﻿January, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  21 
  

  

  Some 
  Notable 
  Collections 
  of 
  Old 
  Blue 
  Staffordshire 
  China 
  

  

  Decorated 
  With 
  American 
  Views, 
  Syntax 
  and 
  Wilkie 
  Designs, 
  and 
  

   the 
  Arms 
  of 
  the 
  Thirteen 
  Original 
  States 
  

  

  By 
  Alexander 
  M. 
  Hudnut 
  

  

  HERE 
  are 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  collections 
  of 
  Old 
  

   Blue 
  historical 
  china 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  which 
  

   are 
  well 
  known. 
  Museums 
  sometimes 
  have 
  

   a 
  few 
  stray 
  pieces, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  heard 
  

   of 
  an 
  important 
  collection 
  of 
  dark 
  blue 
  

   Staffordshire 
  being 
  owned 
  by 
  a 
  museum 
  in 
  

   America. 
  About 
  a 
  year 
  ago 
  I 
  went 
  through 
  a 
  well-known 
  

   museum 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  larg- 
  

   est 
  cities, 
  and 
  was 
  amused 
  

   at 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  blue 
  

   historical 
  plates 
  and 
  plat- 
  

   ters 
  exhibited 
  in 
  a 
  glass 
  

   case. 
  It 
  contained 
  in 
  all 
  

   some 
  twenty 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   blue 
  historical 
  plates 
  and 
  

   platters. 
  They 
  were 
  not 
  

   rare 
  pieces 
  and 
  were 
  in 
  

   poor 
  condition, 
  many 
  of 
  

   them 
  being 
  cracked 
  and 
  

   chipped. 
  On 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   least 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  plat- 
  

   ters 
  was 
  a 
  label 
  which 
  

   read 
  : 
  "Very 
  rare 
  — 
  only 
  

   one 
  known." 
  

  

  The 
  best 
  collections 
  are 
  owned 
  by 
  individuals. 
  When 
  I 
  

   use 
  the 
  word 
  "collection" 
  I 
  include 
  only 
  those 
  classes 
  of 
  Old 
  

   Blue 
  ware 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  headlines 
  of 
  this 
  article. 
  There 
  

   is 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  

   as 
  to 
  how 
  many 
  varieties 
  

   constitute 
  a 
  perfect 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  also 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  

   constitutes 
  a 
  variety. 
  

  

  A 
  ten-inch 
  "Park 
  Thea- 
  

   ter," 
  New 
  York, 
  acorn 
  

   border 
  (Stevenson, 
  

   maker) 
  ; 
  a 
  ten-inch 
  "Park 
  

   Theater," 
  New 
  York, 
  

   acorn 
  border 
  (John 
  Ged- 
  

   des, 
  maker) 
  ; 
  a 
  six-inch 
  

   "Park 
  Theater," 
  N 
  e 
  w 
  

   York, 
  eagle 
  border 
  

   CStubbs, 
  maker) 
  ; 
  are 
  each 
  

   a 
  separate 
  and 
  distinct 
  va- 
  

   riety 
  and 
  yet 
  some 
  collec- 
  

   tors 
  are 
  satisfied, 
  and 
  

   more 
  than 
  satisfied, 
  if 
  they 
  

  

  St. 
  Paul's 
  Chapel, 
  Six-inch 
  Plate. 
  Church 
  in 
  Murray 
  Street, 
  Soup 
  Plate, 
  Ten 
  Inch. 
  St. 
  

   Patrick's 
  Cathedral, 
  Six-inch, 
  in 
  the 
  Collections 
  of 
  Mrs. 
  Emma 
  deF. 
  Morse 
  and 
  

   Alex. 
  M. 
  Hudnut 
  

  

  Small 
  Washbowl 
  and 
  Pitcher, 
  Showing 
  Old 
  Capitol 
  Building 
  at 
  Albany, 
  Medallions 
  of 
  

   Peter 
  Stuyvesant, 
  Chancellor 
  Kent, 
  Washington, 
  and 
  Clinton. 
  A 
  Unique 
  Specimen, 
  

   the 
  Only 
  One 
  Known. 
  Property 
  of 
  Mrs. 
  Emma 
  deF. 
  Morse 
  

  

  have 
  one 
  plate 
  showing 
  the 
  "Park 
  Theater" 
  view. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  

   consider 
  this 
  a 
  debatable 
  question, 
  for 
  the 
  correct 
  answer 
  is 
  

   too 
  obvious. 
  A 
  perfect 
  collection 
  would, 
  in 
  my 
  judgment, 
  

   contain 
  about 
  three 
  hundred 
  pieces. 
  

  

  Some 
  scenes 
  occur 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  irregular 
  pieces 
  of 
  a 
  china 
  

   set, 
  but 
  the 
  large 
  majority 
  of 
  subjects 
  which 
  collectors 
  want 
  

   are 
  on 
  the 
  flat 
  pieces 
  such 
  as 
  plates, 
  platters, 
  and 
  the 
  trays 
  

  

  of 
  soup 
  tureens 
  or 
  gravy 
  

   boats. 
  These 
  flat 
  pieces 
  

   are 
  naturally 
  the 
  most 
  

   sought 
  after 
  because 
  they 
  

   can 
  be 
  hung 
  on 
  the 
  wall 
  

   and 
  form 
  an 
  attractive 
  

   mural 
  decoration. 
  The 
  

   best 
  collections 
  of 
  Old 
  

   Blue 
  that 
  I 
  know 
  of 
  are 
  

   hung 
  on 
  dining-room 
  

   walls. 
  It 
  is 
  important 
  that 
  

   the 
  wall 
  covering 
  be 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  selected 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  

   that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  suitable 
  

   background 
  for 
  properly 
  

   bringing 
  out 
  the 
  dark 
  blue 
  

   color 
  of 
  the 
  china. 
  Cer- 
  

   tain 
  shades 
  of 
  buff 
  are 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  best 
  color 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  methods 
  of 
  classifying 
  a 
  collec- 
  

   tion. 
  Some 
  prefer 
  to 
  have 
  all 
  the 
  pieces 
  made 
  by 
  certain 
  

  

  potters 
  together, 
  regard- 
  

   less 
  of 
  the 
  views 
  on 
  the 
  

   plates. 
  For 
  example, 
  they 
  

   will 
  place 
  in 
  one 
  group 
  all 
  

   of 
  the 
  plates 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  

   pottery 
  of 
  Enoch 
  Wood 
  & 
  

   Sons; 
  in 
  another 
  group 
  

   will 
  be 
  the 
  plates 
  made 
  by 
  

   Stubbs 
  or 
  Stevenson, 
  Ridg- 
  

   way 
  or 
  Clews. 
  I 
  have 
  

   never 
  considered 
  this 
  

   method 
  of 
  classification 
  a 
  

   good 
  one. 
  The 
  best 
  ar- 
  

   rangement, 
  I 
  think, 
  is 
  to 
  

   have 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

   views 
  in 
  one 
  group, 
  the 
  

   Boston 
  views 
  in 
  another, 
  

   and 
  so 
  on 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   collection. 
  The 
  other 
  style 
  

  

  