January, 1907 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



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," New 

 York, eagle border 

 (Stubbs, maker) ; are each 

 a separate and distinct va- 

 riety and yet some collec- 

 tors are satisfied, and 

 more than satisfied, if they 



boats. These flat 

 are naturally the 



St. Paul's Chapel, Six-inch Plate. 

 Patrick's Cathedral, Six-inch, 

 Alex. M. Hudnut 



Church in Murray Street, Soup Plate, Ten Inch. St. 

 n the Collections of Mrs. Emma dep. Morse and 



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 

 pieces 

 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 



