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things that one might trump up in their imagination which 
Dr. Syntax did not do, according to this simple, old-fash- 
ioned tale. He seems to have had his share of experiences 
with horses, as he sold and traded frequently in these, 
and in one of the pictures some one had palmed off on him 
a blind horse, which is represented as rushing madly into 
a stage coach with Dr. Syntax on his back, terribly fright- 
ened and minus his wig, which had been jostled off. It 
seems to have been during this tour that Dr. Syntax decided 
that he would marry a second time, so in the third volume, 
published May rst, 1821, we see on the title page the 
‘Third our of Mr. Syntax in Search of a Wate =A\s 
far as I have been able to discover he did not have very 
good luck at first in finding a wife, although he seems to 
have interviewed a great many people with this object in 
view. Finally, he advertised for a wife, and there is an 
illustration showing the doctor standing in a room, sur- 
rounded by a crowd of females, all of them struggling for 
supremacy. 
It was about the year 1820, or a little later, that the 
Staffordshire potters in England commenced to decorate 
their china with popular subjects, and inasmuch as the story 
of Dr. Syntax had awakened widespread interest through- 
out England, these Staffordshire potters reproduced on their 
plates and platters the most interesting of Rowlandson’s 
drawings. The author of the Syntax poem was 80 years 
old at the time of the publication ‘of the third volume. His 
identity is not positively known. Modern editions of the 
Dr. Syntax poem, ascribe the authorship to William 
Combe. 
In the Syntax poem there are eighty colored illustrations 
by the artist, caricaturist, and ‘“‘well-known print seller of 
the Strand,” T. Rowlandson, to whom we have already re- 
ferred. 
Thirty-seven of these views have been reproduced on 
Staffordshire ware. There may be others which have not 
yet been discovered. Collectors are interested in this 
series, because of their rarity and because they are among 
the most perfect specimens of dark blue printing to be found. 
The rarest Syntax piece, without doubt, is “Dr. Syntax 
Entertained at College.” I only know of the existence of 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
May, IgII 
one, which is in my own collection. I have heard rumors 
that there was another, but have never been able to locate 
it. Next in importance and rarity comes the large ‘‘Har- 
vest Home” platter. At the Burritt sale, several years ago, 
in the American Art Rooms in New York, one sold for 
$470. Since that time I have not heard of one being of- 
fered for sale. The “Harvest Home” scene occurs also on 
a large punch bowl. 
“Dr. Syntax and the Gypsies,” which appears on the 
sides of a soup tureen, and also on three cup plates, is 
another rare view. The unusual picture, ‘“The Banns For- 
bidden,” appears on the cover of this tureen, and I have 
never seen it on any other piece of blue ware. The three 
cup plates making up the picture of “Dr. Syntax and the 
Gypsies” are very hard to find. Separately they are worth 
about $35 each. Together the three are worth $150. Next 
in rarity to the pieces mentioned are the platters: ‘Dr. 
Syntax Sells Griggles,” “Pat in the Pond,” “Noble Hunt- 
ing Party’; and the plates: ‘Dr. Syntax Sketching the 
Lake,” “Dr. Syntax Setting Out on His First Tour,” “Dr. 
Syntax Setting Out on His Second Tour.” 
The plates in colors, three of which are shown in the 
illustration, are not exact reproductions of the Rowlandson 
drawings. ‘They belong to a later period. The work is 
crude and the maker is unknown. ‘They are very hard to 
find, 
Although only thirty-seven Syntax pictures have been 
printed on blue Staffordshire plates there are a great many 
varieties of these pictures. For example, “Dr. Syntax 
Sketching the Lake” appears on a small plate, the back- 
ground being white, the border having a decoration of pale 
green and white rosettes, and the picture itself in the center 
of the plate being the regular Staffordshire blue. This 
same scene appears on the ladle of a gravy boat. A num- 
ber of the Syntax views appears on plates with different 
borders, showing that some other potter besides Clews 
undertook to reproduce these Rowlandson pictures. Some 
of the scenes will occur on a platter, also on a plate, and 
again on a gravy boat or in the bottom of a soup tureen. 
Collectors usually accept these different varieties, and con- 
sider them distinctive pieces in their collections. 
_ Note.—Mr. Hudnut will continue his paper on Dark Blue Staffordshire in the June 
issue of AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS. 
depicting American scenes. 
It will be illustrated by the historical plates 
