Dish, Serving
Serving dish inscribed "Shakers Mt. Lebanon NY"
12/1886
Description
Medium size oval serving bowl. The inside rim is decorated with two thin black lines with a 5/16" green stripe in between. In all caps along the length of one interior side reads "SHAKERS MT. LEBANON N.Y." The font has small white outlines to give the lettering an almost three-dimensional quality. Inside the bowl there are three different painted floral designs which straddle the bottom and sides of the bowl. All are made up of brown and green stems/branches. Each floral design has a different colored flower(s): orange, purple, or blue. The orange floral arrangement has one flower with six tripartite-petals and a brown center surrounded by yellow and a second flower with three tripartite-petals and no visible center. The blue floral arrangement consists of one blue flower with eight -oblong petals. The purple floral arrangement has one flower with 12 petals and two small buds.
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.
New York Mount Lebanon Church Family
