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. The state of the color degradation makes it difficult to discern the make up of the floral designs. It is clear there are three and are made up of green branches. One of the visible designs has two pink flowers. The other visible design has four orange flowers.
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.