FARMER'S ARMS JUG ca 1850

[Vuhginyuh]

We just purchased this wonderful soft paste for our type collection.

Bulbous black-printed earthenware harvest jug. Inscribed with various rhymes
celebrating the farm and livelihood, decorated with tools, wares, "ploughs" and farm and domestic animals.

7 1/2 inches tall and 4 1/4 inches in diameter at the base.

Staffordshire, England, possibly Copeland. ca 1850

Let the Wealthy & Great,
Roll in Splendor & State.
I envy them not I declare it;
I eat my own Lamb, my Chickens and Ham.
I shear my own Fleece & I wear it.
I have Lawns. I have bowr’s.
I have Fruit. I have Flow’rs.
The Lark is my morning alarmer.
So jolly Boys now,
Here’s God speed the Plough.
Long life and Succefs to the FARMER.

If you are unable to enlarge it I will be happy to email you an image.

[cstaples]

I just had to thank you for sharing this jug with us.
It is a very interesting piece and Great find.

[Anna Allen]

How lovely! Yes, thank you for sharing. I like the little poem.

[Spinster]

Garrison,

Please speak more if you can to the general philosophy or political background to this sort of piece.

I have a piece similar in thought and decoration, stating:
"A dilligent spinner wears a fine shift"
with sheep, spinning wheel, and other relevant tools, as well as the self-satisfied spinster.

The whole thing smacks of an idealized view of rural work---of the same rose-colored hue that sparked the 'back to the land' movements of the
mid 20th century.

[Vuhginyuh]

Let me try to answer this in ten thousand words or less.

Ninety-nine percent of this pottery was made in England and reflected English trends.

Most folks think of this work as being commemorative but I pigeon hole commemorative pottery as being very elaborate, very expensive, single pieces or made in limited production. Commemorative pieces single out specific events and characters. I refer to the work like the Farmers Arms Jug shown here as supportive pieces which focus on a trade or broader topic. It was also far more affordable due to mass production

The popularity of supportive pottery grew from an 17th century ceramic fashion of honoring contemporary royalty then military heroes and historic events in the 18th century. A bit later you will find scores of organizations from Freemasons to Granges commissioning these wares. Thereafter, every imaginable industry had pieces dedicated to them with shipping and railroads being among the most common.

I have to admit that the wares are less romantic than one would like. By the second quarter of the 19th century they were produced in mass by scores of English potteries, boosting the industry profits considerably. I like the thought of wearing my Agrarian Ideal on my sleeve… or in this case my pitcher. Idealizing rural work, trades, and guilds is a typically English trait, but alas, by the time this pottery reached the American market it was simply a scheme to hawk wares to the working class.

***

With that short, cryptic answer in mind, some commemorative pieces melded with the supportive trend by the 1850’s with production reflecting American politics. Some of these made for the American market do in fact hold historic significance. I will post a couple examples separately (just to give this particular forum a boost).