Fourteen Designs for Decorated Cups, including "Camden", Sevigne" and "Persian" Patterns 1852

Alfred Henry Forrester rendered these cup designs with pen, ink, and watercolor on paper, likely sometime in the mid-19th century. This was the height of the Industrial Revolution, when newly mechanized potteries throughout Europe were churning out vast quantities of ceramics for a growing middle class. Forrester's designs, with their floral garlands, geometric friezes, and even a pattern labeled "Persian," suggest the range of tastes these manufacturers sought to satisfy. Each design represents hours of work, both in its conception and in its eventual execution on porcelain. But it's important to remember the labor involved in producing the ceramics themselves – the many hands that mixed clay, operated machinery, applied transfers, and fired kilns. Though Forrester was an artist, these objects ultimately owe their existence to the collaboration of many, reflecting both the creative spark and the realities of mass production. Together, they offer a glimpse into the visual landscape of a rapidly changing world.