Plate, Dinner
Dinner plate inscribed "Shakers Mt. Lebanon NY"
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. There is a small floral decoration visible on the rim of the plate 2 1/2" long. The decoration has green leaves stemming off of a brown branch. There are faint remnants of the two other floral designs, one quite large (approximately 3 1/2") and the other of medium size (approximately 1 15/16").
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. Related items share a similar floral decoration. The emphasis of this floral decoration appears to be green-leaf plants with berries.
New York Mount Lebanon Church Family
