Seven Designs for Decorated Cups 1845 - 1855

These seven cup designs were created by Alfred Henry Forrester, using pen and watercolor on paper. Rather than a finished piece, it provides insight into design and production. The floral patterns and delicate ornamentation suggest the cups were intended for an upper or middle-class clientele, who would have used the mass-produced vessels as blank canvases for bespoke painted decoration. The process would have started with a plain white ceramic form, manufactured through industrial processes, ready to receive its painted surface. The designs would have then been hand-painted onto the cup. Note the contrast here, between industrial production and individualized customization. The designs themselves feature a variety of motifs, ranging from floral patterns to geometric borders, suggesting a broad appeal. Forrester probably hoped to capitalize on the social value of handcraft, even as it was being undermined by the very systems of production that made these cups available in the first place. This reflects the complicated relationship between handcraft, design, and industry in the 19th century.