Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2020.FIC.088 |
Object Name |
Plate, Food |
Title |
Mercer Pottery Company Orange Floral Plate |
Description |
The plate is white and circular, featuring a floral pattern around the rim. The pattern includes red, yellow, and black flowers, red, yellow, and black berries, green leaves, and brown stems. A black line separates the floral pattern from the edge of the plate, which has a bumpy texture at certain points. The front of the plate is slightly caved in, causing the back to be slightly elevated. A subtle rim separates the base of the plate from the rest of the back. Near the center of the base, there is a black Mercer Pottery logo, framed by a series of small horizontal lines. At the top of the logo are three smoke stacks with smoke rising from them, and the number "1865" is written between the stacks. Below the image, the words "MERCER POTTERY CO. TRENTON. NEW JERSEY." are inscribed. 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 |
Diameter (in) |
9.125 |
Condition |
Okay |
Condition Notes |
Overall: Abrasions, scratches, accretions, and paint cracking throughout Front: There are scratches all over the plate. The paint is slightly cracked. And finally, there are black accretions all over the base. Back: There is a little bit of wear around the inner rim. The paint is slightly cracked. There are a series of abrasions near the edges of the plate. And finally, there are a series of black accretions around the edges of the plate. |
Inscription Type |
Manufacturer's Mark |
Inscription Location |
Bottom, Top, Middle |
Inscription Technique |
Stamped |
Inscription Text |
"1865" Line 1 "MERCER POTTERY CO." Line 2 "TRENTON" Line 3 "NEW JERSEY" Line 4 |
People |
James Moses |
Classification |
Domestic Life/Household Goods Business & Commerce |
Subjects |
Ceramic Industry Flowers Food Plants Plant Parts |
Search Terms |
Plate John Moses Flowers Plants Berries Red Yellow Black White Brown Green Ceramic Plate Food 19th Century 20th Century Mercer Pottery Company Smoke Smoke Stacks Food Plate Mercer Pottery Company Orange Floral Plate |
Provenance |
Found in collections |