William Smith "Infant Sports" sugar bowl (jan 1, 1825 – jan 1, 1885)

Description:

This sugar bowl is an intriguing piece from the Welch's kitchen. The purple transfer print, titled "Infant Sports", shows three children playing. It indicates that the piece was made by William Smith & Co. William Smith was most (in)famous for producing fraudulent Wedgwood ware, for which he faced a court injunction. Until a lawsuit against him between 1846 and 1848, his pieces bore the a variation of "Wedgewood" makers mark. (Josiah Wedgwood was an innovative ceramicist who is attributed with perfecting creamware and producing high quality ceramics, such as those he created for Queen Anne.)

This piece, however, is stamped on the bottom with "Porcelain Opaque," even though it can not pass for fine Chinese porcelain. Another phrase for porcelain opaque is "white granite." Stephen Brighton states that white granite reflects the Americanization of Irish tableware during the late nineteenth century. As Irish immigrant families and American born Irish integrated into American society and cultural norms, later kitchens were most often furnished with glass and white granite. (Historical Archaeology of the Irish Diaspora)

The presence of this sugar bowl, thus, is multilayered. The type of ceramic was an attempt by the English to obtain the status symbol of Chinese Porcelain, and the ownership by the Welches could mark a desire to imitate the material culture which the women in the house, including Mary, Mary Agnes, Ellen (Nellie), and Hannah would have observed as domestic workers. Many poor immigrant families were resourceful and acquired pricey ceramics pre-used so that their kitchens could reflect current fashions and values at lower costs.

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