The TCC is offering three meetings (two in-person and one virtual) in October. Attendance at the in person meetings is limited, so be sure not to delay registering. Attendance is open at both meetings to all TCC members, irrespective of where they live.

October 15 Saturday, San Francisco, California: our "West Coast" Regional Meeting will take place in San Francisco, California on Saturday, October 15, 2022. The meeting will feature Michael Sack's extraordinary collection of India, Chinese and Middle East transferware views and source prints, and transfer printed and painted teawares with Chinoiserie patterns. David Hoexter and Judie Siddall will present their growing collection of polychrome/Pratt transferware (much more than just lids!). A transferware “show and tell”session and plenty of time for schmoozing are included. More information.

October 22 Saturday, Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts: our “East Coast” Regional Meeting will take place at Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts, October 22, 2022. The meeting will feature lectures by Historic Deerfield curators Dan Sousa and Amanda Lange on anti-slavery ceramics and early transfer-printed wares at Historic Deerfield. Also included will be a “show and tell” session, transferware handling session, and time to explore the Flynt Center of Early New England Life and the museum’s historic houses. More information.

October 30 Sunday, Virtual National Meeting by Zoom: our annual national meeting will again be conducted by Zoom. The meeting will include a short business meeting and recorded lectures. Possible additional features TBD. Note: we fervently hope to meet in person in 2023, and preliminary plans are underway.

Meet Amy Griffin, our New Database Category Editor

(Tiles and Literary Themes)

Although I recently had the honor of working with the TCC Database through a Richards grant project with the Winterthur Museum, my first “Database Discovery” was during Leslie Bouterie’s February 2021 presentation on James Madison’s Montpelier, where I volunteered as an archaeological excavator in 2008, shortly after graduating from N.Y.U. with a B.A. in Art History. Identifying ceramic sherds instilled a special affinity for transferware, whose colorful and intricate patterns are a sight for sore eyes in the trenches. Ceramics were a favorite subject when I subsequently studied decorative arts and architecture at Virginia Commonwealth University (M.A., 2014) and the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture (M.A., 2016). While in Richmond, I began collecting transferware with the purchase of a yellow-glazed teacup and saucer with Neoclassical decoration inspired by the works of Adam Buck. In addition to “Buck’s Beauties,” my collection now includes child’s mugs and alphabet plates with literary themes, a favorite being Brownhills Pottery Co.’s “Robinson Crusoe Series” (i.e., TCC Pattern No. 6196). Ceramics have also been a highlight in my professional work at historic house museums, including Olana (Hudson, NY), Maymont Mansion (Richmond, VA), Old Sturbridge Village (Sturbridge, MA), and the Eustis Estate (Milton, MA). I currently live in Boston and Wellesley, Massachusetts, where I grew up, and look forward to meeting other members at the Annual Meeting, just down the road in Deerfield! I can be reached any time at ahg240@nyu.edu.

Editors note: Amy would welcome submission of any transferware tile and literary themed patterns not already documented in the Database. Contact her directly at the above email address. Welcome, Amy!

There are additional category openings. Contact Database General Editor Len Kling at otlink@aol.com if you would like to join the Database team.

September 14, 2022

Hansons Holloways, in Banbury

Dr Richard Halliday is very proud to announce his next Curated Ceramics auction at Hansons Holloways, in Banbury on the 14th of September. There are approximately 400 lots, including early porcelain, pearlware, creamware, Staffordshire and over 150 lots of blue and white transferware. Within the transferware are pieces of Spode Caramanian, Indian Sporting, other favourites also include Gamekeeper, Fortune Teller, Hop Pickers, Bewick Stag, Giraffe and much, much more. View larger images.

View online catalogue. For further details, please contact Richard at: rhalliday@hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

October 5, 2022

Pook & Pook

The upcoming October 5, 6, & 7 Americana & International Auction at Pook & Pook will feature a large Pennsylvania collection and several smaller collections totaling eighty lots of Historical Blue Staffordshire. For more information about this auction, please visit www.pookandpook.com.

December 20, 2022

Bonhams Skinner Marlborough, MA

On December 20, 2022, Bonhams Skinner Marlborough, MA. will be offering the Flora Rabinovitch collection of Staffordshire blue printed wares. Some of you may recall visiting Flora’s collection during the 2012 annual meeting in Seattle. In addition, there will be subsequent sales including a number of other selections from her vast collection of over one thousand pieces. For additional information please contact Stuart Slavid at european@bonhamsskinner.com or 508-970-3278. Online auction catalogue pending. More Information.

A Bouquet of Transferware Patterns and Flowers

Go to the Puzzle.

Credits: photo courtesy of Judie Siddall.

This month’s puzzle image contains a bouquet of transferware patterns representing a variety of themes that were popular in the 19th century and are popular among collectors today. This includes several American Historical views such as the Boston State House platter at the upper left and Arrival of Lafayette in New York platter at left lower center; Nautical themes are represented by the plate at center right and the steamboat at left on the same shelf, which is also an American Historical view; The Spode platter at upper right represents European scenery and city view themes, and the sugar bowl beside it represents botanical themes. In the fore of the shelf at center we see Child’s teapots and there are Child’s mugs on the shelf below. They represent another category. Finally, on the bottom shelf, we see a tureen and coffee pot with Pastoral British views, a theme with hundreds of patterns. All of these themes, and more, are included among the more than 17,000 patterns recorded in the TCC Database of Patterns and Sources. Go to the Puzzle. See past Puzzles of the Month.

Thanks to Scott Hanson for preparing the "Puzzle of the Month."

Overglazed Printed Creamware; Sadler & Green of Liverpool

& Their Association with Josiah Wedgwood

Lecturer: Gaye Blake-Roberts

Overglazed Printed Creamware; Sadler & Green of Liverpool & Their Association with Josiah Wedgwood was presented at the TCC 2019 Annual Meeting in Birmingham, AL. Gaye, now retired, was Curator at the Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston, England, is currently an honorary senior research fellow with the V&A Research Institute, and was recently awarded the M.B.E. This lecture was made possible by the generous support of the Paul and Gladys Richards Research Grant Program for Studies in British Transferware. Watch Video

Conway Pottery, Park Lane, Fenton

Thanks to Terry Woolliscroft for sharing his painting of Conway Pottery. Shown here is a 1970 photo, and Terry’s rendition. Sadly, the building and its two ovens are gone. View larger images. See past Photos of the Month.

New York from Weehawk

Shown is an 18.5 inch platter titled “New York from Weehawk.” It is from Andrew Stevenson’s (1810-1827) Floral and Scroll Border Series, ca. 1825. Weehawk is actually known as Weehawken. Weehawken is in New Jersey. More information.

Members only: See pattern #5945 in the Pattern and Source Print Database.

Thanks to Judie Siddall for preparing the "Pattern of the Month."

The Tea Leaf Club International

The Tea Leaf Club is dedicated to the study and collection of Tea Leaf Ironstone China and its Variants, produced in England and America from the mid-19th century through the early 1900s. The Club boasts hundreds of members from almost every state in the union, as well as from Canada, who collect, study, love, and appreciate the simple beauty and endurance of Tea Leaf Ironstone China. Visit the site.

The Wedgwood Society of NSW

The Wedgwood Society of New South Wales is an appreciation group interested in the products of Josiah Wedgwood, FRS (1730–1795) and his successors to the present day. 

They are based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, but members are from all over Australia and from other countries, with most resident in NSW. Visit the site.

Find more of the informative resources we've compiled here.