“Mendenhall Ferry” Staffordshire Transferware Platter
Staffordshire transferware platter by joseph Stubbs, circa 1825.
Dimensions: Approximately 16½” x 13½”.
Decoration:
The border is decorated with a pattern of flowers and scrolls interspersed with American eagles.
The central scene is of a rope ferry crossing a river and carrying a horse and two individuals, with buildings, cattle, sheep, and trees.
The reverse bears the printed mark “Mendenhall Ferry” and an impressed number “16”.
The Ferry was located on the Schuylkill River, just above the bridge represented on another of Stubbs’s views. The building to the left was the well-known Mendenhall Inn, a popular pleasure resort for Philadelphians. The other houses, partially hidden by the trees, belonged to Joseph Sims and Dr. Philip Physick, a well known surgeon of the time.
The source is an 1809 print by William Russel Birch published in his collection entitled “Springland near Bristol Pennsylva."
References:
“Historical Staffordshire An Illustrated Check-List” by David & Linda Arman.
“American Historical Views on Staffordshire China” by Larsen.
“Historical Staffordshire: American Patriots and Views” by Snyder.
Condition: Minor wear from use, otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage.