January, 1907 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



23 



Dutch Church at Albany, Vegetable Dish. Medallions of Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette, 

 and Clinton on Cover. These Form Part of the Collection 

 of Mrs. Emma deF. Morse 



how to collect, and the old time-honored method of learning 

 by experience is what every collector has to fall back upon. 

 There are dealers by the scores. It is well to find out by 

 careful inquiry which of them are reliable. Some have been 

 known at times to deal in counterfeit plates, but there are a 

 number of honest dealers whose word can be trusted and who 

 can be of the greatest help to young collectors in steering 

 them straight, and who can be relied upon not to overcharge. 

 I fear that I have wandered a little from my subject, for it 

 is the purpose of this article to outline briefly some of the 

 fine collections of Old Blue china with which I am familiar. 

 The owners of these collections have been most courteous in 

 furnishing me with whatever information I have asked for. 



In the limited space at my disposal I can not do full jus- 

 tice to any of the fine collections I may mention. One of the 

 most energetic and successful collectors of the past decade 

 is Mrs. Emma deF. Morse, of Worcester, Mass. She has 



Baltimore Alms House Sugarbowl. Teapot with Baltimore Assembly Rooms 

 on Base, Alms House on Neck and Hospital on Cover. Baltimore Masonic 

 Hall Cream-pitcher. Collection of Mrs. Emma deF. Morse 



accomplished the almost Impossible task of getting together 

 280 varieties of dark blue historical ware. Some of the rari- 

 ties of this collection are shown In the illustrations. Mrs. 

 Morse is the fortunate possessor of an "Albany Theater" 

 view and I do not know of any one else who has it. She also 

 has the little seven and one-half-inch "Hurl Gate, East 

 River" plate and the six-Inch "Park Theater," New York, 

 eagle border plate — both of them exceedingly rare pieces. 

 The old "Capitol at Albany," washbowl and pitcher, is with- 

 out doubt the most valuable specimen of this superb collec- 

 tion. There are only about ten pieces scattered among the 

 different collections of the country which Mrs. Morse needs 

 to make her collection complete. I do not hesitate to say 

 that, within my knowledge, this is the finest collection of 

 dark blue Staffordshire in America. 



Mr. Eugene Tompkins, of Boston, has a collection re- 

 markable for its completeness and the artistic way it is hung. 



A Few Dr. Syntax SubjecU in the Collection of Alex. M. Hudnut 

 Princeton, New Jersey 



Showing a Small Part of the Collection of Mrs. James B, Neal 

 Easton, Pennsylvania 



