Plate, Food
Plate stamped "Shakers Mt. Lebanon N.Y.”
12/1886
Description
White porcelain dinner plate. Around the rim are two thin black lines with a light-green stripe 6/16" wide in between them. Underneath the border there is light-green text in all caps, which reads "SHAKERS MT. LEBANON N.Y.", curved to match the curve of the plate. The font of the text has a white outline to give the lettering a three-dimensional quality. The well of the plate has two floral groups. One has wide dark green leaves and a brown stem with orange flowers. There are two small flowers with one heart-shaped petal each and two larger flowers with five heart-shaped petals each. The other floral group has three flowers composed of elongated oval petals. The leaves are thin and sinewy.
Notes
On October 12, 1886 Benjamin Gates, Cornelia French, and Mary Hazard of the Church family traveled to New York City to order plates from Union Porcelain Works. On February 20, 1887 a note in Anna Dodgsons journal refers to new plates with "Shaker & c". These are the only dishes marked with a community name.