Pitcher

The mid-nineteenth century porcelain manufactory of Charles Cartlidge and Company in Greenpoint, Brooklyn produced a variety of slip-cast wares for the middle class market. The firm offered a wide array of forms which included tablewares and pitchers, along with mundane, everyday objects (inkstands, paper weights, spittoons, etc.) to highly specialized items. Among the company’s favorite designs are the relief-molded pitchers of either corn and cornstalks or oak leaves and acorns. The most significant Cartlidge pitchers are those with shields and inscribed with names, often made for tradesmen or saloon keepers. This example has two inscriptions: on the front is the name "E.P. Fox," perhaps for whom it was made. On the inside of the spout is the inscription "American Porcelain," a significant reference to the growing domestic porcelain industry which would have been visible when the pitcher was in use.