Platter

This purple and white transfer-printed earthenware platter features a view of the historic town of Newburgh, New York. Located on the Hudson River about ten miles north of West Point and about sixty miles north of the city of New York, Newburgh was an important nineteenth-century river port, furnishing farm-grown produce and other goods to towns and cities down-river. Jackson's view of Newburgh was based on an 1830 watercolor by Irish painter William Guy Wall (1792–after 1863) engraved by Fenner, Sears & Co. and reproduced as "View of Newburgh” in John Howard Hinton's "The History and Topography of the United States of North America" (London, 1830 and 1832). Jackson included the view in its "American Scenery" series consisting of approximately thirty-two American views produced for the United States export market with a border of floral bouquets and blossoms, C-scrolls and an outer beaded band. The American Wing's collection contains additional pieces by Jackson from the same series. Refer to the Dictionary for a definition of the term "transfer printing" and for information about Jackson.