrs.
Angelica Singleton Van Buren, was mistress of the White House
during President Van Buren's administration, and from whom
she inherited the relic. 257

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
William Henry Harrison occupied the office of President but
one month, and his wife on account of ill health was unable to
leave her Ohio home to accompany him to Washington at the
time of his inaugural. A plate and a cup and saucer which had
been presented to General Harrison at a previous time represent
this administration in the White House Collection. They were
sent by Miss Mary Reynolds of Washington, District of Colum
bia, whose mother was a granddaughter of President Harrison.
They are of English manufacture, the cream colored surfaces
being decorated in black with landscape scenes, which are pos
sibly intended for types of our western country spaces which wit
nessed his Indian campaigns. An interesting ceramic memento
of the lively Harrison political campaign is to be found in the
old English pieces of Staffordshire pottery which picture the
famous log-cabin, together with the cider barrel which so popu
larly figured beside it.
President Tyler, who was the first Vice-President to receive
promotion to the Presidency in mid-term, is called to our minds
by the three objects, a porcelain plate and a pair of Sheffield
plate fruit baskets, which make up his exhibit. The fruit bas
kets are a loan from Judge D. Gardiner Tyler of Williamsburg,
Virginia, and are of a peculiar design of twisted cord. They are
of special interest from the fact that they were sent, among other
valuable articles, by Mr. Tyler in the troublous times of 1862
from his home on the James River to Richmond, Va., for safe
keeping, and were burned in the partial destruction of that city
by the Northern soldiers "in the year 1865. None of the silver
remains upon the body of the ware, and both standards have
been melted off. The dinner plate is of French porcelain, the
rim decoration being a design of wheat and stalk in gold outline,
and in the center a bunch of nasturtiums in natural tints upon a
chocolate-colored ground. The plate is loaned to the collection
by Mrs. William M. Ellis, of Shawsville, Va., the youngest
daughter of President Tyler.
The illustration here given of the President Polk relics pre
sents but a partial display of the White House group, the pieces
258

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
of greatest beauty and interest in it being the tall, diamond-
shaped, lattice work fruit-compote and the plate and cup and
saucer of a state set. The design upon these pieces is composed
of pink, gold-bordered bands broken with vignettes enclosing
brilliantly plumaged birds, the plate carrying also a bunch of
violet morning glories in the center. They are of old Dresden
manufacture, and were presented by Mrs. George W. Fall of
Nashville, Tenn., a niece of Mrs. Polk, who is the fortunate pos
sessor of many of the personal relics of the Polk administration.
A curious old-time finger and mouth bowl, with a separate com
partment for each member to be cleansed, a deep blue Bohemian
glass goblet, a small glass vase, and a cut glass wine glass, may
also be seen in the illustration; while the White House Collec
tion includes, in addition, two plates of elaborate designs, each
one bearing the United States shield in color, and several pieces
of white and colored glass.
During President Polk's term of office occurred the war with
Mexico, resulting in the annexation of California and the great
southwestern area of the United States, and it was a natural
consequence that his successor should be a hero of that brilliant
campaign. General Zachary Taylor, dubbed by his soldiers "Old
Rough and Ready," and his family left their Baton Rouge home
with reluctance to take up their residence in the White House,
bringing with them, it is said, only a family negro servant, a
favorite dog, and the horse the General had ridden through the
Mexican War. During the year and a half of the Taylor regime,
which was suddenly ended by his death, the East Room was
again refurbished to suit the tastes of its good-housekeeping oc
cupants. A new carpet was purchased for it, its walls were
redecorated, and gas replaced the candles in the crystal chande
liers. An entire shelf in the White House Collection is filled
with Taylor relics, a portion of which were presented by the
great-grandchildren of the President, the children of Captain
John Taylor Wood, the President's grandson, and another por
tion by his granddaughter, Mrs. Walter R. Stauffer of New
Orleans, La. No porcelain is included in the group, which dis-
259

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
plays a black enameled brooch containing a braided lock of
President Taylor's hair, which was once worn by his wife, a de
canter and three wine glasses, a pair of silver candlesticks, a pair
of Mexican spurs, and the gold head to a walking stick. The
unexpired term of President Taylor was filled by Vice-President
Millard Fillmore. The Fillmore representation, which by the
way it is hoped may some day be augmented by other interesting
pieces, is now made up of a large deep-blue Staffordshire platter,
a vegetable dish decorated in the green shade of the late period
of Staffordshire, and a blue and white Canton soup plate, the
gifts of Mrs. E. B. Terry and Miss Cornelia Burtis of Buffalo.
One of the distinctive exhibits in the collection is that of the
Franklin Pierce administration, being a large group of the beau
tiful red-banded porcelain which graced the White House table
during his term of office. The most striking piece, as is usual
in the earlier groups, is the fruit-compote, this one being of the
round, lattice work variety, with bands of the rich deep red
which characterize the set encircling the standard and the bowl.
A graceful gravy-boat and tray, two plates, a covered oval vege
table dish, a tea cup and saucer and a preserve dish complete
the group in the collection, which vies in beauty and in popular
interest with the Jefferson and the Lincoln exhibits. It is also
of interest to recall the fact that to President Pierce the field of
American letters is no doubt indebted for much of the work
of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The author was a classmate and per
sonal friend of the President, who gave him the appointment
of consul at Liverpool, and thereby enabled him to make those
European studies with the rich result of which the world is fa
miliar. James Buchanan was a bachelor, which possibly may have
something to do with the meagerness of his display now in the
White House, three pieces of porcelain only marking his adminis
tration. One of them is a plate which belonged to a Sevres ban
quet set purchased by him from an early French minister to this
country, and which was presented to the collection by the Presi
dent's nephew and ward, Mr. James Buchanan Henry of An-
260

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
napolis, Md., to whom it descended. The plate has a deep
pinkish lavender rim outlined on either edge with heavy bands of
gold, while the center carries tall growing tulips and a droop
ing tree set upon a terrace overlooking distant hills. A tea cup
and saucer and a small coffee cup and saucer complete this ex
hibit. With the exception of the Roosevelt porcelain, no other exhibit
elicits so many expressions of admiration from passing visitors
as does the Lincoln group, which was selected from the remains
of. a state set chosen by Mrs. Lincoln. It is of Haviland make,
and wide bands of crimson-lilac edged with lines of plain gold
and of dots, together with a spirited representation of the United
States Arms in bright colors upon a gold-clouded ground, char
acterize the decoration. The dish-forms are likewise arresting,
the plates being scalloped, the water pitcher graceful, and the
compote high and imposing. The little custard-cup is unique in
the collection, and a large punch bowl which lack of space does
not now permit of exhibiting will be added as soon as more com
modious quarters are prepared. Large quantities of this set,
most of it damaged by breakage, have survived to grace private
collections of historic porcelains, the Dickins loan collection in the
National Museum in Washington, D. C, possessing a large num
ber of Lincoln pieces. Vice-President Andrew Johnson, who
served out Lincoln's unexpired term of office as President of the
United States, is as yet without representation in the White
House Collection of Presidential china.
A peculiar interest attaches to the President Grant exhibit of
specimens of a state set ordered for his administration, for it is
the first one which attempts to incorporate in the decorative de
sign a motif wholly characteristic of this country. While the
porcelain is of French manufacture, each piece carries a natural
spray of American wild flowers, a wide variety of our common
flora being reproduced. The encircing bands are of buff color,
edged with gold lines and broken with a small colored reproduc
tion of the United States shield. The old-time fruit-compote
marks the end of that style of dish in the exhibit. It has been
261

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
stated that upon the occasion of Nellie Grant's wedding in the
White House, an additional quantity of this set, minus the shield
and flowers, was ordered.
Perhaps no more striking example of the popular taste of a
period will it be possible to find among any group of historic relics
than is to be seen in the specimens of porcelain selected from the
state set which was ordered for the White House by Mrs. Hayes,
the largest set, it is claimed, ever brought into the Executive Man
sion, Mrs. Hayes having an additional sideboard made to accom
modate it. The Hayes group is never overlooked by passersby,
and the comments one hears upon the decorations vary with the
art education of the beholder. The porcelain is Limoges, but
both forms and decorations were designed by the American artist,
Theodore Davis, his name together with a colored reproduction
of the Great Seal of the Republic being put upon the back of all
original pieces. Here is realism in decorative art carried far;
Flaubert, one may venture to suggest, transmuted into porcelain.
The forms are varied to suit special uses, while the scheme of
design embraces no less ambitious a field than the reproduction of
the flora and fauna of the United States, the present exhibit hav
ing been selected largely from the latter division. The post of
honor is held by a large turkey platter bearing what at first glance
appears to be a genuine barnyard fowl, strutting in a snow-cov
ered field, against a Turneresque sky, with rows of Thanksgiving-
time trees marking the far horizon. "A turkey! Isn't that
beautiful !" exclaimed a small boy in the writer's hearing, the bird
no doubt connoting in his mind the annual American feast. A
game-plate beside the platter, with wild deer roaming a valley
between Swiss-like mountains, calls to mind a Landseer or a
Rosa Bonheur canvas, while the small plate which seemingly
holds a snowshoe in raised gold upon a pink ground was thus
designed to heighten the enjoyment of ices served upon it. Two
shell-shaped plates bear ocean scenes, while the small coffee cup
and saucer are odd in conception, the saucer having a raised coiled
stem in which to set the cup. The handled dish and tray showing
a dainty seashell decoration in natural tints is perhaps the most
262

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
modest and attractive of the group. Naturally, no display of
wine glasses marks this cold water administration.
The few months which James A. Garfield and his family spent
in the historic mansion saw no additions to the White House
table service, but in the year 1907 Mrs. Garfield sent to the
collection at Washington three pieces of a Haviland dinner set
which for many years had been in the family — a low fruit dish,
a salad bowl and a plate. The buff colored band upon them is
edged with a conventional design in flat gold, and each piece is
marked with the letter "G." A well-painted bunch of grapes
fills the center of the fruit dish. Chester A. Arthur, who took up
the reins of government upon President Garfield's tragic death,
was, like President Van Buren, fond of the luxuries of life and
of entertaining, and during his regime the White House received
a strong impress of his personal taste. Twenty-four wagon loads
of furniture and other White House furnishings which he con
sidered "decayed" were sold at public auction, 5000 persons at
tending, the bidding spirited and the prices high. A motley array
was thus disposed of — the entire furniture of the East Room,
carpets, parlor sets, mattresses, chandeliers, bedroom sets, tables,
lace curtains, lead piping, stoves, etc., etc., the lot realizing about
$6000. Under the direction of Mr. Louis Tiffany of New York,
the state apartments were then freshly decorated and refurnished,
the opalescent screen of Tiffany glass, which remained until the
Roosevelt day, being at this time set between the long corridor
and the vestibule. President Arthur was fond of music, of cozy
dinners, and of intimate social entertainments, and the private
dining room which he regularly used was made elegant according
to the ideas of the day, with heavy gold paper, hangings of pome
granate plush, and crimson-shaded lights. The new president
had another sideboard made to match the one that was ordered by
Mrs. Hayes, and upon it were displayed specimens of the Hayes
set of porcelain. The tableware which he himself added, if one
may judge from the plates which identify his administration, was
in keeping with the general decorative scheme he introduced.
Vivid color and large patterns mark the decorations, one plate
263

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
bearing a single rose branch in the center around which butter
flies are hovering. Another shows two cherubs sporting in a
field of daisies, while the surface of still another is entirely
covered with decorative motives verging toward the center, the
colors being deep blue and pink.
Before Mrs. Cleveland entered the old mansion as a bride and
its mistress, a general housecleaning had taken place, including
much redecorating, cleaning of carpets and repainting. A large
order for a service of glassware, about fifty dozen pieces, the
records show, was given. Comparatively little new porcelain was
purchased for the table, that which Mrs. Cleveland selected being
of simple and exquisite taste, the examples in the collection elicit
ing much admiration from visitors. The plates are of Wedg
wood and Minton manufacture, the plain centers bordered with
narrow bands of color, scarlet, green, robin's egg blue, etc., upon
the outer rim. One dainty plate carries a narrow wreath of tiny
daisies in white enamel outlined with a narrow pink line and bor
dered on either side with a conventional pattern in raised gold.
Upon their return to Washington for the second term, the Cleve-
lands for a great part of the time occupied a suburban home, the
administrative offices of the Government having encroached to
such an extent upon the living quarters that the White House was
inadequate for family life. The suggestion was made at this
time to provide a separate building for the Executive Offices, but
nothing was done in the matter, however, until Mr. Roosevelt
came into power.
Like the Cleveland exhibit, that of the Benjamin Harrison ad
ministration declares a taste simple and refined. Mrs. Harrison,
being artistic and original, designed the decorations for the new
china herself, using a combination of the goldenrod (which she
wished to have adopted as the national flower) and Indian corn,
which appears in flat gold over the underglaze blue rims of two
of the plates, and over the outer white rim of the center plate,
as they are arranged in the illustration. A row of golden stars
lines the inside of the plates, while upon each center is embla-
264

THE PRESIDENT CLEVELAND CHINA

THE BENJAMIN HARRISON CHINA

THE PRESIDENT McKINLEY CHINA

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
zoned the United States Seal in color. Three pieces of exquisite
glass are included in this exhibit.
The McKinley administration is represented in the collection
by an interesting exhibit of three plates and two cups and
saucers, selected from different sets which the family used in the
White House. One plate has a bluish green rim overlaid with a
pattern in flat gold, another is decorated with Dresden-like fes
toons of flowers, while the third displays a row of large pink
roses upon the rim and a conventional gold pattern in the center.
One cup and saucer matches the plate first described, while the
second carries a row of pink rosebuds as a motif.
Whatever comments of praise or curiosity the other exhibits
may draw from the stream of visitors from all parts of the
country who pass through the Lower Corridor, one hears little
but unstinted praise for the Roosevelt china, even from the less
discerning. While engaged in making a study of the collection,
it was the writer's pleasure to linger near the cabinet which
contains this group and listen to the remarks expressed with no
fear of lese majeste. "Very plain china," a woman ventured,
who evidenty would prefer upon her own table the more showy
specimens she had just passed on her way to the glories of the
East Room above. "Yes, but he is a plain man," a masculine
voice at her side explained. "She had it made in Paris !" volun
teered a knowing one. "Plain and elegant" were often upon the
lips. One enthusiastic admirer of the ex-President exclaimed
with fervor : "The Roosevelt china is all right !" Mr. and Mrs.
Roosevelt were fond of and justly appreciated the possi
bilities of the White House as a national home for this great
Republic, and to them is due much praise for its complete res
toration to suitable service, as well as to the historic form of its
original designers. So thorough was the work of restoration
and improvement during their regime that in all probability
the old mansion, so indelibly impressed with the intimate and
varied associations of more than a century of public life in
a newly established country, will remain for many years in its
265

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
present state. In the general scheme of restoration, it was but
fitting that a distinctive table service of porcelain should be
included. The subject was given careful consideration by Mrs.
Roosevelt, who, out of a large number of designs submitted by
noted factories and distinguished decorators, selected the simple
Colonial pattern upon Wedgwood ware which the illustration
presents. The design is traced in flat gold and each piece carries
a correct representation of the Great Seal of the United States,
as it was adopted in the year 1782. As may be observed in
some of the other exhibits, peculiar liberties have at times been
taken in the presentation of this national emblem, but the Seal
as it appears upon the Roosevelt china may be studied as correct.
The Roosevelt design is protected by patent and copyright for
the exclusive use of the Executive Mansion.
As has already been stated, Mrs. Taft admired the china of
her predecessor in power, and merely filled up broken sets to a
number necessary for 100 covers. She enjoyed using the old
historic pieces in the mansion at small dinners and luncheons,
there being a sufficient quantity of plates of the Lincoln set
upon the shelves of the mezzanine floor of the White House
pantry to serve a course for thirty persons. The present Wilson
administration likewise follows precedent in the use of the
Roosevelt porcelain.

266

CHAPTER B
Checking List of American Views Found upon English
Old Pottery
Reprinted from "Anglo-American Pottery" by permission of the author,
Dr. Edwin Atlee Barber.
FOLLOWING the titles of the American views in the list
below, names or initials frequently appear in brackets.
These, sometimes together with the title of the decoration
on the face, the collector will find either printed or impressed
upon the back of many pieces of Staffordshire pottery ; and they
are the surest means of identification.
Wood refers to Enoch Wood, who began potting in Burslem in
1783, the firm name being at various times Wood and Caldwell,
Enoch Wood & Co., and Enoch Wood & Sons. The great
bulk of their output has the name Enoch, or E. Wood & Sons,
either impressed or stamped on the back. Sometimes the name
is accompanied with a wreath, scroll, or eagle, and the motto,
E Pluribus Unum. The most characteristic Wood border on
American views is the Sea-Shell Pattern. The scroll-medallion
design containing inscriptions, which frames the Landing of the
Pilgrims engraving, is also by Wood ; and the one composed of a
beautiful flower and foliage combination which circles the various
views upon Lafayette's estate in France. At a later date, the
firm used colors other than deep blue — brown, red, light blue,
green, etc. — for American views. They also produced much
scenery of countries other than America : England, Italy, Africa,
India, etc., as well as a series of Scriptural designs.
The potter A. Stevenson made many beautiful sets, some of
his American views being painted from nature by the artist W. G.
267

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Wall, whose name frequently appears upon the back. His bor
ders are flower wreaths and scrolls.
James Clews was a prolific potter, using various border designs,
the two best known American ones being the "States," with fes
toons containing names of fifteen States, and that around the
Landing of Lafayette print. His later American output appears
in various colored prints, such as the "Picturesque Views" series
of Hudson River scenery, copied from Wall's paintings and bor
dered with a device of birds and flowers. In addition to views of
English cathedrals and castles, Qews issued three popular sets
which are highly prized by old-china lovers — the Dr. Syntax, the
Don Quixote, and the Sir David Wilkie series. The characteristic
Clews mark is a circle impressed in the biscuit, with a crown inside,
and the words, "Clews Warranted Staffordshire."
/. & W. Ridgway refers to an important pottery conducted by
the brothers John and William Ridgway, which turned out a set
of dark blue designs called "Beauties of America." The border
is easily identified, being a series of rose leaf medallions. In 1830,
the firm dissolved, and John Ridgway issued among others the
Log-Cabin view with the Columbian star border, during the W.
H. Harrison campaign of 1840. This is found in black, brown,
pale blue, etc. William Ridgway, a brother of John, also turned
his attention to the American market, his prints being of a late
period of Staffordshire in the colors of that time. A narrow lace
or moss border belongs to him.
The name Joseph Stubbs stands for a series of handsome dark
blue American designs, enclosed in a border emblematic of early
America, an arrangement of flowers and scrolls bound together
by eagles with half spread wings. Dr. Barber states that all
pieces bearing this border are known to have been made by Stubbs.
6". Tams & Co. used for a border device a very graceful ar
rangement of growing trees, with the foliage meeting at the top.
The Tams specimens are printed in a rich deep blue.
The name T. Mayer on the back, and the three border stripes
which call to mind the stripes woven in certain rugs of Turkish
make, the center one carrying a running vine of trumpet flowers
268

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
and leaves, mark the important series put out by the firm of that
name. A reproduction of the Arms of the original States of the
Union characterizes the center of the plates and platters.
The letters R. S. W., or R. S. & W., or simply R. S., stand for
Ralph Stevenson and Williams, potters of Cobridge, Staffordshire.
The well-known acorn and oak leaf border belongs to them, also
a beautiful wreath of vine leaves, and a lace border of a later
period. The Erie Canal at Buffalo illustration in Chapter XIV
is a Ralph Stevenson design printed in purple.
The pottery under the name of William Adams, or W. Adams
& Sons, is printed in deep blue as well as in the tones character
istic of the later period of Staffordshire manufacture for the
American market. They turned out a series of American views
in various borders, as well as the Columbus series which are
described in chapter VII of this volume.
The Rogers mark indicates a small group of Boston views done
in deep blue by the Burslem pottery works of John and George
Rogers, the firm later on becoming John Rogers and Son.
E. J. Phillips & Co. had a pottery at Longport in the Stafford
shire country, their characteristic American view being the Frank
lin's Tomb design. Very little is known of them.
/^-J- & J- Jackson used a pretty floral device for a border and
^ printed in red, light blue, lilac, black, brown, etc., a long list of
American scenes of great interest and value to the collector, the
number including the early view of the White House in Washing
ton which is reproduced in this volume.
The name Godwin refers to the potter Thomas Godwin, who
used a characteristic border device of convolvulus and nasturtiums.
The prints appear in green, brown, light blue, etc.
Davenport is the mark found in pieces made by the firm of
Davenport and Co. at Longport, Staffordshire. They turned out
excellent pottery, but, unlike their contemporaries in the same
field, they did not cater to the American market to any great
extent. Dr. Barber mentions but one specimen with this mark, a
view of the city of Montreal.
C. M. stands for Charles Meigh, who between 1830 and 1840
269

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
produced a set of American views in various colors, bordered with
fine mosses and chickweed.
T. G. or Thomas Green is the potter who is mentioned in another
part of this volume as the one whose sole output for this country
deals with the Treaty of William Penn with the Indians. These
prints appear in the various lighter shades and black.
/. H. & C, or Joseph Heath & Co., are best known here
for their Richard Jordan design, a pretty landscape scene display
ing a roadway leading to the residence, a fine one for that day,
of the eminent Quaker preacher, Richard Jordan, at Newton,
Gloucester County, N. J. A figure in Quaker hat and clothing
appears in the foreground. Other views of this country were
also turned out by the Heath pottery.
Edwards, or /. & T. Edwards, as the firm was known, sent
over a small number of American views in the late colors, show
ing the "Boston Mails" series of steamships in the border.
John Tams printed in light blue, under commission by a wealthy
citizen of Philadelphia, two souvenir designs upon china, one
being a portrait of Henry Clay, " Star of the West," and the
other that of William Henry Harrison, " Hero of the Thames,
1813." M. V. '& Co., Mellor, Venables & Co., of Burslem, did a
series of American views in various colors, within a border of
medallions containing the Arms of the early States.
/. B. According to Dr. Barber, these initials are not positively
identified. The firm produced the American design known as the
"Texian Campaign."
F. M. & Co., Francis Morley and Co., were potters at Hanley,
England, and but one design, "American Marine," in various
colors within a border of ships and cordage is known to have
come from them.
G. L. A. & Bro., George L. Ashworth and Brother, succeeded
the above-mentioned firm in the year 1859, and continued to print
the same design.
T. F. & Co., Thomas Ford and Co., Hanley, England, fur-
270

POTTERS' MARKS
i. Clews 2. G. L. Ashworth & Bro. 3. Clews 4. R. Hall
5. Enoch Wood 6. R. Hall 7. W. Adams

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
nish a blue design of the American eagle with a shield stand
ing upon a globe.
C. C. Dr. Barber states that several Staffordshire potters
might claim these initials, but in the absence of positive knowledge
the name of the maker cannot be stated definitely. The border
device is designated on the back of these pieces as "Catskill Moss."
In addition to his marked pieces, the collector will find many of
his specimens unmarked. Two reasons account for this. First,
not all pieces of a set were originally marked, and second, a large
number of finely drawn and printed American views are still,
owing to the absence of distinguishing marks and to unidentified
borders, included in a separate list of "Unknown Makers."
The collector of to-day will be confronted with many forgeries
of the favorite old prints. Until recent years, it has been im
possible for potters to reproduce the deep rich blue of Old Staf
fordshire, but at the present time, reproductions of the most
sought after designs are so skillfully executed as to make detection
the work of an expert. The Pennsylvania Museum of Philadel
phia, in order to instruct the student of ceramics, has had placed
a number of originals and forgeries side by side, each with its
true designation. The American-made dishes of to-day, while
very like in every other respect, are as a rule heavier in weight
than the English originals.
DESIGNS IN DARK BLUE
AlbanyAlbany (Wood)
Albany, Dutch Church
American Heroes — Washington, etc.
American Villa
Arms of the U. S.
BaltimoreBaltimore, Alms House
Baltimore, Court House 271

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Baltimore, Exchange
Baltimore, Exchange (R. S. W.)
Baltimore, Masonic Hall
Baltimore and Ohio R. R., Inclined Plane (Wood)
Baltimore and Ohio R. R. (Wood)
Belleville on the Passaic River (Wood)
Boston, Alms House (Ridgway)
Boston, Alms House (R. S.)
Boston, Athenaeum (Ridgway)
Boston, Court House (Ridgway)
Boston, Court House (R. S. W.)
Boston Harbor
Boston, Hospital (Ridgway)
Boston, Hospital (R. S.)
Boston, Insane Hospital (Ridgway)
Boston, Lawrence Mansion (R. S.)
Boston, Massachusetts Hospital (R. S.)
Boston, Mitchell and Freeman's China and Glass Warehouse
(Adams)
Boston, Nahant Hotel, near (R. S. W.)
Boston, Nahant Hotel, near (Stubbs)
Boston, Octagon Church (Ridgway)
Boston, State House (Ridgway
Boston, State House (R. S. W.)
Boston, State House (Wood)
Boston, State House (Rogers)
Boston, State House (Stubbs)
Boston State House, Chaise (Rogers)
Boston, State House, Cows (Rogers)
Boston, St. Paul's Church (Ridgway)
Brooklyn Ferry (R. S.)
Buenos Ay res
Bunker Hill, Battle (R. S.)
Cadmus (Trefoil Border)
Cadmus (Wood) 272

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
Catskill, Hope Mill (Wood)
Catskill House, Hudson (Wood)
Catskill Mountains (Wood)
Catskills, Pass in the (Wood)
Catskills, Pine Orchard House (Wood)
Charleston, Exchange (Ridgway)
Charleston, Exchange (R. S.)
Chillicothe Clinton (St. Paul's Church, N. Y.; Rochester)
Columbia College (Clews)
Columbia College (R. S.)
Columbia College (R. S. W.)
Columbia College (Stevenson)
Columbus, Ohio
Connecticut, Arms of (Mayer)
Connecticut, Arms of (Oliver Stoke)
"Constitution" and "Guerriere" (Wood)
Delaware, Arms of (Mayer)
Detroit Erie Canal, Albany
Erie Canal, Albany (Clews)
Erie Canal, Albany (Wood)
Erie Canal, DeWitt Clinton Eulogy
Erie Canal, Little Falls, N. Y.
Erie Canal, Little Falls (Wood)
Erie Canal, Rochester, N. Y.
Erie Canal, Rochester (Wood)
Erie Canal, Utica
Erie Canal Views
Fishkill, Near
Fort Gansevoort (R. S.)
Fort Gansevoort (Stevenson)
Franklin's Morals 273

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Franklin's Tomb (Phillips)
Franklin's Tomb (Wood)
Fulton's Steamboat
Georgia, Arms of (Mayer)
Gilpin's Mills (Wood)
Governor's Island (Stevenson)
Greensburg, Tappan Zee from (Wood)
Harrisburg, Pa., Capitol at
Hartford Deaf and Dumb Asylum (Ridgway)
Hartford, State House
Harvard College (Ridgway)
Harvard College (R. S. W.)
Harvard University
Highlands at West Point (Wood)
Highlands, Hudson (Wood)
Highlands near Newburg (Wood)
Highlands, North River (Stubbs)
Hobart Town
Hoboken, N. J. (Stubbs)
Hudson and Sacandaga, Junction of (Stevenson)
Hurlgate, East River (Stubbs)
Indianapolis
Jefferson (Columbia College)
Jefferson, Clinton (Albany)
Jefferson, Clinton (Massachusetts Hospital)
Jefferson, Clinton (Park Theater, N. Y.)
Jefferson, Lafayette (Covetham)
Jefferson, Lafayette (Washington, Capitol)
Lafayette (Stevenson)
Lafayette (Clews)
Lafayette and Washington 274

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
Lafayette, Landing of (Clews)
Lafayette, "Republicans Are Not Always Ungrateful"
Lafayette, "Welcome Lafayette, the Nation's Guest"
Lafayette, "Welcome to the Land of Liberty"
Lake George (Wood)
Lake George, On the Road to (Stevenson)
Lexington, Transylvania University (Wood)
Livingston, Chancellor (Wood)
Louisville
Louisville, Marine Hospital (Wood)
Macdonough's Victory (Wood)
Marshall, Chief Justice (Wood
Maryland, Arms of (Mayer)
Massachusetts, Arms of (Mayer)
Mendenhall Ferry (Stubbs)
Montmorenci, Fall of (Wood)
Mount Vernon (Washington Mounted)
Mount Vernon (Washington with Horse)
Mount Vernon (Wood)
Mount Vernon, near Washington (Ridgway)
Mount Vernon, Seat of Washington
New Jersey, Arms of (Mayer)
New York Alms House (Clews)
New York, Alms House (Ridgway)
New York, Alms House (R. S.)
New York, Alms House (Stevenson)
New York, American Museum (R. S. W.)
New York, Arms of (Mayer)
New York, Battery (R. S.)
New York Bay (Clews)
New York Bay (Stubbs)
New York Bay (Wood)
New York, Castle Garden (Trefoil Border)
New York, Castle Garden Battery (Wood)
275

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
New York, Catholic Cathedral (Stevenson)
New York, Church, Dr. Mason's (Stevenson)
New York, Church, Dr. Mason's (Stubbs)
New York, City Hall (Clews)
New York, City Hall (Ridgway)
New York, City Hall (R. S.)
New York, City Hall (Stevenson)
New York, City Hall (Stubbs)
New York, City Hotel (R. S. W.)
New York, Esplanade, Castle Garden (R. S.)
New York from Brooklyn Heights (Clews)
New York from Brooklyn Heights ( Stevenson );
New York, from Weehawk (Stevenson)
New York, Fulton Market (R. S.)
New York, Hospital (R. S.)
New York, Insane Asylum (Clews)
New York, Park Theatre (R. S. W.)
New York, St. Patrick's Cathedral
New York, St. Paul's (R. S. W.)
Niagara (Stevenson)
Niagara Falls (Wood)
Niagara, Table Rock (Wood)
North Carolina, Arms of (Mayer)
Passaic Falls (Wood)
Peace and Plenty (Clews)
Pennsylvania, Arms of (Mayer)
Perry Memorial (Clews)
Perry Memorial (Stevenson)
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, A View near
Philadelphia, Bank of the United States (Stubbs)
Philadelphia, Dam and Water Works (Side Wheel)
Philadelphia, Dam and Water Works (Stern Wheel)
Philadelphia, Fairmount, near (Stubbs)
Philadelphia, Library (Ridgway) 276

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
Philadelphia, Masonic Temple
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hospital (Ridgway)
Philadelphia, Staughton's Church (Ridgway)
Philadelphia, United States Hotel
Philadelphia, Upper Ferry Bridge (Stubbs)
Philadelphia, Water Works (R. S. W.)
Philadelphia, Woodlands, near (Stubbs)
Pilgrims, Landing of (Wood)
Pittsfield, Winter View (Clews)
Prentiss, Henry, and His Employ
QuebecQuebec (Wood)
Rhode Island, Arms of (Mayer)
Richmond SanduskySavannah, Bank (Ridgway)
Savannah, Bank (R. S.)
Ship of the Line (Wood)
South Carolina, Arms of (Mayer)
/States (Clews)
Steamship, American Flag (Wood)
Trenton Falls (Wood)
Troy from Mt. Ida (Stevenson)
Union Line (Wood)
University of Maryland
Virginia, Arms of (Mayer)
Wadsworth Tower (Wood)
Washington (City)
Washington and Lafayette 2^

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Washington and Lafayette (R. S. and W.)
Washington, Capitol (Ridgway)
Washington, Capitol (R. S.)
Washington, Capitol (R. S. W.)
Washington, Capitol (Wood)
Washington, Clinton (Boston Hospital)
Washington, Clinton (City Hotel, N. Y.)
Washington, Clinton (Faulkbourn Hall)
Washington, Clinton (Niagara)
Washington, Clinton (Park Theater)
Washington, Clinton (Washington, Capitol)
Washington, from Mount Vernon
Washington, full length with scroll (Wood)
Washington, Jefferson (Capitol, Washington)
Washington, Lafayette (City Hotel)
Washington, Lafayette (Washington, Capitol)
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Faulkbourn Hall)
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Little Falls)
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Niagara)
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Park Theater, Al
bany, N. Y.)
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Rochester)
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Windsor Castle, Al
bany, N. Y.)
Washington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Clinton (Writtle Lodge)
Washington, White House (Wood)
Washington's Tomb (Wood)
West Point, Military Academy (Wood)
Wright's Ferry, Susquehanna
DESIGNS IN VARIOUS COLORS
Alabama (Bodley and Co.)
Albany Albany (Jackson)
Albany, City Hall 278

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
Albany Theater (1824)
Albany, Thorps and Sprague
Allegheny, Penitentiary (Clews)
"America," Eagle, etc. (T. F. and Co.)
America, Triumphant
America, Whose Militia, etc.
American Flag and Liberty Cap
American Heroes — Van Rensselaer, etc.
American Marine (Ashworth)
American Marine (F. M. and W.)
Anti-Slavery Arms of the United States (Buzzard and Cannon)
Arms of the United States (Hammersley)
Arms of the United States (Hand Colored)
Bainbridge Baker's Falls, Hudson (Clews)
Baltimore Baltimore (CM.)
Baltimore (Godwin)
Baltimore, Battle Monument (Jackson)
Boston and Bunker Hill (Godwin)
Boston, Bunker Hill Monument
Boston, Court House
Boston from Chelsea Heights (C. C.)
Boston, from Dorchester Heights (C. M.)
Boston, Hancock House (Jackson)
Boston Mails, Gentlemen's Cabin (Edwards)
Boston Mails, Ladies' Cabin (Edwards)
Boston Mill Dam (C. M.)
Boston, State House
Boston, State House (Jackson)
Brooklyn Ferry (Godwin)
Brown Buffalo on Lake Erie (E. W. and S.)
Caldwell, Lake George (M. V. and Co.)
279

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Caldwell, Lake George (W. Ridgway)
Capitol Buildings, States (M. V. and Co.)
Catskill Mountain House (Adams)
Catskill Mountain House (Jackson)
Catskill Mountains, Pass in (E. W. and S.)
Clay, Henry (Tams)
Columbia Bridge (Godwin)
Columbia Bridge on the Susquehanna (W. Ridgway)
"Columbian Star" (J. Ridgway)
Columbus (Adams)
"Constitution" and "Guerriere"
"Constitution," "Cyane" and "Levant"
"Constitution's" Escape from British Squadron
"Constitution" Leaving Boston Harbor
Constitution of United States
"Constitution" (U S. S.)
Conway, N. H., View near (Adams)
Cornwallis, Surrender
Decatur (Bust)
Decatur (Free Trade)
Delaware (J. Ridgway)
Delaware Water Gap, Pa. (W. Ridgway)
Dumb Asylum
Eagle on Rock (Wood)
"Enterprise" and "Boxer"
Erie Canal at Buffalo (R. S.)
Fairmount Water Works (Clews)
Fayette the Nation's Guest
Fishkill, Hudson, near (Clews)
Fishkill, Hudson River, from (Clews)
Fishkill, Hudson River, near (E. W. and S.)
Fort Conanicut (Jackson)
Fort Edward, Hudson (Clews)
Fort Hamilton (M. V. and Co.) 280

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
Fort Hamilton, The Narrows
Fort Hamilton, The Narrows, from (Godwin)
Fort Hamilton, The Narrows, from (W. Ridgway)
Fort Hudson, N. Y. (Yellow)
Fort Millir, Hudson, near (Clews)
Fort Montgomery, Hudson (Clews)
Fort Niagara
Fort Ticonderoga, N. Y. (Jackson)
Franklin (Flying Kite)
Franklin Industries
Franklin's Maxims
Franklin's Proverbs
Fulton's Steamboat (?)
Hadley's Falls, Hudson (Clews)
Harper's Ferry (Adams)
Harper's Ferry, from Potomac Side (W. Ridgway)
Harrison, W. H. (Log Cabin)
Harrison, W. H. (Log Cabin)
Harrison, W. H. (Tams)
Hartford, Connecticut (Jackson)
Harvard College
Harvard College (E. W. and S.)
Harvard Hall, Massachusetts (Jackson)
Hudson City (C. M.)
Hudson, Hudson River (Clews)
Hudson, Hudson River, near (Clews)
Hudson River, View on (Clews)
Hull Humphreys, U. S. (Adams)
Jackson, "Hero of New. Orleans" (Wood)
Jackson, Major-General Andrew (Bust)
Jessup's Landing, Hudson River, near (Clews)
Jones, Captain
Jordan, Residence of the late Richard (J. H. and Co.)
281

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Juniata, Headwaters of (Adams)
Kosciusko's Tomb (C. C.)
Lafayette (Bust and Long Inscription — Auvergne)
Lafayette (Bust) Embossed Border
Lafayette (Reverse, Cornwallis)
Lafayette and Washington (Raised Border)
Lafayette and Washington (Raised and Splotched Border)
Lafayette, "Welcome L., the Nation's Guest"
Lake George (Adams)
Lake George (Jackson)
Lawrence and Decatur
Lawrence, "Don't Surrender the Ship"
Lexington, Transylvania University (E. W. and S.)
Little Falls, Aqueduct Bridge
Little Falls at Luzerne, Hudson River (Clews)
Little Falls, Mohawk River (Jackson)
Little Falls, N. Y. (CM.)
Little Falls, N. Y. (M. V. and Co.)
Log Cabin (J. Ridgway)
Lovejoy, 1837
"Macedonian"Macdonough's Victory on Lake Champlain
Madison, 1815
Merchants' Exchange, New York (Burning)
Merchants' Exchange, New York (Ruins)
Meredith (C.C.)
Monterey (J. H. and Co.)
Monte Video, Ct. (Adams)
Mont Video, Hartford (Jackson)
Montreal (Davenport)
Moral Maxims (Clews)
Mormon Mount Vernon (Man and Horse) 282

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
Mount Vernon (M. V. and Co.)
Mount Vernon, Seat of Washington
Natural Bridge, Va. (E. W. and S.)
Newburg, Hudson (Clews)
Newburg, Hudson, View from Ruggles House (W. Ridgway)
Newburg, N. Y. (Jackson)
New Haven, Connecticut (Jackson)
New Haven, Yale College (Jackson)
New Orleans, Old Cathedral
New Orleans (R. S.)
New York, (Adams)
New York, Battery
New York, Battery (Jackson)
New York, Castle Garden (Jackson)'
New York, City Hall (C M.)
New York, City Hall (Jackson)
New York, Coenties Slip
New York from Staten Island (E. W. and S.)
New York from the Bay (Clews)
New York from Weehawken
New York, Hudson (Clews)
NiagaraNiagara Falls (Adams)
Niagara Falls (E. W. and S.)
Niagara Falls (Large House)
Niagara, Fort (Adams)
Odd Fellows (1845)
Ontario Lake Scenery (J. H. and Co.)
Peace, Plenty and Independence
Peekskill Landing, Hudson (W. Ridgway)
Penn's Treaty
Penn's Treaty (T. G.)
Pennsylvania (K. E. and Co.) 283

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
Perry (Bust)
Perry (Full length)
Perry (Inscription)
Perry, O. H, Esq.
Perry's Victory, Second View of
Philadelphia, Deaf and Dumb Asylum (Jackson)
Philadelphia, Dumb Asylum
Philadelphia, Fairmount Water Works (Clews)
Philadelphia, Fairmount Water Works (E. W. and S.)
Philadelphia, Girard's Bank (Jackson)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hospital (W. Ridgway)
Philadelphia, Schuylkill Water Works (CM.)
Philadelphia, Schuylkill Water Works (Godwin)
Philadelphia, The Race Bridge (Jackson)
Philadelphia, The Water Works (Jackson)
PikePittsburg, "Home" and "Lark" Boats (Clews)
Pittsburg, "Pennsylvania" Boat (Clews)
Port Putnam, Hudson, View from (W. Ridgway)
Richmond, Court House (Jackson)
Richmond, Virginia, at (Jackson)
Sacandaga and Hudson, Junction of (Clews)
Sandy Hill, Hudson (Clews)
Saugerties, Iron Works (Jackson)
Shannondale Springs, Virginia (Adams)
Shannondale Springs, Virginia (Jackson)
Shipping Port on the Ohio, Kentucky (E. W. and S.)
Skenectady, Mohawk River (Adams)
Skenectady, New York (Jackson)
Soldiers ("By Virtue and Valor")
States (Wedgwood)
"Texian Campaign" (J. B.)
Trenton Falls (E. W. and S.) 284

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
Troy, Hudson (Clews)
Undercliff near Cold Spring (W. Ridgway)
"United States" and "Macedonian"
Utica (C M.)
Utica, New York
Utica, New York (Godwin)
Valley of Shenandoah, from Jefferson's Rock (W. Ridgway)
Virginia (Monument)
Washington and Lafayette "First in War," etc.
Washington (Bust, Military Hat)
Washington (French Portrait)
Washington (Urn Bearing Name)
Washington, Capitol
Washington, Capitol (C C.)
Washington, Capitol (E. W. and S.)
Washington, Capitol (Godwin)
Washington, Capitol (J. Ridgway)
Washington, Capitol (W. Ridgway)
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Washington, Executive Mansion
"Washington His Country's Father"
Washington Memorial (Red and Green)
Washington, Monument ("Sacred to the Memory")
Washington, President's House (Jackson)
Washington's Tomb, Mount Vernon ("Catskill Moss")
Washington's Tomb, Mount Vernon (M. V. and Co.)
Washington Vase.
Washington, White House
"Wasp" and "Frolic"
"Wasp" and "Reindeer"
West Point, Hudson (Clews)
West Point, Military School (Adams)"
White House (M. V. and Co.) 285

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
White Mountains, New Hampshire (Adams)
White Sulphur Springs, Delaware, Ohio (Jackson)
Wilkes Barre, Vale of Wyoming (W. Ridgway)

286

THE TRUE WILLOW PATTERN

DON QUIXOTE'S ATTACK ON THE WINDMILLS
(Clews)

DR. SYNTAX STARTING OUT
(Clews)

THE ESCAPE OP THE MOUSE
(Clews)

CHAPTER C
THE WILLOW PATTERN AND OTHER IMPORTANT BLUE-CHINA SERIES '-
THE STORY OF THE WILLOW PATTERN
THE Willow Pattern has been perhaps more popular and
more universally familiar ever since the first use of the
color blue in English potteries than any other design put
upon tableware, but in spite of this fact a surprising amount of
ignorance or of half-knowledge concerning it still persists. The
Chinese story which inspired the English potter-apprentice
Thomas Minton, about the year 1780, to compose and engrave the
design to illustrate it may best be given in the form of one of the
many delightful bits of verse which formerly were taught to chil
dren along with their nursery rhymes :
" So she tells me a legend centuries old
Of a Mandarin rich in lands and gold,
Of Koong-Shee fair and Chang the good,
Who loved each other as lovers should.
How they hid in the gardener's hut awhile,
Then fled away to the beautiful isle.
Though a cruel father pursued them there,
And would have killed the hopeless pair,
But kindly power, by pity stirred,
Changed each into a beautiful bird.
Here is the orange tree where they talked,
Here they are running away,
And over all at the top you see
The birds making love alway."
The large pagoda at the right of the design, as reproduced from
an old platter, is the palace of the wealthy Mandarin, while upon
the terrace stands the summer house where Koong-Shee, the
lovely daughter of the Mandarin, was kept a prisoner in order
287

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
that she might be concealed from Chang, her father's secretary,
who loved her and whom she wished to marry. But, as the
story runs in "Old China," Chang was poor and the Mandarin
had selected a wealthy suitor for his daughter's hand. From
her chamber in the prison the unhappy maiden watched the willow
tree blossom while yet the peach tree was only in bud, and she
wrote verses in which she voiced the hope that before the peach
blossoms appeared, she might be free. Chang, however, found
means to communicate with Koong-Shee, once by sending a note
in a tiny cocoanut shell, which by the aid of a small sail made its
way to the captive maiden. Koong-Shee replied by scratching
on an ivory tablet the challenge, "Do not wise husbandmen gather
the fruits they fear will be stolen?" and, putting the tablet in
the boat, she sent it back to her lover.
Chang received the message, entered the Mandarin's garden in
spite of the barricades which had been erected to keep him away,
and eloped with Koong-Shee. The father gave chase, and there
on the bridge the three may be seen— -Chang c^rrjing_a_bcoc_of
jewels, Koong-Shee with a distaff in her hand, and the angry
Mandarin with a whip. The lovers escaperT, however, entered the
little boat, and sailed away to Chang's house on the island, where
they lived happily until the rejected suitor discovered them and
burned their home. Then, from out the ashes of Chang and
Koong-Shee, who perished in their bamboo grove, there arose two
spirits in the form of white doves — the lovers, who forever hover
over the scenes of their earthly happiness.
Nearly all of the Staffordshire potters at one time or another
made use of the Willow Pattern, or of variants of it. Some of
the English designs, erroneously called Willow, have but two men
on the bridge, or one man, or they have no boat or birds, being in
reality merely arrangements of oriental motifs — trees, pagodas,
fences, bridges, etc. — to suit the fancy of individual potters. The
borders, too, vary with the pattern in the center, the butterfly,
Joo-e dagger, fish-roe, fret, etc., etc., with their own adaptations,
offering a separate subject for speculation and identification.
The scope of this volume, however, forbids an extended review of
288

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
this very interesting study of Oriental influence upon the early
ceramic art of Europe.
/' DOCTOR SYNTAX DESIGNS
A very interesting series of dark blue prints on pottery was
published by James Clews, after the original designs of the
English caricaturist T. Rowlandson. Contrary to the usual
method of procedure, rhymes were composed to fit the pictures,
the combined product becoming very popular in London. Wil
liam Combe, an eccentric author who was at the time an inmate
of a debtors' prison, pinned the cartoons upon the wall of his
cell and penned the verses for them. Blue pottery manufacture
being at this time at its height in Staffordshire, the well-known
Doctor Syntax was made to cater to the sales of pictured table
ware in America. The story goes that the learned Doctor, a
poorly paid curate of a small English town, sets out upon his
gray mare Grizzle on a "Tour in Search of the Picturesque."
In his farewell to his wife Dolly, he explains his purpose:
" You charm my heart ; you quite delight it ;
I'll make a tour — and then I'll write it,
You well know what my pen can do.
And I'll employ my pencil too;
I'll ride and write, and sketch and print,
And thus create a real mint;
I'll prose it here, I'll verse it there,
And picturesque it everywhere."
Then, as the print here presented pictures :
" At length the ling'ring moment came
That gave the dawn of wealth and fame.
Incurious Ralph, exact at four,
Led Grizzle, saddled, to the door,
And soon, with more than common state,
The Doctor stood before the gate.
Behind him was his faithful wife:
'One more embrace, my dearest life;'
Then his gray palfrey he bestrode,
And gave a nod and off he rode.
289

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
' Good luck ! Good luck ! ' she loudly cried,
'Vale! O Vale!' he replied."
According to the illustrated rhymes, a long series of adventures
await the traveler — he is attacked by ruffians and tied to a tree;
he is rescued by two women who appear on "trotting palfreys" ;
he loses Grizzle, finding him at last with cropped ears and tail, as
he thereafter appears in the illustrations ; he visits Oxford, loses
his money at races, etc., etc. Finally, he reaches London and
arranges with a bookseller for the publishing of his Tour. Then,
having created his "mint," he returns to Dolly, who, learning of
his success : " . . . . started up in joy's alarms
And clasped the Doctor in her arms."
After several years of happiness, Dolly dies. Doctor Syntax
then goes upon a "Tour in Search of Consolation," accompanied
by his valet Pat. So successful was this supplementary series
that it was quickly followed by a third " Tour in Search of a
Wife," wherein after many experiences the sorrowing Doctor se
cures a mate the equal of his lamented Dolly. His end is an anti
climax — he tumbles into a pond, takes a cold, and dies. A stone
is raised to his memory . . .
" And, as the sculpture meets the eye,
' Alas, poor Syntax ! ' with a sigh,
Is read by every passer by;
And wakes the pensive thought, sincere,
Forever sad ! . . . forever dear ! "
At least 30 of these prints have been found upon pieces of table
ware, the ceramic specimens at the present day almost equaling
in value the wonderful old editions of the poem illustrated with
the colored engravings.
DON QUIXOTE DESIGNS
A set of at least 21 excellent blue-china prints have been found
in this country, reproduced from the engravings of the English
290

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS
artist Robert Smirke, illustrating the adventures of Don Quixote
de la Mancha. These also come from the Clews pottery works,
and are framed in a handsome deep border composed of a wide-
spreading six-scalloped star within the rounded points of which
flowers and birds appear.
Transplanted from the barren, sun-scorched hills and plains of
their native southland, and set in fresh English landscapes, amid
English flowers and trees and English castles, beneath over
clouded English skies, may be found our familiar Spanish
friends — the Knight of the Rueful Countenance, the Peasant
Maid, Sancho Panza and Teresa his spouse, Rozinante (whose
sides "stuck out like the corners of a Spanish real") and Dapple,
the Priest, the Barber, the Shepherd boy, the Duke and Duch
ess, and the alluring Shepherdesses of the Wood. The "en
chanted bark" here floats upon a shaded English stream ; the wild
boar roams a British forest; and the famous windmills sweep
their arms through English skies.
Like Doctor Syntax, Don Quixote adventures three times into
the world of experience, but, in place of seeking his own personal
gain, the dear old Spanish knight has won his way into the hearts
of succeeding generations through his generous efforts to teach
the ridiculousness of sham and the worth of honesty. The most
widely known incident in his travels through an unsympathetic
world is that which is pictured in the accompanying illustration —
"The Attack Upon the Windmills." Here may be seen Don
Quixote and his steed Rozinante prone upon the ground, decidedly
worsted in their encounter with the supposed giants of the plain.
Coming to their rescue is Sancho Panza, his squire, who accom
panies his knight and shares many of his experiences. Sancho's
mount is a beloved ass named Dapple, who appears in a number of
the pictures. But the knight's chosen lady, the peerless Dulcinea
del Toboso, for whose favor all is attempted, remains throughout
the series of illustrations, as throughout Cervantes' fascinating
pages, a creature of the imagination only, a luring phantom to her
deluded lover. /'
/'
291

THE BLUE-CHINA BOOK
THE WILKIE SERIES
The art of the painter as well as that of the caricaturist and of
the illustrator contributed to the decoration of early Staffordshire
pottery, the work of no less an artist than Sir David Wilkie being
put to that humble use, and thereby introduced into American
homes. Seven of Wilkie's best known canvases were reproduced
in the pot-works of the enterprising James Clews, all in rich
deep blue prints of excellent workmanship. The subjects chosen
by the potters are the lowly scenes of country life which the "raw,
tall, pale, queer Scotchman" originally loved to observe, and
which he depicted in the precise and sober manner of Teniers
and of Rembrandt, the two artists whom he at first followed.
They exhibit the homely pastimes and customs of the friends and
neighbors with whom Wilkie passed his early years, and in them
one may learn not a little of the popular English tastes of that
day. Later on, after he had made London his home, and after
his genius, like Goethe's, had ripened under the influence of the
life and art of Italy and Spain, the subjects of his brush became
broader in scope, and his manner of expression richer and more
free. The painting which is here presented is entitled, "The Escape
of the Mouse." In it may be seen an excited family group of
humble station in life, in pursuit of the little intruder who has
taken refuge under the chair of the young woman at the spinning
wheel. She has turned to watch the dog who heads the chase.
One brother pokes under the chair with a broom, while another
stands laughing at the spectacle. The mother is seen looking
in at the partly opened door. "The Escape of the Mouse" was
the artist's diploma picture upon his entrance into the Royal
Academy in the year 1811, and upon the walls of that Institution
it may still be seen. u?
i\7

292

INDEX

Abraham, Plains, of, 8.
"Abundance," gi.
Adair, 189.
Adams, Abigail, 98, 251.
Adams, John, President, 98.
china of, 250, 251.
offered design for seal, 151.
portrait on pottery, 133, 190.
visited by Lafayette, 198.
Adams, John Quincy, President,
china of, 255.
Samuel, 31.
"Proscribed Patriot," 131.
William, potter, 107, 269.
Adirondacks, 14.
Adriatic, 214.
Africa, 37, 267.
pirates of, 174.
Age of Steam, 180, 225, 241.
Albany, 12, 50, 202, 228, 234, 239, 240.
Dutch Church in, 13.
Entrance of Erie Canal at, 221.
Alden, John, 114.
Alexander of Macedon, 221.
Alexandria, 174, 175.
Algiers, 174, 175.
Alleghany, "Endless Mountains,'' 6.
Allegheny, Penitentiary at, 15, 17.
River, 15, 231.
Allen, Rev. Thomas, 9.
Almshouse, Baltimore, 90, 205.
Boston, 37.
New York, 57, 61, 196, 222.
Amazon, 157.
America, early emblems of, 146.
early immigration to, 4-6, 107-
123.
English ideas of early, 4, 108, 117.
"Map" design of, 7. 96.

America — continued.
old china views of, 271-286.
physical aspect of, travel in,
early, 3-21.
"America" design, 152.
America, South, 112.
"American Marine," 270.
American Museum, New York, 59,
61.
Amory House, Boston, 27, 28.
Andre, Major, 142, 200.
Apennines, 6.
"Apotheosis," design, 128, 132.
Ararat, "unbuilt city of," 215.
Architecture, church, colonial (see
Classic Revival).
Egyptian, 92.
Greek, 58, 83.
Arms, of States, 146, 197, 153-157.
Connecticut, 154.
Delaware, 157.
Georgia, 154.
Maryland, 154.
Massachusetts, 156.
New Hampshire, 153.
New Jersey, 156.
New York, 156.
North Carolina, 155.
Pennsylvania, 155.
Rhode Island, 153.
South Carolina, 155.
Virginia, 157.
Arms of George Washington, 128,
149.
Arnold, Benedict, 139, 142, 200.
Arthur, President, china of, 263.
Ashworth, G. L. & Bro., potters, 270.
Asia, 37, 112.
Assemblies, Philadelphia, 82.

293

INDEX

Astor, Hotel, 53.
John Jacob, 56.
Asylum, Deaf and Dumb, Hartford,
199.
Deaf and Dumb, Philadelphia,
76.
Athenaeum, Boston, 37.
Austria, emblems of, 146, 192, 206.
Azores, The, 182.
Bainbridge, Commodore, in Algiers
and Tripoli, 174, 176, 178.
in battle of Constitution and
Java, 183.
portrait pitcher of, 189.
with Lafayette in Boston, 198.
Baltimore, 16, 88, 89, 90, 98, 99, 204,
205, 234, 249.
Almshouse, 90, 205.
& Ohio R. R., 93, 237, 238.
Battle Monument, 91, 205.
Court House, 90.
Exchange, 90, 205.
Harbor views of, 88.
History of, 88-93.
Hospital, 92, 205.
University of Maryland, 90, 92,
93, 205.
Baltimore, Lord, 89, 154.
Baltimore & Ohio R. R., 93, 237, 238.
Barbadoes, 40.
Barbary, States, 174.
pirates, 175.
Barber, Dr. Edwin Atlee, 267, 268,
269, 270, 271.
Barcelona, ill.
Barnum, P. T., 49, 59.
Baron de Kalb, 209.
Battery, the, New York, 43, 46, 49,
194, 197-
Flagstaff Pavilion on the, 47.
scene of Erie Canal festivities,
222.
Walk, 47, 48.
Beacon Hill, Boston, 24, 30.
Beacon Mall, Boston, 27, 28.
Beacon Street, Boston, 27, 30.
Beatry, 189.

" Beauties of America," series of
decorations, 61, 268.
Belgium, 191.
Bellevue, N. Y., 59.
Hospital, 61.
Belt of Peace, 120, 121.
Bemis Heights, 141.
Bennington, Vermont, pottery of,
170.
Bergen, N. J., 203.
Berkshire, Minutemen, 9.
Hotel, 10.
Bermuda, 182.
Blackwell's Island, 61.
Blackstone, William, 23.
Point, 23, 24.
Blakey, 189.
Blue, color on china (see Introduc
tion), 46, 267-271, 287, 289.
love of Franklin for, 158, 159.
love of Washington for, 136, 249.
Bonaparte, Jerome, 251.
Bonheur, Rosa, 262.
Booth, Edwin, 62.
Borders on china (see Introduc
tion), 4, 11, 46, 61, 91, 97, 268.
Baltimore views, 91.
Baltimore & Ohio R. R., 237.
Brandywine River, 140.
" Catskill Moss," 271.
chickweed and moss, 270.
Don Quixote, 291.
eagle designs, 146, 153.
Erie Canal, 218.
Landing of Columbus, 108.
Landing of Lafayette, 194.
Landing of Pilgrims, 115.
Merchants' Exchange, Baltimore,
69.
Penn's Treaty, 117.
"Picturesque Views," 267-271.
Utica Inscription, 220.
Willow, 288.
Boston, 9, 24, 50, 184, 197, 199, 234.
history of, 22-42.
old china views of, 23-42.
Almshouse, 37.
Athenaeum, 37.

294

INDEX

Boston — continued.
Bunker Hill Monument, 139.
Common, 24-29.
Court House, 32.
Fusileers, 144.
General Hospital, 35.
Hancock House, 28.
Harbor, 23.
Harvard College, 38-42.
Insane Hospital, 35.
Lawrence Mansion, 32.
Mitchell & Freeman's China and
Glass Warehouse, 36.
Nahant, 38.
Octagon Church, 33, 34.
State House, 27, 29, 198.
St. Paul's, 33.
"Boston Mails," 270.
Boston Port Bill. 165.
Boston Post Road, 55, 58, 62, 63.
Bowling Green, N. Y., 43, 49, 50, 57.
Boxer, frigate, 186, 187.
Brandywine, Battle of the, 137, 140,
141, 197, 199, 202.
47th anniversary of, 196.
Lafayette visits scene of, 204.
relics of, 199.
Brandywine, frigate, 211.
Breed's Hill, 137.
Brewster, Elder, 114.
Brick Church, N. Y., 62.
Bridewell, Boston, 27.
New York, 57.
Broadway, New York, 43, 50, 51, 53,
55, 7L
hogs and chimney sweeps on, 50.
pumps on, 54.
Brooklyn Heights, view of New
York from, 44, 45.
Battle of, 137, 140.
Brown, 189, 190.
Brunelleschi, 102.
Buchanan, President, china of, 260.
Buffalo, canal celebration at, 213,
214, 215, 216, 223.
Lafayette at, 210.
Railroad, 241.
view of harbor of, 269.

Bulfinch, Charles, 30, 32, 34, 35.
Bunker Hill, Battle of, 26, 137, 138,
198, 199-
50th anniversary of, 210.
Monument, 139.
Bureau of Buildings and Grounds,
Washington, D. C, 247.
Burgoyne, Gen., surrender at Sara
toga, 141.
influence of surrender in France,
167.
Cadmus, frigate, 193, 194, 195.
Caesar's Commentaries, 67.
California, annexation of, 259.
gold in, 17.
Cambridge, Mass., 39.
Camden, S. C, 209.
Canada, 4, 7, 139, 184, 185.
emblems of, 147.
Canton china, of George Washing
ton, 249.
Cape Cod, 113.
Capitol, at Albany, 50, 202.
at Washington, 96-98, 100, 102, 205.
Caravels, 109, no, 112.
Cards, Colonial playing, and visit
ing, 82.
Carolina, North, 16, 40.
South, 16, 40.
Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, 77.
Carrol, Henry, 53.
Carver, John, 114, 115.
Castle Garden, canal festivities in,
222.
fete for Lafayette in, 197.
history of, 47, 48.
landing of Lafayette at, 194.
"Catskill Moss," border, 271.
"C. G," potter, 271.
Ceres, 129, 155, 156.
Champlain, Battle of Lake, 188, 190.
Champlain, founder of Quebec, 8.
Chancellor Livingston, steamboat,
194, 221, 229.
Chancellor Livingston, 201, 227.
Chang, 287, 288.
Charles II, 72.

295

INDEX

Charleston, S. C, Exchange, 16, 273.
Charleston & Hamburg R. R., 239.
Charlestown, burning of, 139.
navy yard, 184, 198.
Cheese, mammoth, 255.
Chelsea, Boston from, 23.
Chesapeake Bay, 179.
Chesapeake, frigate, 185.
Chief Justice Marshall, steamboat,
230, 231.
China, color blue, manufacture and
sale of, prices, etc. (see In
troduction).
Franklin's, 75, 169.
in Metropolitan Museum, N. Y.,
127.
in National Museum, Washington,
D. C, 136.
presidential, in White House, 245-
266.
Washington's at Mt. Vernon, 249.
"China Collecting in America," 134.
China, 44, 127, 170.
Church Green, 34.
Churches, architecture of (see Clas
sic Revival in American
Architecture) .
views of, Albany, 13.
Boston, 33, 34, 198.
New York, 54-57.
Philadelphia, 83.
Cicero, 40.
Cincinnati, Order of the, ensignia
on china, 126, 136, 250.
City Hall, N. Y., 46, 52, 58; 59, 60,
69, 101, 195, 222.
City Hall Park, 57, 58.
City Hotel, N. Y., 53, 54, 196.
Classic Revival in American Archi
tecture, 13, 33, 34, 226.
in Boston, 27, 30, 33, 34, 35.
in New York, 52, 55, 56, 58, 60.
in Philadelphia, 80, 83, 85.
in Washington, 101, 102.
Clay, Henry, portrait of, 135.
speech in honor of Lafayette, 206,
212.
"Star of the West," 270.

Clermont, home of Chancellor Liv
ingston, 201.
Clermont, the, steamship, 226, 227.
Cleveland, Grover, President, china
of, 264.
Clews, James, potter, n, 63.
designs of, 268.
Don Quixote designs, 291.
Dr. Syntax designs, 289.
Wilkie designs, 292.
Climate, of America, 3.
of Philadelphia, 73.
Clinton, Castle, 48.
Clinton, DeWitt, Gov., 67, 125, 134,
202, 213, 219.
"Eulogy", 223.
portrait of, 218.
Clinton, Fort, 47, 48.
Clinton, George, 56.
"Clinton, DeWitt," locomotive, 239.
Coach, stage, early railway (see
Stage Coach), 237-239.
Coenties Slip, N. Y., 69.
Coffee House Slip, N. Y., 69.
Colonial, styles in architecture (see
Classic Revival).
dress (see Styles of Dress).
officers, Washington's farewell to
the, 52, 53.
pattern on Roosevelt china, 266.
Colonies, American, 4-7, 107-123.
Colors, on American flag, 147.
on pottery (see Introduction), 46,
117, 267-271.
Columbia College, history of, 63-68.
old china views of, 46, 63-68.
references to, 196, 222.
Columbus, Christopher, discovery of
America, 3, 107-113.
landing views on china, 110-112,
269.
references to, 131, 146, 159.
Columbus, Ohio, 16.
Combe, William, 289.
Common, Boston (see Boston), 24-
29, 71, 198, 199, 210.
Pittsfield, 9.
Yorktown, 208.

296

INDEX

Commons, the New York (The
Fields), history and views of,
43, 57, 58, 59, 62.
Compact, the Mayflower, 114.
Concord, Mass., 26.
Congress, Act of, 150.
Continental, 148.
Hall of, Washington, D. C, 98.
House of Representatives, 205,
206.
Library of, 100.
Second Continental, 166.
Sixteenth, 101.
Connecticut, Arms of, 154.
Historical Society of, 132.
State House of, 10.
Constantinople, 174.
Constitution, The, of the United
States, 201.
Constitution, frigate, at Tripoli, 175,
178.
and Guerriere, 181.
and Java, 183.
in Boston dock, 184, 190.
under Captain Hull, 179, 180.
Coolidge, Joseph, 27.
Cooper, Peter, 93, 238.
Copenhagen, 156.
Copper luster pitcher, 143, 208.
Cornwallis, Lord, at the Brandy
wine, 141.
house of in Yorktown, 208.
surrender of, 83, 142, 143, 144.
Court House, Baltimore, 90.
Boston, 32.
Cows, in New York, 43, 51, 52, 71,
73-
on Boston Common, 24-26, 31.
Croton Water, 50, 54.
Custard cups, 248, 261.
Custis, John Parke, 65.

Dagoty, 254.
Dam and Waterworks, Philadelphia
(see Fairmount), 85, 204, 230.
Dante, 112.
Dapple, 291.

Daughters of the American Revolu
tion, 10.
Davenport & Co., potters, 269.
Davis, Theodore, 262.
Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Hartford,
199.
Debtors' Prison, N. Y., 57, 58.
Decatur, Commodore, 53, 174, 189.
at Tripoli, 176, 177.
battle between United States &
Macedonian, 182, 183.
Declaration of Independence, 114,
166.
forty-ninth anniversary of, 211.
on blue china, 9, 125.
read in New York, 58.
signed in Philadelphia, 166.
Delaware, River, 6, 72, 73, 84, 117,
226.
Valley of the, 72.
Delaware & Hudson River R. R.,
236.
Delia Robbia (see Introduction).
Denmark, 156.
Designs, in blue on pottery, 271-278.
in other colors on pottery, 278-
286.
D'Estaing, Admiral, 31.
Detroit, view of harbor of, 16, 231.
De Tuyll, Baron, silver in White
House, 252.
Diana, Temple of, 58.
Dickens, Charles, in New York,
54-
in Washington, 101.
Dickins, Mrs. F. W., collection of
presidential china, 261.
Divine Comedy, 112.
Doge of Venice, 214.
Donelson, Mrs. Emily, 256.
Don Quixote, designs on potterv,
268.
story of, 290, 291.
Dorchester, Boston from, 23.
Dutch, Church in Albany, 13, 14.
emblems, 147, 149.
settlers in Manhattan, 43-47.
settlers in Philadelphia, 72.

297

INDEX

Eagle, in borders and designs on pot
tery, 115, 129, 146, 215, 268.
in Great Seal of the United States,
152.
plumage on Capitol figure at
Washington, 102.
Eagle, boat, 38.
Eagle Tavern, Buffalo, 216.
Earle, Mrs. Alice Morse, 134, 252.
East Room of White House, in John
Adams' administration, 250.
in Madison administration, 254.
in Jackson administration, 255.
in Taylor administration, 259.
East River, 69.
Eaton, "Peggy," 255.
Edwards, J. & T., potters, 270.
Elijah, 20.
Ellsler, Fanny, 62.
Elm, "Liberty" of Boston, 26.
Penn's Treaty, 80, 117, 119, 122,
123.
Pennsylvania Hospital, 123.
Pittsfield, 9.
Washington, Washington, D. C,
101.
Emblems, Arms of the Thirteen
States, 153-157.
British, 96.
earliest of America, 146-148.
first flag, 149-151.
of the Republic and the States,
146-157.
on Staffordshire pottery, 149, 268.
present flag, 151.
Seal of the United States, 151-
153-
Spanish, no.
"Empire" style of house furnish
ings, 254.
"Endless Mountains," 6, 15.
England, emblems of, 146.
potteries of (see Introduction).
potters of, 267-271.
references to, 63, 77, 115, 117, 142,
155, 161, 225, 236, 291.
Enterprise and Boxer, 186.
Ephesus, 58.

298

"E Pluribus Unum," 102, 151, 152,
189.
Erie Canal, 13, 54, 125, 134, 196, 210.
celebration of opening of, at Al
bany, 221.
at Buffalo, 214, 215, 269.
at Little Falls, 220.
at Lockport, 216.
at New York, 222.
at Rochester, 217.
at Rome, 219.
at Syracuse, 219.
at Utica, 219.
story of opening of, 213-224.
Erie, Lake, Battle of, 185, 186.
"Esplanade," N. Y., 47.
"Eulogy" design, 223.
Evans, Oliver, 226.
Exchange, Baltimore, 90, 205.
Charleston, 16, 273.
Executive Mansion, New York, 50,
246, 249.
Philadelphia, 75, 246.
Washington, 94, 95-98, 250-266.
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, 76,
84.
Fairmount Dam and Waterworks,
84-86, 204, 230.
Fame, figure of, 7, 130.
Father Abraham, 162.
Fauna, on President Hayes china,
262.
Ferdinand, King, 109, ill.
"Fields, The" (see Commons).
Fillmore, Millard, President, china
of, 260.
Finger and mouth bowl, 259.
Fire in New York, 69, 70.
Fitch, John, 226.
Flag, adopted by Congress, 149.
early American, 147.
made in Philadelphia, 150.
on vessels, 172.
origin of, 140-151.
pine-tree, 8, 130, 147.
with 15 stars, 136, 150.
with 48 stars, 151.

INDEX

Flagstaff Pavilion, 47.
Flaubert, 262.
Flora, on President Grant china,
261.
on President Hayes china, 262.
on President Benjamin Harrison
china, 264.
Florence, 102, 109.
Florida, 4, 5, 17.
Ford, Thomas & Co., potters, 270.
Forgeries of blue china, 271.
Forrest, Edwin, 62.
Fort, Amsterdam, 46.
Clinton, 47, 48.
Gansevoort, 46.
Lafayette, 194.
McHenry, 204.
Niagara, 18.
Foster, James H.. 35.
Fountain of Eternal Youth, 5.
France, 6, 16, 56, 133, 146, 147, 158,
173, 205, 247, 254.
Franklin in, 74, 167-169.
on the side of the American Col
onies, 141.
Franklin, Benjamin, 56, 78, 84, 131,
151, 159-161, 165, 167, 168, 169,
170, 179, 234.
in Philadelphia, 71, 74, 81, 159.
founder of Philadelphia Library,
77, 160-
Pennsylvania Hospital, 79, 160.
University of Pennsylvania,
160.
on old china, 7, 130, 132, 133, 141,
167, 169, 170, 204.
"Morals," "Proverbs" and "Max
ims," 158-171.
Franklin, Mrs. Benjamin, 74.
Fraunce's Tavern, N. Y., 52.
"Freedom," statue of, 102.
Frigates (see War of 1812).
"Frog-Pond," 24.
Fruit-compote, 248, 260, 261.
Fulton, Robert, 201.
trial of the Clermont, 226, 227.
Fulton, steamboat, 194, 228, 229.
Fusileers, The Boston, 144.

Gage, General, 138.
Gallaudet, Thomas H., 199.
Gansevoort, Fort, 46.
Garden of Eden, 112.
Garfield, President James A., china
of, 268.
Gates, Gen'l, 142.
Genesee, country of, 6.
George II, 64, 65, 78.
Ill, statue of, 49.
Georgia, Arms of, 154.
early conditions of, 16.
Germany, 146.
Ghent, Treaty of, 33, 191, 254.
Gilpin's Mills, 141, 204.
Gilpin, Gideon, 204.
Girard, Stephen, 80.
Gloucester, Mass., 139.
Goat Island, 19, 20, 21.
Goddard, Nathaniel, 35.
Godwin, Thomas, potter, 269*
Goethe, 292.
Gold in America, 3, 4, 17, in, 112.
Gore, Gov. Christopher, 28.
Governor's Rooms, N. Y., 60.
Governor's Island, 47.
Governor's House, N. Y., 50.
Grand Opera, first in America, 48.
Grant, Ulysses S., Pres., china of,
261, 262.
Nellie, 261.
Great Lakes, 6, 7, 18, 19, 184.
Green, Thomas, potter, 117, 270.
Greek, in Columbia, 67.
in Harvard, 40.
Griscom, Dr., 59.
Grizzle, 289.
guerriere and Constitution, 181.
Guerriere bound for Russia, 188.
Haiti, in.
Half Moon, 44.
Hall of Records, N. Y., 58.
Hamilton, Alexander, 69, 197, 201.
Hancock, Dorothy, 31.
Gov. John, 31, 166.
"Proscribed Patriot," 31, 131.
Hancock Mansion, 28.

299

INDEX

Harding Tavern, 87.
Harrison, Benjamin, Pres., china of,
264.
Mrs., 245, 246, 253.
Harrison, William H., Pres., china
of, 258.
Hero of the Thames, 1813, 270.
Log cabin campaign design, 135,
258.
Hartford, Conn., 154, 199.
Harvard College, 10, 63, 67, 71, 198.
early history and views of, 38-42.
Halls of, 42.
Harvard, John, 39.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 260.
Hayes, Rutherford B., Mrs., 245,
246.
President, china of, 262.
Heath, Joseph, potter, 270.
Hell Gate, 229.
Hennepin, Father, 19, 20.
Hercules, 151, 215.
"Hero of New Orleans," 256.
Highlands, The, 200.
Hingham, Mass., 13.
"Historical Pitcher of the War of
1812," 190.
Hoban, James, 247.
Hoboken, Stevens mansion at, 226.
Holland, settlers from in Albany, 13.
in Manhattan, 5.
Holland Land Company, 6.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, "path," 29.
"Home, Sweet Home," 62.
Homer, 67, 213.
Honesdale, Pa., 236.
Horn of Plenty, 89.
Horseshoe Falls, 19, 20, 21.
Hospital, Baltimore, 90, 92.
Bellevue, 61, 196.
Boston General, 35, 198.
Boston Insane, 35.
Pennsylvania, 76, 79, 160, 204.
Howe, General, at the Brandywine,
141.
in Boston, 26.
in New York, 140.
in Philadelphia, 83, 141.

Hudson River, 6, 10, 65, 142, 156,
199-202.
canal boats on, 222.
steam travel on, 225, 227.
"Picturesque Views" of, 11.
"Hudson River Portfolio," 11.
Hudson, city of, 202.
Hendrick, 12, 44.
Hull, Comm. Isaac, 53, 179, 180, 181,
189, 190.
Humboldt, 251.
"Illustrious Moderns," 169.
Independence, Declaration of, 7, 49,
77, 126, 144, 155. 156, 157, 168,
179.
40th anniversary of, 92.
49th anniversary of, 211.
reading of in New York, 58.
signing of, 166.
Independence Hall, Phila., 203.
India, 109, 118, 267.
Indiana, 11, 151.
Indians, American, 3, 4, 12, 51,
63, 108, no, in, 114, 118,
120, 121, 131, 156, 159, 209,
215.
in Penn's Treaty scene, 118.
Peace Belt, 120, 121.
Indian Chief Red Jacket, 210.
Indus, The, 221.
Intrepid, The, 176.
Ironsides, Old, 184.
Irving, Washington, 54.
Isabella, Queen, 109, in, 112.
Italy, 6, 18, 45, 132, 267, 292.
Izard, 189.
Jackson, Andrew, President, pitcher
design, 135.
china of, 255-257.
"Hero of New Orleans," 191.
Jackson, J. & J., potters, 269.
Japan, no, 170.
Jardson, 189.
Java, frigate, 183.
Jay, John, 67, 201.

300

INDEX

Jefferson, Joseph, 62.
Thomas, President, 95, 125, 134,
151, 208, 218, 251.
china of, 251.
Johnson, Andrew, President, 245,
261.
Dr. Samuel, 64.
Jones, Capt. of the Wasp, 53, 182,
189, 190.
Capt. Paul, 162.
Jordon, Richard, home of, 270.
Joy, Dr. John, 28.
Juniata, The, 15.
Junto Club, 77, 160.

Kalb, Baron de, 209.
Kean, Edmund, 62.
Kemble, Fanny, 62.
Kentucky, 5, 6, 16, 127, 150, 151.
King Charles II, 72.
Ferdinand, 109, 11 1.
George II, 64, 65.
George III, 49.
Louis XVI, 141, 167, 168.
King's Chapel, Boston, 33.
College (see Columbia).
Koong-Shee, 287, 288.
Kublai Khan, 109, no, in.

"Lady of the Lakes," 222.
Lafayette, General, Tour in Amer
ica, 1824-5, 192-212.
at Baltimore, 88, 91, 204.
at Boston, 28, 139, 198, 199, 210.
at the Brandywine, 141.
Hudson River sail, 14, 199-202.
at New York, 48, 54, 60, 195, 196,
197.
at Niagara Falls, 18, 210.
at Philadelphia, 74, 86, 203, 204.
at Pittsburgh, 15.
at Mt. Vernon, 127, 206, 207.
at Washington, 101, 102, 205-207.
at Yorktown, 143, 144, 207, 208.
in the South and West, 208-210,
331.

china souvenirs of Tour, 125, 169,
190, 193, 194, 208, 211, 218, 267,
268.
Lafayette, Fort, 194.
"Lafayette Fund," 212.
Lafayette, George Washington, 193,
206.
La Grange, 197, 211, 267.
Lake Erie, Battle of, 185, 186, 241.
Lake George, 15.
Land Companies in America, 5.
Landing of Columbus (see Colum
bus).
Landing of Lafayette, 194, 268.
Landing of Pilgrims (see "Pil
grims").
Landseer, 262.
La Salle, 19.
Latin, in Columbia, 65, 66.
in Harvard, 40.
Lawrence, Captain, 185, 189.
Lawrence, frigate, 186.
L'Enfant, Major, 95, 96, 104, 126.
Lewis, 189.
Lexington, Battle of, 83, 166.
Kentucky, 17.
Mass., 26, 199.
"Liberty" on china, 7, 77, 126, 128,
130, 144, 147, 148, 151, 155, 156,
157.
"Liberte' des Mers," 168.
Library, Boston, 37, 198.
Columbia, 65.
Philadelphia, 76, 77, 78, 160, 204.
Lincoln, Abraham^ President, china
of, 261, 266.
Lind, Jenny, 49.
Little Falls, canal at, 220.
Liverpool, pottery of (see Introduc
tion), 26, 95, 144, 153, 165.
"Map" pitcher, 7, 8.
naval pitchers, 172-191.
portrait pitchers, 8, 124-134, 153,
178, 252.
Livingston, Hon. Robert R., 66.
Lockport, canal at, 216.
Locomotive, early models of, 235,
236, 237, 238.

301

INDEX

Locomotive — continued.
"Best Friend of Charleston," 239.
"DeWitt Clinton," 239.
"Puffing Billy," 235.
"Stourbridge Lion," 236.
"Tom Thumb," 238.
Log Cabin design, 135, 268.
Lombardy poplars at Columbia, 68.
London, 24, 95, 165.
Longfellow, references to poems of,
74, 89, 114, 187.
Long Island, 45, 65.
"Lord of the Seas," 222.
Lotteries, 61, 64.
Louis XVI, 141, 167.
Louisiana, 6, 7, 16, 17, 151.
Louisville, Ky., 16.
Lowestoft, so-called, 252.
Luzerne, 14.
Macdonough, Commodore, 188.
Macedonian, frigate, 182, 189, 190.
Madison, "Dolly," 252, 253.
James, President, 92, 95, 100, 134,
178, 208, 252.
china of, 252, 253.
Mall, Beacon Street, Boston, 28.
Long, Boston, 25, 28.
Washington, 96, 103, 104.
Manhattan, 5, 45, 63, 71, 147.
Fort, 46.
Manitou, 12.
"Map," design of America, 7, 130, 147.
of Washington, D. C, 96.
Marco Polo, 108, no, in, 118.
Marie Antoinette, 167.
Marine Hospital, Louisville, Ky., 17.
Marks on Staffordshire pottery, 267-
271.
Maryland, 40, 205, 211.
Arms of, 89, 154.
University of, 92, 93.
Mason, Rev. Dr., 56, 67.
Masonic Temple, Baltimore, go.
Philadelphia, 76.
Massachusetts, 9, 22, 23, 51, 115, 144,
167.
Arms of, 156.

Massachusetts General Hospital, 35,
Mather, Dr. Cotton, 34.
"Maxims," of Franklin, 161-165.
Mayer, T., potter, 153, 268.
Mayflower, The, 113, 114, 115.
McComb, 189.
McKinley, William, President, china
of, 265.
McLean, John, 35.
Mediterranean, 175.
Meigh, C, potter, 269.
Mellor, Venables & Co., potters, 270.
Mendenhall Ferry, 87.
Metropolitan Museum, New York,
127.
Merchants' Exchange, Baltimore, 90,
205.
New York, 69.
Mexican War, 259.
Mexico, Gulf of, 7.
Michaux, Andre, 68.
Michigan, 16.
Military Academy (see West
Point).
Millir, 189.
Minton, pottery, 264.
Thomas, 287.
Mirror-knobs, 133.
Mississippi River, 6, 16, 17, 209, 231.
Mitchell & Freeman's China & Glass
Warehouse, 36.
Mohawk River, 220.
Mohawk & Hudson River R. R., 239.
Monroe, James, President, 193,
205, 246, 252.
china of, 254, 255.
"Monroe Doctrine" introduced, 206.
Montgomery, General Richard, 56,
139-
Monticello, 208.
Montmorenci, Falls of, 8.
Montpelier, 208.
Monument, Battle, at Baltimore, 90,
91, 92, 205.
Bunker Hill, Boston, 139.
Washington, at Baltimore, 91.
Washington, at Washington, D.
C, 103, 125-129.

302

INDEX

Moore, Tom, 251.
"Morals" of Franklin, 161-165.
Morley, Francis & Co., potters, 270.
Morningside Heights, 65, 68.
Moses, 151.
Mt. Vernon, g8, 104, 124, 125, 136,
206, 207, 249, 250.
Murray St. Church, N. Y., 56, 67.
Nahant, views of, 38.
Napoleon, 143, 175.
National Museum of Smithsonian
Institution, 136, 237, 249, 250,
261.
"Nation's Guest" (see Lafayette).
Naval pitchers, 172-191.
Nelson, Lord, 177, 184.
"Neptune's Return to Pan," 215, 223.
New Amsterdam, 43, 49, 72.
Newburgh, 11, 200, 231.
New Hampshire, 9.
Arms of, 153.
New Haven, Conn., 10, 199.
New Jersey, 15, 45, 65.
Arms of, 156.
New Orleans, 6, 16, 209.
Battle of, 191.
"New Style" travel, 232.
Newtown, Mass., 39.
New York, city of, 40, 43^-70, 94,
140, 158, 181, 246, 249.
old china views of, 44-69.
Almshouse, 57, 61, 196, 222.
American Museum, Scudders, 42,
58, 59, 61, 62, 196, 222.
Battery, 46, 49, 148, 194, 197, 222.
Brooklyn Heights, 44, 45, 137, 140.
Castle Garden, 47, 48, 194, 197, 222.
City Hall, 46, 52, 58, 59, 60, 69,
101, 195, 222.
City Hotel, 53, 54, 196.
Columbia, 46, 63-68, 196, 222.
Esplanade, 47.
Flagstaff Pavilion, 47.
Fort Clinton, 47, 48.
Merchants' Exchange, Burning of,
69.
Murray St. Church, 56, 67.

Park Theater, 62, 196, 222.
St. Patrick's, 57.
St. Paul's Chapel, 55, 62, 67, 196,
222.
Weehawk, 44, 45.
New York, state of, 6, 199, 202, 210,
213, 222.
arms of, 56, 156.
Niagara Falls, 17-21, 38, 210, 223.
in Art, 19-21.
in Literature, 18.
Niagara, Fort, 18.
Niagara, frigate, 186.
Noah's Ark, canal boat, 215.
North Carolina, 16, 209.
arms of, 155.
Nova Scotia, 89.
"Octagon Church," Boston, 33.
Octagon House, Washington, D. C,
254-
O'Hara, Gen'l, 143.
Ohio River, 6, 16, 210, 232, 237.
State of, 151.
"Old China" Magazine, 288.
Old Ironsides, 184.
Olmutz, 196.
Old North Church, Boston, 33, 34.
"Old Ship Meeting House," 13.
"Old Rough and Ready," 259.
Opera, Grand in America, 48, 49.
Old South Church, Boston, 33, 34.
"Old Style" travel on land, 232.
Orange Hotel, Newburgh, 12.
Orinoco River, 113.
Oxford, 290.
Paine, Tom, 251.
Palos, Spain, 109.
Pantheon, 83.
Paris, 68, 95, 211.
Park St. Church, Boston, 27, 32, 33.
Park Theater, N. Y., 62, 196, 222.
Park, City Hall, N. Y„ 57, 58, 63.
Park Place, 68.
Park Row, 62.
Parrots, in America, 3, 4.
in border device, 4, 11.

303

INDEX

Passaic, Falls of, 15.
Patapsco, River, 89.
Paulding, John, 200.
Peace, Belt of, 120, 121.
Penn's Treaty of, 119-121.
Peale, artist, 128.
Penn, Admiral, 72.
William, 71, 78, 84, 107, 123, 159.
old china designs of, 117-119,
270.
Penn's Treaty with Indians, 117-
123.
Pennsylvania, 6, 15, 87.
arms of, 155.
Hospital, 79, 123, 204.
Museum, 271.
Perkins, Thomas, 28.
Perry, Commodore, O. H., 185, 186,
189, 216.
Memorial, 46, 186.
Perry, Commodore, canal boat, 215.
Petit, cook, 251.
Pewter, 136, 249.
iPewter Platter Alley, 77.
Pewter Platter Inn, 81.
Pharaoh, 151.
Philadelphia, history of, 71-87, 94,
117, 119, 141, 144, 150, 158, 159,
181, 203, 204, 226, 234, 246.
Bank of United States, 76, 80, 204.
Dam and Waterworks, 85, 204,
230.
Fairmount Park, 76, 84.
Hospital, Pennsylvania, 76, 79,
160, 204.
Library, 76, 77, 78, 160, 204.
Mendenhall Ferry, 87.
State House, 203.
Staughton's Church, 83.
United States Hotel, 82.
University of Pennsylvania, 160.
Upper Ferry Bridge, 87.
"Woodlands," 86.
Philadelphia, frigate, 175-177.
Phillips, E. J. & Co., potters, 269.
Hon. John, 28.
Wendell, 28.
Phoenix, 70.

Physick, Dr. Philip Syng, 87.
Pickwick, Mr., 162.
"Picturesque Views," Hudson River
scenery, n, 268.
Pierce, Franklin, President, china
of, 260.
Pike, General, 99, 184, 185, 189.
Pilgrims, story of Landing of, 89,
107, 113-116, 159-
old china views of Landing, 114,
267.
Pincian Hill, Rome, 102.
Pine Orchard House, Catskills, 12.
Pine-tree flag, 8, 130, 147.
Pioneers of America, 107-123.
Americus Vespucius, 3.
Columbus, 107-113.
Dutch, 5, 43-47, 72, 122.
English, 5, 113-117.
French, 4, 5.
Pennsylvania, 1 17-123.
Spanish, 5.
Pirates, African, 174, 175.
Pittsburgh, 15, 210, 230, 256.
Pittsfield, Mass., 9.
Pittsfield Elm, 9.
Plains of Abraham, 8.
Plan, of Philadelphia, 72-74.
of Washington, D. C, 95, 96, 103.
Plutarch, 158.
Plymouth, England, 113.
Mass., 114, 116.
Plymouth Rock, 1 14.
Polk, James K., Mrs., 245.
President, china of, 258, 259.
Polo, Marco, 108, in, 118.
Pomona, 129.
Porcelain (see Introduction), (see
China).
Franklin's fondness for, 133, 158,
166, 167, 169.
Washington's fondness for, 259.
in White House Collection, 245-
266.
"Poor Richard," 161.
Porter, Capt. 189.
Portrait pitchers, of George Wash
ington, 124-134.

304

INDEX

Portrait, naval, 172-191.
Post Office, New York, 58, 69.
Washington, D. C, 100.
Post Road, Boston (see Boston).
Potomac, 95, 97, 104, 126, 206.
Potters, Staffordshire (see Intro
duction), 267-271.
marks of, 267-271.
"Potteries, The" (see Introduction).
Poughkeepsie, 201.
Power, Tyrone, 62.
Preble, Commodore, 174-178.
Pesidents of the United States, 245-
266.
Mansion (see White House).
Presidential china, White House
Collection of, 245-266.
Washington, 248-250.
John Adams, 250, 251.
Jefferson, 251, 252.
Madison, 252-254.
Monroe, 254, 255.
J. Q. Adams, 255.
Jackson, 255-257.
VanBuren, 257.
W. H. Harrison, 258.
Tyler, 258.
Polk, 258, 259.
Taylor, 259.
Fillmore, 260.
Pierce, 260.
Buchanan, 260.
Lincoln, 261.
Johnson, 261.
Grant, 261, 262.
Hayes, 262.
Garfield, 263.
Arthur, 263.
Cleveland, 264.
B. Harrison, 264.
McKinley, 265.
Roosevelt, 265.
Taft, 266.
Wilson, 266.
Princeton Univ., 203.
"Proscribed Patriots," 31.
Pitcher design, 131, 134.
"Proverbs," Franklin's, 161-165.

Provoost, Rev. Dr., 67.
Provost, The, N. Y., 58.
Pulaski, Gen'l, 209.
Punch-bowl, 139, 261.
Puritans (See Pilgrims), 5, ii6l
Put-in-Bay, 185.
Quakers, 26, 71, 118.
Quebec, 8, 56, 137, 139.
"Queen's Farm," 63.
Quincy, Josiah, Jr., 28.
Mass., 198, 235.
Railroads (see Travel).
Raleigh, 131.
Raphael, 133.
Red Jacket, 210.
Red Room, White House, 245, 253.
Red Sea, 151.
Reproductions of designs, 271.
Revolution, War of the (see War
of the Revolution).
Rhode Island, 9.
Arms of, 153.
Richmond, Va., 16, 235, 258.
Ridgway, J. & W., potters, 61, 268.
Ripley, 189.
Rivers of America, sketches of (See
Introduction).
early knowledge of, 3, 6, 209.
Alabama, 209.
Alleghany, 15, 231.
Brandywine, 117, 141, 204.
Delaware, 6, 72, 73, 84, 117, 226.
East, 61, 69, 227.
Genesee, 217.
Hudson, 6, 10, n, 44, 142, 143, 156,
199-202, 221, 225, 227, 228, 230.
Juniata, 15.
Mississippi, 6, 16, 17, 231.
Mohawk, 220.
Monongahela, 15.
Niagara, 18, 19.
North, 64.
Ohio, 6, 16, 210, 231, 232, 237.
Orinoco, 113.
Patapsco, 89.
Potomac, 95, 97, 104, 206, 211.

3°5

INDEX

Rivers of America, Schuylkill, 73,
84, 85, 86, 87, 204, 226, 230.
Rochester, canal at, 217, 218, 241.
Rogers, J. & G., potters, 269.
Rogers, 189.
Romance, 28, 29, 107, 113, 159.
Rome, Italy, 78, 83, 95, 102, 146, 215.
Rome, N. Y., 219.
Roosevelt, Mrs. Theodore, 245, 246.
Theodore, Pres., china of, 265, 266.
Theodore, Pres., remodeled White
House, 246, 265.
Ross, "Betsey," 150.
Royal Academy, England, 292.
Rowlandson, T., 289.
Rozinante, 291.
Ruskin, John, 235.
Rutherford, Major Walter, 56.
"Safety barges," 232.
"Sailor Pitchers," 172, 173.
Salem, Mass., 135.
Samoset, Indian, 114.
Sancho Panza, 291.
Sandusky, Ohio, 16.
Saratoga, Battle of, 141.
Saratoga, flagship, 189.
Savage, artist, 128.
Savannah, Georgia, 16, 209, 234.
Schenectady, N. Y., 239, 240.
Schuylkill River, 73, 84, 85, 86, 87,
204, 226.
Scott, 189.
Scriptural designs on pottery, 267.
Scudder's Museum, 42, 58, 59, 62,
196, 222.
Seal, Great, of the U. S., 8, 56, 268,
270.
adaptations of on china, 152.
adopted by Congress, 152.
early designs for, 151.
on Liverpool pitcher, 129.
on Presidential china, 248, 254.
on Lincoln china, 261.
on Grant china, 261.
on Hayes china, 262.
on Benjamin Harrison china, 265.
on Roosevelt china, 266.

Seneca Chief, canal boat, 215.
Serapis, The, 162.
Shackamaxon, Treaty of, 117.
Shannon, The, 185.
Sims, Joseph, 87.
"Shining Mountains," 17.
Simcoe, Gen'l, 122.
Site, of Baltimore, 89.
of Boston, 23.
of New York, 44, 45.
of Philadelphia, 72, 73.
of Washington, D. C., 95.
"Sons of the Mountains," 207.
Smirke, Robert, 291.
Smith, Captain John, 89.
Smithsonian Institution (see Na
tional Museum).
Snuff-boxes, 168, 181, 184.
"Sons of Liberty," 58.
"Sons of the Mountains," 207.
Socrates, 158.
South America, 37.
South Carolina, 16, 209, 239.
arms of, 155.
Spain, 5, 6, 109, no, 146, 291,
292.
Squanto, 114.
Staffordshire, pottery of, when and
where made, color, decora
tion, sold in America, original
and present value of, bor
ders, views on, etc. (See In
troduction).
arrival of in Boston, 36.
list of American views on, 267-
286.
potters of, 267-271.
Stage coach travel, 197, 232, 234.
Stage routes, 233, 234.
Stamp Act, 49, 165, 166.
Standish, Miles, 114.
State House, Boston, 27, 29.
Philadelphia, 76, 94, 203.
Staten Island, 45, 65.
/ "States" design, 126," 130, 150, 268.
Martha Washington, 136.
Staughton's Church, Phila., 83.
Rev. William, 84.
306

INDEX

Steamships, early, Chancellor Liv
ingston, 229.
Chief Justice Marshall, 230.
Clermont, 227.
Fulton, 194, 228.
James Kent, igg.
"Troy Line" of, 230.
"Union Line" of, 230.
travel on, 209.
Stephenson, George, 235.
Stevenson potteries, England, 45, 62,
63, 267, 269.
St. Lawrence River, 5, 8.
St. Louis, Mo., 209.
Stonington, Connecticut, Defense of,
187.
"Stourbridge Lion," 236.
St. Patrick's, N. Y., 57.
St. Paul's, Boston, 33.
Chapel, N. Y., 55, 62, 67, ig6, 222.
St. Peter's, Rome, 102.
Streets, city, Baltimore, 88.
Boston, 22-24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 71.
New York, 43, 50, 52, 68.
Philadelphia, 51, 71, 73, 74, g5-
Washington, 96, 97, g8, 103.
Stuart, Captain, 178, i8g.
Gilbert, 128.
Stubbs, Joseph, potter, 84, 268.
Stuyvesant, Gov. Peter, 43, 46, 4g,
51, 72.
Styles in dress in early America, 21,
24, 47, in, 118, 127.
"Success to the Infant Navy" de
sign, 173.
Superior, canal boat, 215.
"Surtout de table," 254, 257.
Sydney, Algernon, 156.
"Sylvania," 72.
Syntax, Dr., designs on pottery, 268.
story of, 162, 289, 290.
Syracuse, N. Y., 219.

Table Rock, Niagara Falls, 19.
Taft, Mrs. William H., 254.
William H., Pres., 245.
china of, 266.

Tammany Hall, 256.
Tams, John, potter, 135, 270.
S. & Co., potters, 268.
Tarrytown, N. Y., 200.
Taverns, "Eagle," Buffalo, 216.
Fraunce's, New York, 52.
Harding's, Philadelphia, 87.
Lockport, 216.
Philadelphia, 53, 54, 81.
signs, 80, 81.
Tawenna, Indian Chief, 120.
Temple of Fame, 46.
Tennessee, 151.
Teresa Panza, 291.
"Texian Campaign," 270.
Theater, Albany, 279.
going in Philadelphia, 82.
Park, New York, 62, 196.
Scudder's Museum, 59.
Ticknor, George, 28.
Tiffany, Mr. Louis, 263.
screen in White House, 263.
Tomb, of Franklin, Lafayette at,
169, 204.
of Washington, 104, 125.
of Washington, Lafayette at, 127,
206, 207.
Tompkins, Daniel D., 67, 194.
Tom Thumb, General, 59.
"Tom Thumb" locomotive, 93, 238.
Tour, imaginary, of early America,
3-21.
in search of the Picturesque,
289.
in search of Consolation, 290.
in search of a Wife, 290.
of America by Lafayette in 1824-
5, 192-212.
Transylvania University, Lexington,
Ky., 17.
Travel, new modes of, 225-241.
by land, 232-239.
by water, 225-232.
references to, 35, 38, 87, 91, g3,
208, 209, 223.
Treaty, Belt of Peace, 120, 121.
Elm, 122.
Of Ghent, 33, 54, 191, 254.

307

INDEX

Treaty, Penn's, with Indians, 107,
1 17-123, 270.
Penn's Treaty Monument, 123.
with France, 167.
Trenton, N. J., 203.
Tri-Mountain (Tremont St., Bos
ton), 23.
Trinity, Old, New York, 51, 54, 55,
63, 64, 65.
Tripoli, naval engagement, 175, 176,
177.
on Liverpool pitcher, 178.
Tropical scenes in America, 3, 4,
108, 118.
"Troy from Mt. Ida," 14, 46, 202.
Troy Female Seminary, 202.
"Troy Line" of boats, 230.
Trumbull, artist, 128.
Truxton, Com., 173, 174.
Turkey, sultan of, 174.
Tyler, Mrs., John, portrait of, 245.
President, china of, 258.
Ulm, campaign of, 143.
"Union Line" of steamboats, 230.
United States, Bank of, in Phila.,
76, 80, 204.
early conditions and map of, 5,
6, 7-
emblems of, 52, 56, 146-157.
Hotel, Philadelphia, 82.
War of France and the, 173.
United States and Macedonian, 182.
University, Columbia, 46, 63-68,
196, 222.
Harvard, 10, 38-42, 63, 67, 68, 71,
198.
of Maryland, 90, 92, 93, 205.
of Pennsylvania, 160.
Princeton, 203.
Transylvania, 17.
"Upper Ferry Bridge," 87.
Unknown makers of china dec
orations, 271.
"Utica Inscription," 219, 241.

Valley Forge, 83, 141.

Van Buren, Mrs., portrait of, 245.
President Martin, china of, 257.
Van Rensselaer, 189.
Van Wert, Isaac, 200.
Venice, 95, 108, 214.
Vermont, g, 127, 150, 151.
Versailles, 162.
Vespucius, Americus, 3.
Vesuvius, Mt., 18.
Virgil, 67.
Virginia, 5, 6, 16, 40, 143, 208,
211.
Arms of, 157.
sandstone, 97, 102.
"Virginia Housewife," 251.
Wall, W. G., 11, 45, 46, 186, 268.
Wall St., New York, 51, 52, 53, 59,
63, 69, 71.
Wallack, actor, 62.
War of 1812, 16, S3, 9h 99, 135, I79>
190, 204, 253.
story of, 172-191.
Battle of Lake Champlain, 188.
Battle of Lake Erie, 185, 186.
Battle of New Orleans, 191.
Chesapeake and Shannon, 185.
Constitution, first engagement of,
179, 180.
Constitution and Guerriere, 181.
Constitution and Java, 183.
Defense of Stonington, 187.
Enterprise and Boxer, 186.
United States and Macedonian,
182.
Wasp and Frolic, 182.
York, Canada, 184.
War of the Revolution, 66, 122, 165,
199, 213.
Battle of the Brandywine, 141.
Brooklyn Heights, 140.
Surrender at Saratoga, 141.
Surrender at Yorktown, 142, 143.
Treason at Westpoint, 142.
old china views of, 137.
story of, I37-I45-
War with Mexico, 259.
Warren, Gen'l, 34, 139, 198.

308

INDEX

Washington, George, 7, 9, 52, 54,
56, 58, 61, 65, 67, 75, 83, 91,
95, 98, 100, 125, 126, 127, 128,
129, 130, 140, 141, 143, 150,
169, 189, 190, 197, 201, 213,
246, 249.
Arms of, 149.
busts, statuettes, medallions of,
133-
china of in White House, 248-250.
Erie canal portrait, 218.
Lafayette at Tomb of, 207.
Liverpool portraits of, 124-134.
portrait in White House, 253.
Washington Elm, 101.
Monument, 103.
"Washington in Glory," 153.
Washington, D. C, 16, 50, 234.
burning of, 253.
history of, 94-104.
old china views of, 100.
Presidential china in, 245-266.
President's House (see White
House).
Washington, Martha, portrait of
in White House, 245.
"States" china, 136, 150, 250.
Tomb of, 207.
Wasp and Frolic, 182.
Water supply, of New York, 50, 54,
of Philadelphia, 84.
Watling's Island, in.
Watt, James, 225.
Webster, Daniel, 116, 211, 235.
Wedgwood, 169.
Weehawk, New York from, 44, 45.
"Week-day sermons" of Franklin,
71, 161-165.
West, Benjamin, 81, 118, 119, 122.
West Coast, Africa, 37.
West Indies, 37.

West Point, 11, 137, 142, 200.
White House, 97, 102, 103, 126, 192,
205, 246, 247, 264.
burned, 100.
East Room of, 250, 254, 255, 25g.
Mrs. Adams in, 98.
old china view of, 102, 269.
portraits of mistresses of, 245.
presidential china in, 245-266.
rebuilt after fire, 102.
Red Room in, 245, 253.
refurnished by Monroe, 246.
refurnished by Arthur, 263.
restored by Roosevelt, 265.
White Plains, 140.
Wilkie, Sir David, 268, 292.
Williams, David, 200.
Willow pattern, 257, 287, 288.
Winslow, 114.
Wilson, Woodrow, presidential
china of, 266.
Mrs., portrait of, 245.
Winthrop, Gov. John, 22.
Wolfe, Gen., 8.
Wood, Enoch, potter, 11, 46, 116,
140, 190, 237, 267.
"Woodlands," Philadelphia, 86.
Wren, Sir Christopher, 55.
Xenophon, 67, 158.
Yale College, 10, 199.
"Yankee Doodle," 143.
York, Canada, 99, 185.
Yorktown, Surrender of Cornwallis
at, 83, 137, 142, 143, 144, 196.
visit of Lafayette to, 197, 205,
207, 208.
Young Lion of the West, canal
boat, 217.

309