Plate 1831 - 1867

This plate was made by William Adams & Sons, likely in the 19th century, using transfer-printed earthenware. Earthenware is a humble material, and the transfer printing process allowed for elaborate decoration to be applied relatively quickly and cheaply. Notice how the detailed pastoral scene and floral border have been rendered in monochrome, a practical consideration for mass production. The image has a somewhat fuzzy quality and slight misregistration, which betrays the nature of the process involved. The result is a functional object made to appear luxurious, but without the time-consuming hand-painting that would have been required for a truly high-end ceramic. Plates like these catered to the expanding middle class, who wanted to participate in a culture of refinement. It’s an early instance of design striving to meet the demands of a growing consumer market. Considering this plate, it's clear that the techniques and processes used in its creation are as important as the final design, blurring the line between craft, design, and industrial production.