Bernard Bumpus in "Collecting Rhead Pottery", identified eight backstamp styles and I continued to use his numbering system as the basis for my work on the rhead-crownducal.info website. To study the complete production of Crown Ducal requires the documentation of a much larger number of backstamps and the Bumpus numbering system is not helpful. I have previously documented dozens of backstamp styles in previous posts, But this one is an edited catalogue of backstamp types primarily for collectors of Charlotte Rhead pottery, (or more accurately, Crown Ducal tube-lined pottery).
It lists the Bumpus and rhead-crownducal.info codes alongside my own numbering system and proposes dividing the Crown Ducal tube-lining history of Crown Ducal ware into "Periods" based on the backstamps used, (and if necessary some other criteria). My purpose in doing this is to simplify time into chunks that can define when an item of Crown Ducal tube-lined pottery was made. I am preparing some other blog posts which will refer to the production history of Rhead items and I need the most concise way of doing it. Although the exact dates of these Period boundaries are unknown I will offer reasoned best estimates. Of course I would welcome any information from readers that would help to date these events more precisely.
It lists the Bumpus and rhead-crownducal.info codes alongside my own numbering system and proposes dividing the Crown Ducal tube-lining history of Crown Ducal ware into "Periods" based on the backstamps used, (and if necessary some other criteria). My purpose in doing this is to simplify time into chunks that can define when an item of Crown Ducal tube-lined pottery was made. I am preparing some other blog posts which will refer to the production history of Rhead items and I need the most concise way of doing it. Although the exact dates of these Period boundaries are unknown I will offer reasoned best estimates. Of course I would welcome any information from readers that would help to date these events more precisely.
Period 1 (approximately January 1933 -December 1934)
Period 1 is deemed to start when Charlotte arrives at the company. I have not found any documents with her start date at Richardsons, but I think that Bumpus was correct when he said early 1933. The start of 1933 would be ideal. We know that Charlottes earliest known design for Crown Ducal, Byzantine, (2681), was featured in the trade press of March 1933. January 1933 would be an excellent estimated start date and allows for the lead time prior to publication, and time for settling in and producing a quantity of her first designs.
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| Charlotte Rhead - Period 1 backstamps |
Please note that Period 1 represents the time while Charlotte was working at Richardsons and the company was applying these types of backstamps to their tube-lined productions. It does not mean these were the only backstamps that the company were using at this time, but they are the only ones I have seen on Charlottes tube-lined designs made until the switch to Period 2 backstamp types.
Bumpus mentions that the backstamp I refer to as type 241, (with WARE between CROWN DUCAL and ENGLAND), is used occasionally. I have never seen this backstamp on a Charlotte Rhead design. I suspect that he saw this mark on the base of the Crown Ducal sgrafitto designs. He thought that these might be the work of Charlotte based on stylistic grounds, but I find this very difficult to believe. Why would Richardsons employ the foremost tube-lining designer of the time and have her earliest commissions be sgrafitto productions for which she had no recent commercial track record? The decoration is very sloppy compared with what she had done at Burgess and Leigh and what she would continue to do for Crown Ducal, also the colour palette used bears no relation to what she used before or after. They would have to be very early designs, as many are seen with the 1920s type 110 backstamp and therefore needed to have predated Byzantine. But it is true they were still in production once Charlotte had arrived.
There may have been Charlotte Rhead tube-lined designs with the type 110 backstamp from Period 1, but I have not conclusively identified an example. Normally this mark was applied to the small and awkward shapes like table lamps and very small items. Most of the examples I have seen were either on patterns that were introduced at the BIF in 1935 or later, or for earlier patterns like 2801 or 3274 for which the production date is ambiguous. At any rate the backstamp changeover on these awkward shapes does not follow the same Period boundaries so I will return to this subject later.
When did Period 1 end? Almost certainly towards the end of 1934 or early 1935. Here are some observations that would need to fit with any proposed Period boundary.
Less than 1% of Hydrangea, (3797), or Blue Peony, (4016), examples have Period 1 backstamps. I have not yet seen a Patch, (4015), Omar, (4036) or Persian Rose, (4040), example from Period 1. The Pottery Gazette of February 1935 talks of Hydrangea, (3797), Blue Peony, (4016) and Persian Rose, (4040) all being new patterns. The same article also discusses Stitch, (3274), an earlier design, of which about 10% of examples are from Period 1. The majority, (nearly 90%), of Granada, (3321), items are Period 1 and being an uncommon design we have to assume it did not have a long production run despite the company continuing to advertise it in early 1935.
With regard to other Crown Ducal productions from this time, the youngest pattern number seen with a Period 1 backstamp is 4183, a freehand enamelled floral tableware design on the Victory shape. Although, the single example with the early backstamp was on a lemonade jug, so perhaps the larger shape may indicate it was a prototype to show off the design, certainly all the other tableware examples I have seen of this design had Period 2 backstamps. The youngest well known tableware design, that is very rarely found from Period 1 are Charlottes Ellesmere/Wenlock/Breedon patterns, (4009/4010/4011). These fit closely in pattern number with Blue Peony and they are also discussed in the same Pottery Gazette article of February 1935; therefore, if this cluster of designs can be dated I believe that would be a good estimate of the Period 1 - Period 2 boundary.
The prototype of Blue Peony, (in Byzantine colours), that is illustrated on the late George Connors website is one of only two Blue Peony examples I have seen from Period 1. I like the idea that the prototype is Period 1, but the main production for Blue Peony was during Period 2. If the Pottery Gazette were reviewing these new designs in January and publishing in February with a view to them being seen at the British Industries Fair in March, then New Year 1935 might be a reasonable date for the changeover. One would then have to find an explanation for why there are not more examples of Hydrangea from Period 1. Perhaps because the tube-liners were all too busy completing orders for Rhodian, (3272), and Stitch, (3274), which were the two most popular tube-lined designs that straddle the Period 1 - Period 2 boundary. The company may have felt that while the staff were busy with existing orders they could hold on to Hydrangea to be part of their launch of new designs at the BIF. It is all guesswork!
Popular Charlotte Rhead tube-lined patterns designed during Period 1:
- 2681 Byzantine
- 2682 Lotus Leaves
- 2691 Turin
- 2800 Aztec
- 2801 Byzantine/Danube
- 3052 Persino
- Nursery Ware
- USA Salad Bowls and Platters
- 3272 Rhodian
- 3274 Stitch
- ???? Primula (number unknown but has an almost identical production profile to Granada and therefore placed here)
- 3321 Granada
- 3797 Hydrangea (possibly not in commercial production until Period 2)
- 4015 Patch (possibly not in commercial production until Period 2)
- 4016 Blue Peony (possibly not in commercial production until Period 2)
Period 2 (approximately January 1935 -September 1939)
The four years and nine months that I allocate to Period 2 were the most productive with regard to the number of Rhead tube-lined designs and the quantity of examples produced, (as estimated by what has been seen for sale over the past few years).
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| Charlotte Rhead - Period 2 backstamps |
Fruit Border and Palermo start to appear in photographic advertisements in the Pottery Gazette from March 1939. The company usually waited a little while for designs to be popular before using them in advertisements and since there are quite a few examples, especially of Fruit Border, from Period 2 one might think that production started well before the end of 1938, however this is difficult to reconcile with other observations. The youngest tableware with Period 2 marks is the "Sunshine Salad Ware", (5787), textured with a crinkled surface radiating from the centre, with yellow glaze and orange brushed edge. This supports the premise that the Period boundary occurred soon after pattern number 5800 but does not help with a date.
Elsewhere, Tarragona, (5623), was regarded as "new" in the November 1938 issue of the Pottery Gazette whereas its pattern number might suggest it was designed in the early summer of 1938. Pattern book references to dates were rarely entered at the time of the design and are more likely to refer to subsequent correspondence with clients. There are entries for April 1938 (pattern 5572), July 1939, (pattern 5927) and January 1940 for Charlottes Trellis pattern 6016, (which is deemed an accurate date for the design).
Tableware pattern 5784 is advertised in the Pottery Gazette of February 1939, and even without using this as a data point for age calculation the pattern design would date to January 1939. This makes me comfortable with my design date estimation. Therefore, if Fruit Border and Palermo were designed in February 1939 at the latest, and there are significant numbers with Period 2 marks, I believe the Period 2 - Period 3 boundary has to be close to the design date for Circular Fruits, (5982), and Ankara, (5983). Late summer, say, September 1939 would be about the latest possible time. This would allow a reasonable amount of time to account for the number of Fruit Border examples seen from Period 2. WW2 started in September 1939 and there may be a connection between this event and all the subsequent chaotic base markings that define Period 3. It should be noted that there are no tableware designs within the pattern number range between Sunshine Salad Ware and Circular Fruits that can support this proposal. I am hoping that this lack of evidence is because there were no new, popular tableware patterns introduced during this time that used these same backstamps.
Popular Charlotte Rhead tube-lined patterns designed during Period 2:
- 4036 Omar
- 4040 Persian Rose
- 4088 Patch
- 4100 Orange Chain
- 4298 Green Chain
- 4300 Tudor Rose
- 4318 Tudor Rose
- 4491 Tudor Rose
- 4511 Manchu
- 4519 Coloured Snowdrops
- 4521 Blue Posy
- 4538 Blossom
- 4724 Coronation
- 4725 Coronation
- 4794 Blue Tulips
- 4795 Spanish Tree
- 4903 Stitch Variation
- 4921 Golden Leaves
- 4922 Florian
- 4923 Chains and Panels
- 4924 Carnation
- 4926 Arabian Scroll
- 4953 Foxglove
- 4954 Wisteria
- 4957 Arabian Scroll
- 5391 Persian Leaf
- 5393 Tudor Rose
- 5411 Caliph
- 5623 Tarragona
- 5802 Fruit Border
- 5803 Palermo
Period 3 (approximately October 1939 - June 1942)
World War II has begun and until 18th June 1942, when the stringent restrictions on decorated pottery were introduced, it would appear that tube-lined decorative pottery continued to be made and sold. Observations suggest that production was about 50% of pre-war levels which seems quite impressive considering the number of staff that must have left the industry and the hardships that would have curtailed spending on luxuries.
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| Charlotte Rhead - Period 3 backstamps |
The above backstamp styles all signify a tube-lined item made during Period 3 with the exception of the small AGR8/Type 401 style which if found on a small item or lamp may mean a different date, (see section on small and awkward shapes).
The Period 3 styles were not applied randomly. I have mentioned clusters of various types for various patterns in my Backstamps - Part 3 post, but I do not feel confident enough to elaborate further on how or why the marks come to be distributed in this way.
The initial tube-lined designs of Period 3 were Circular Fruits, (5982) and Ankara, (5983). These were supplemented by Trellis, (6106), at the beginning of 1940 and Mexican, (6189), in the summer of 1940. Basket, (6198) and Fruits and Leaves, (6353) followed but made a more modest contribution. The rest of the production consisted of older popular designs, particularly Golden Leaves, (4921, which is the most commonly found pattern from Period 3. The other favourites at this time were Persian Leaf, (5411), Caliph, (5411), Tarragona, (5623), Fruit Border, (5802) and Palermo, (5803).
An interesting point to note is that several of Charlottes earlier designs reappear or continued in production at this time, but almost exclusively on chargers, Byzantine, (2681), Rhodian, (3272), Blue Peony, (4015), Green Chain, (4298), Tudor Rose, (4491), Manchu, (4511) and Arabian Scroll, (4926) all fit into this category.
The end of Period 3 marks the intensifying of the restrictions on the sale of decorated pottery in the United Kingdom. This process began in October 1941 and Bernard Bumpus is vague about exactly when Charlotte left the company. He is sure that Charlotte was at HJ Wood Ltd by July 1942. I doubt that much new design work would have occurred after October 1941, so it is possible that Charlotte could have left any time between October 1941 and June 1942. For the present I shall keep June 1942 as the big changeover date as it ties in with the government restrictions on decorated pottery which would deny an outlet for the work of an experienced designer like Charlotte. It would also force the departure for most of Charlottes team of skilled decorators, and oblige the company to introduce a single backstamp style.
Popular Charlotte Rhead tube-lined patterns designed during Period 3:
- 5982 Fruit Border
- 5983 Ankara
- 6016 Trellis
- 6189 Mexican
- 6198 Basket
- 6353 Fruits and Leaves
Period 4 (approximately July 1942 - August 1952)
Periods 4, 5 & 6 represent time when Charlotte was no longer involved with Crown Ducal and the majoity of it was after her death. But it is important to document these marks as they are found on examples of her designs.
Please note that the backstamps marked AGR5 for Periods 3 and 4 are different. A casual glance and you may think they are the same but the details of the crown/plumes/crest differ. Each one defines a distinctly different time period.
The dates July 1942 - August 1952 are the core period of the wartime government restrictions on decorated pottery. The Period 4 backstamp style, type 481 is known to be from this time as it can be found with the printed letter "B" which is the AG Richardson & Co. Ltd price band indicator for tableware made while these restrictions were in force. I do not have any other evidence that these are the start and end dates when this backstamp was used. There is a possibility that the backstamp continued to be used into 1953. Quite a few hand decorated plates have been seen, signed and dated on the reverse and one example has the type 481 backstamp and is dated 1953. Because there is no direct link to the factory or company information, we have no way of knowing if these are Crown Ducal productions or the work of a hobbyist or a student decorating blank plates.
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| Charlotte Rhead - Period 4 backstamp |
Patterns found from this Period fall into one of two categories the post-Rhead era designs, 6567, 6568, 6569, 6570, 6571, 6572 and 6573, or earlier Charlotte Rhead designs that had remained popular and continued to be made after she had left the company.
The most common Rhead designs are Persian Rose, (4040), Golden Leaves, (4921), Fruit Border, 5802) and Ankara, (5983). Others known to exist are Rhodian, (3272), Tudor Rose, (4491), Tarragona, (5623), Circular Fruits, (5982), Trellis, (6106), Mexican, (6189) and Fruits and Leaves, (6353). The Nursery Ware patterns Who Said Dinner, (3131) and Little Boy Blue, (3133), also remained in production.
No examples have the facsimile Rhead signature, though they often have the pattern number tube-lined and the mark of the tube-liner. The two marks most often seen are L or a simple dot. Occasionally seen are 11 and 111.
Period 5 (approximately September 1952 - late 1950s)
I have not found much period documentation to help with this mark except for an article entitled Crown Ducal at Home in the magazine Pottery and Glass from 1955. In it are illustrated the reintroduced version of Green Chain, (4298), and the pink and grey version of Ankara, (6778). Hand decorated plates exist signed and dated from 1959 with this mark. Therefore after Period 4, I believe it is likely that most of the remainder of the 1950s can be categorised Period 5.
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| Charlotte Rhead - Period 5 backstamp |
In the Collecting Rhead Pottery book by Bernard Bumpus he wrote that this mark was used from 1933. It is difficult to understand what he was thinking about. A possible connection is that Charlottes orange and black stitched edge tableware, (pattern 3049), and some nursery ware remained in production for decades and examples have been seen with the Period 5 backstamp. Those designs date to 1933, but backstamps define the date of production not design, so perhaps that was his error.
Similar to Period 4, patterns are either post-Rhead era designs, 6778, 6822, 6884, 6907, 6918, 6927 and 7065, or earlier Charlotte Rhead designs that had remained popular and continued to be made after she had left the company. During Period 5 these were 3131, 3133, 4040, 4298, 4921, 5803 (pink version) and 5983.
Again, as for Period 4, no examples have the facsimile Rhead signature, though they often have the pattern number tube-lined and the mark of the tube-liner. The marks most often seen are L, a simple dot, 11 and 111.
Period 6 (approximately late 1950s - early 1960s)
This is the youngest mark seen on Crown Ducal tube-lined pottery and I have not found any documentation to help with its date range. Hand decorated plates dated 1960 exist with this backstamp and Bernard Bumpus in his book writes that "production did continue until at least 1962". Hopefully there may be some Crown Ducal advertisements in the trade journals or general press that may help link patterns to dates and marks.
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| Charlotte Rhead - Period 6 backstamp |
Both Bumpus and Shaw have a start date of mid 1930s for this mark in their publications and I have no idea what they were looking at.
Post-Rhead era patterns 6778, 6907, 6927, 7065 and 7069 may have this mark, (there are also some unnumbered, tube-lined designs with post war glazes and colours, all experiments from the late 50s-early 60s). One or two Golden Leaves, (4921), chargers have been seen with this backstamp and marked L, also a nursery ware plate of Little Boy Blue, (3133).
The Little Boy Blue Plate, is proof that this is the Charlotte Rhead design with the longest production history, 1933 until possibly 1962? At least twenty six, maybe almost thirty years - I think Charlotte would be proud.
Small and Awkward Shapes
Table lamps, condiment dishes and vases with very small bases tend not to have backstamps that conform to the rules outlined above. Although it is possible to construct a separate scheme for them, there are several examples that do not obey the rules and the sample size of observations is rather small.
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| Charlotte Rhead backstamps on small & awkward shaped items |
Type 110 are the oldest group. Seen to date on lamps and condiment dishes with the youngest pattern being Tudor Rose, (4491). The full list of pattern seen is 2801, 3274, 3797, 4088, 4100 & 4491 which would take us from 1933 into 1936.
Type 401 appeared in 1936 and continued to be used until at least the beginning of the wartime restrictions on decorated pottery. It has been found with patterns 3797, 4088, 4491, 4511, 4921, 6016 and 6189.
Type 403 is found only on items produced in the post-Rhead era, reintroductions of 4040, 5983, and later designs 6568 and 6778.
However several post-Rhead era shapes and patterns have been found with type 401, so be careful and use other criteria in conjunction with the backstamp to date an item with type 401.
