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Exhibition Objectives

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Patriotic America is an educational website created by a world-wide community of collectors and institutions

The focus of this exhibition is the pottery made in Britain and decorated with dark blue transfer printed American-themed designs that celebrate the new nation of the United States.

Blue printed pottery had been a staple in trade between England and America since its introduction in the late 18th century. In the early years of the 19th century the most popular prints were in a bright azure blue, available in a wide variety of populist patterns.  By about 1818, a richer, darker blue had been introduced, and although it never replaced the “royal” color, it was produced by a small number of manufacturers for about 10 or 15 years.  It is apparent from retailers’ order books and archaeological excavations that the darker blue wares enjoyed a brief and intense popularity from about 1820 to 1830. While most of the patterns made specifically for the American market continued to be general in nature, there was a small group of dark blue designs that became perhaps the most desirable of all collectable printed pottery – patterns illustrating the new nation of the United States - the  American themed patterns that are the focus of this exhibition.

Set in an historical and industrial context, this exhibition has endeavored to provide the most comprehensive resource for the study of the patterns of rich blue remembrances of the United States in the 1820s.

You are invited to submit information or digital images of pattern versions, shapes, colors, and sources not currently included in this website to further enhance the exhibition. Contact us.