Plate

This black and white transfer-printed earthenware plate made by the Staffordshire firm of Job & John Jackson features a view of Hartford, Connecticut. Situated on the banks of the Connecticut River, Hartford was an important nineteenth-century maritime commercial center. Looking toward town from a cove on the eastern bank of the River, the view illustrates the spire of the Christ Protestant Episcopal Church erected from 1827 to 1829 in the Greek Revival style and a portion of the State Capitol erected from 1792 to 1796 after designs by Boston architect Charles Bulfinch (1763–1844). Jackson's view was based on a drawing titled "View of Hartford" (ca. 1827) by American landscape painter Thomas Cole (1801–1848) engraved by Fenner, Sears & Co. and reproduced as "Hartford, Connecticut" in John Howard Hinton's "The History and Topography of the United States of North America" (London, 1830 and 1832). Jackson modified Cole's depiction by adding a tall elm tree to the clump of trees on the left and moving the large sailboat from the far right to the center foreground to obscure part of Hartford’s distant skyline. Jackson's view belongs to a series commonly known as "American Scenery" consisting of approximately thirty-two American views produced for the United States export market with a standard 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. It also contains original works by Cole. Refer to the Dictionary for a definition of the term "transfer printing" and for information about Jackson.