Mugs and jugs with “Another little drink won’t do us any harm”

Mugs in patterns 2982 (left) and 2986 (right)

An attempt has been made to classify the recorded examples of the “Another Little Drink” series of mugs and lemonade jugs, (shape 185). They are plain ivory glazed with tube-lined script and decoration in black slip. The jugs are quite rare, only 2 have been recorded. Mugs are more easily found with a 25 being noted but they are not deemed to be a common pattern. There are 8 design styles in the pattern book and although there are design variations in the observed sample of 27 items, it is not obvious if they should have different pattern numbers. None have been seen with pattern numbers on their bases.

Below is a table of the 8 patterns from the pattern book and their key design characteristics as gleaned from the sketches and any text descriptions. 

As an aside, “Another little drink wouldn’t do us any harm” and “Show me the way to go home” were both music hall songs and presumably would have been familiar to Charlotte Rhead.

To slim down the candidate list, firstly, no examples of a mug with “Show Me The Way To Go Home” have yet been seen. Secondly, all those recorded have been decorated with black slip and therefore patterns with brown slip are not relevant. And thirdly, no items have been found with a stitched edge rim. This effectively removes patterns 2979, 2980, 2981, 2983, 2984 and 2985 and just leaves 2982 and 2986 as contenders.

Since neither of the observed lemonade jugs match any of the 4 designs in the pattern book, but they do match pattern 2982, like the majority of mugs, it is proposed that this pattern number is the practical solution to recording the design for most mugs, (18) and jugs, (2). There are 3 mugs which have a very similar decoration but the tube-lined wavy line on the handle ends in a spiral at the top of the handle. This is deemed as a variation of pattern 2982. It is certain that more of this variation will turn up because a set of 5 were sold in a single lot and may have the same decoration but because they were not all suitably photographed only one of the 5 has been recorded.

 

The variation of 2982 with tube-lined spiral on the handle

Lemonade jug shape 185

 The remaining 4 of the 25 mugs have tube-lined stitches down both sides of the handle and the typical wavy line down the centre of the handle. The text is underlined by dots rather than the wavy line as found with pattern 2982. Although the decoration does not exactly match the drawing in the pattern book they are sufficiently similar to warrant this design with the different pattern number of 2986.

2982 on the left has underlining with a wavy line and wavy line on the handle. 2986 on the right has underlining with dots and the addition of "stitches" on the handle.

 The chart below shows the distribution of the various characteristics of the design together with production period based on backstamp style and the country where they were first seen for sale.

 The sample of 27 is quite small but the following observations could be valid: 

• Production probably began during mid-1933, (the design date) and may have lasted up until the end of the wartime restrictions in 1952. It is unlikely that production was continuous because, so few examples have been seen, but since the sample includes 4 backstamp styles known to have been use from 1933 until at least 1952, there are likely to have been at least 2, or probably 3 separate phases of production.
• The examples of pattern 2986 with the tube-lined stitches on the handle were all made in period 1, (1933-1934). 
• The mugs where the wavy line starts with a spiral at the top of the handle were all made during Period 4, (1942-1952) and sold originally in the USA or Canada so may have been made as a special batch for the export market. 

 

Clara Stevenson – Gilder and Lustrer 1893-1974

 

 

Clara Stevenson

Two photographs have been brought to my attention that show the Art Director William Johnson with some of his decorating team at A G Richardson & Co Ltd. They are believed to date from around 1921.

The photographs include Clara Stevenson, (nee Molineaux) who was a gilder and lustrer decorating Crown Ducal ware from the 1920s until the 1950s, which would have included the tube-lined designs of Charlotte Rhead.

The permission to show these photographs and information comes from Penny the granddaughter of Clara to whom I am most grateful for letting me share them.

Clara Molineux was born on the 6^th March 1893 at 24 Luke Street in Burslem. The 1911 census records Clara as a gilder. Clara marries Willian Stevenson, (an iron and steel worker and shunter) on the 8^th April 1917 at the Congregational Church, Moorland Road, Burslem. They have one son Dennis, born 5^th  December 1917.  The 1921 census has the family home as 33 Wedgwood Street and includes Clara’s mother Annie Forde Molineaux. William’s paternal grandmother Mary Stevenson was living at number 19 Wedgwood Street. Their fathers were both deceased by then.

In 1921 Clara was working for A G Richardsons & Co. Ltd. at the Gordon Pottery, Tunstall.  She had previously been to the Burslem Art School and later worked for H J Wood Ltd until she retired in the 1950s, but is known to have been invited back on occasion to complete orders requiring special lustre work.

Apart from her ceramic decorating work Clara was an able seamstress and knitter. Her granddaughter recalls her doing a lot of sewing, making clothes, suits and loose covers, knitting and crocheting. Also, later in life at the age of 80 she travelled further afield visiting relatives in Calgary. Clara died at 138 Dimsdale Parade, Wolstanton on 25^th September 1974.

For anyone who has Gerrard Shaw’s book on Crown Ducal Ware, you will find Clara’s name in the appendices listing employees under Gilders and Lustrers. In the book Collecting Rhead Pottery by Bernard Bumpus Clara also has a mention in the list of decorators in the chapter on H J Wood Ltd.

It is almost certain that the other ladies in the photographs were decorators of Crown Ducal ware in the early 1920’s so if anyone can add names to faces or be more precise as to when the photographs were taken then please do get in touch. 

 

Crown Ducal decorators 1920s

Crown Ducal decorators 1920s

Updated information for pattern 4825 Spanish Tree

Some new information for the Spanish Tree (green band version) has come to light. On the page for this design is the note that the pattern book records that there is an “A” version “As above but no shade on green leaves”. 

 

Finally, an example has surfaced although the design is a bit more unusual than just the lack of shading on the green leaves. It is a small charger, (just under 10” diameter) decorated with three trees and ground plants radiating from the centre of the charger. This is the first time I have seen this layout for Spanish Tree chargers. Also note that there is no brown shading on the leaves as would be found on the standard version. So, although it is clearly a special design variation of Spanish Tree, it probably meets the pattern book criteria for pattern number 4825A.

Spanish Tree variation 4825A

 

 

Rare unnumbered patterns from period 1 (1932-1934)

The six designs presented in this post have the AGR9 backstamp suggesting they were made in the first two years of Charlotte being at Crown Ducal. None of them have pattern numbers or are recorded in the surviving pattern books. Though it should be noted that the pattern books start with number 2900 leaving the possibility that they may have been documented at some time and the information has since been lost.

They were probably trial designs that did not progress to upscaled production. Each pattern is very rare, being represented by a single or at most two known examples. A possible exception being the lidded jampot where the relatively simple tube-lining looks clumsily done and therefore this may have been more of a training piece than a design proposal.

An unnumbered design from the period but not included here is the nurseryware pattern "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf". It is quite hard to find but the design is not as rare as the other patterns listed here. It remained in production until at least 1938/9 and it is a mystery why it was not given a pattern number amongst the cluster of other nurseryware patterns, 3130-3135.

0000-P1-A

Only one example seen. A finely tube-lined pattern of flowers and leaves. It has an unusual mottle glaze of two tones of green on ivory and the signature style is that by the tube-liner who used the # mark. Her name is unknown but her mark can be found on the earliest productions and she was probably Charlottes most experienced tube-liner until Fanny Morrey arrived some months later. 

 

0000-P1-B

Two examples seen, (one uncoloured) on bowls of shape 174. Both have the signature by the tube-liner who used the # mark. The one with coloured enamels has an unusual green mottle on ivory glaze. The uncoloured one has a mottle glaze similar to pattern 3272 (Rhodian).

The layout and style of leaves, flowers and stems is reminiscent of her first design for Burgess & Leigh, Burleigh Ware pattern 3973. There are also similarities to her Pomona pattern for Bursley Ltd This is a good example of Charlotte recycling her favourite motifs.

Burleigh Ware pattern 3973

0000-P1-C

Only one example seen. It has a Lottie Rhead style signature so may have been tube-lined by Charlotte’s own hand. This leaf style is not typically found in Charlotte's other designs but this stylised form of beech leaves, (or possibly hazel or mountain ash) is very common in editions of a craft design magazine of the period, (L'Artisan Pratique) which she would surely have had access to.

 

0000-P1-D

Only one example seen. A vase of an unnumbered shape. 25.5 cm high. The shape has been seen in smaller sizes with Rhead tube-lined designs.

It has a Lottie Rhead style signature so may have been tube-lined by Charlotte’s own hand. The tube-lining is extremely finely executed which supports the premise.

The design is interesting as it is clearly a prototype for pattern number 4534 which is in the pattern book but has not yet been seen. The central panel is similar to the drawing in the pattern book but the upper and lower borders are different. These borders are more akin to those found on pattern 3272 (Rhodian).

It has mix of known Charlotte motifs and includes the core design of what will become Bursley Ware pattern TL2.

 

0000-P1-E

Only one example seen. Apart from the backstamp it has no other base markings. It has the glazes and colours of patterns 2799, 2800 (Aztec), possibly 3273 and 3274 (Stitch) and a tube-lined stitched edge, but is not a convincing variation of any of these.It may be a practice piece rather than a trial design.

 

0000-P1-F

Only one example seen. A jug of unknown and unmarked shape. Being 18cms high it is probably a modified form of a shape 149 vase. Glazed with the “Green Padua" glaze used for the Persino and Primula patterns.

 

 

0000-P1-G

Two examples are known both on the bowl shape 174 and both with the signature style of Dora Jones. They are glazed with the “Green Padua" glaze used for the Persino and Primula patterns.