Plate

This dark blue and white transfer-printed earthenware plate possibly made by the Staffordshire firm of Davenport features a genre scene from a series titled "Franklin's Morals." The series includes scenes representative of the moral maxims written or compiled by American inventor, statesman and moralist Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) in his newspaper "Poor Richard's Almanac." During the nineteenth century these maxims remained popular in Great Britain and the United States and frequently inspired scenes on transfer-printed wares. The "Franklin's Morals" series is a rare example of an American subject used for wares produced specifically for the English rather than American market. Each "Franklin's Morals" scene is surrounded by a border of fruit, flowers and leafy scrolls. Pieces from the series are typically marked on the back with the series title and the individual moral maxim. The plate in the American Wing's collection depicts figures playing a game of cards around a table in a garden to illustrate the moral maxim "What maintains one vice would bring up two children." Franklin's maxims also inspired transfer-printed decoration on a mug, 98.1.30, in the collection attributed to J. & G. Meakin (1851–present). Other Franklin-related pieces include a coffeepot, 83.2.367, by Enoch Wood & Sons (1818–1846) with an image of Franklin’s tomb. Refer to the Dictionary for a definition of the term “transfer printing" and for information about the firms of Davenport, Meakin and Wood.