Bowl, Cereal

Description

Medium-sized footed porcelain bowl. Interior of the bowl is solid white. Along the outer rim of the bowl are two thin black lines with a light-green stripe 5/16" wide in between them creating a border. Below the border there is light-green transfer-printed text, in all caps, which reads "SHAKERS MT. LEBANON N.Y.". The font of the text has a white outline giving the letters a three-dimensional quality. Framing the text there are two hand-painted floral decorations. One floral decoration, underneath "SHAKERS", has a brown branch and green stem with dual-green leaves, and two orange flowers. One orange flower has one tripartite and four heart-shaped petals. The other orange flower has two small petals. Underneath "N.Y." is another floral design with a brown branch, green stem with dual-green leaves, and three purple flowers. One flower has nine petals around a yellow floral disc, another with two petals, and the smallest with a single petal. Around the foot of the bowl is a thin black line matching the upper border.

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.