Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2020.FIC.106 |
Object Name |
Dish, Serving |
Title |
Mercer Pottery Company Hotel Ware Green Stripe Oval Dish |
Description |
This white oval serving dish features three green lines along the rim, with the outermost line being slightly thicker than the other two. The front of the dish is caved in, causing the back to be slightly raised. A slight rim separates the base from the rest of the back. In the center of the base, there is a green Mercer Hotel Ware logo. The logo consists of a crown adorned with five jewels at the top and five at the bottom. Below the crown, the inscription reads, "MERCER HOTEL WARE. VITRUS." According to Edwin Atlee of the Trenton Historical Society, the Potteries of Trenton Society, and the book Mains and Fitzgerald's Trenton, Chambersburg, and Millham Directory, Mercer Pottery operated in Trenton from around 1865 or 1868 until either the 1930s or 1946. By 1875, James Moses owned the company and claimed to have developed the first semi-porcelain ware in the United States. Citations: Barber, E. A. (n.d.). Marks of American potters. Trenton Historical Society, New Jersey. https://www.trentonhistory.org/Made/Marks.html Mains, Bishop W. and Thomas F. Fitzgerald. 1877-1879. Mains and Fitzgerald’s Trenton, Chambersburg and Millham Directory: Containing the Names of the Citizens, Statistical Business Report, Historical Sketches, a List of the Public and Private Institutions, Together with National, State, County, and City Government. Bishop W. Mains & Thomas F. Fitzgerald, Trenton, New Jersey. Mercer Pottery. Potteries of Trenton Society. (n.d.-c). https://potteriesoftrentonsociety.org/research/records/mercer-pottery-2/ |
Year Range from |
1865 |
Year Range to |
1946 |
Material |
Ceramic |
Artist |
Mercer Pottery Company |
Height (in) |
6.875 |
Length (in) |
9.750 |
Condition |
Good |
Condition Notes |
Overall: Accretions and abrasions throughout Front: There is an abrasion on top of the base near the right side. There are clear accretions on the center of the base near the middle. The "M" in the logo is slightly chipped. And finally, there are clear accretions on the bottom of the base near the left side. Back: There is a little bit of wear all over the inner rim. There is a yellow accretion to the right of the logo. There is an abrasion on the bottom near the middle. There are black accretions to the left of the logo. And finally, there is a green accretion on the bottom of the rim near the right. |
Inscription Type |
Manufacturer's Mark |
Inscription Location |
Back, Center, Middle |
Inscription Technique |
Stamped |
Inscription Text |
"MERCER HOTEL WARE" Line 1 "VITRUS" Line 2 |
People |
James Moses |
Classification |
Domestic Life/Household Goods Business & Commerce |
Subjects |
Ceramic industry Hotels Food |
Search Terms |
Serving Dish Trenton Mercer Pottery Company Oval Ceramic John Moses White Green Hotel Vitrus Cross Curves Blue 1868 1939 19th Century 20th Century Serving Dish Mercer Pottery Company Hotel Ware Green Stripe Oval Dish |
Provenance |
Found in collection |