Platter

This blue and white transfer-printed earthenware platter made by the Staffordshire firm of James & Ralph Clews features a view of the historic town of Newburgh, New York located on the Hudson River about ten miles north of West Point and about sixty miles north of the city of New York. Newburgh was an important nineteenth-century river port, furnishing farm-grown produce and other goods to towns and cities down-river. The view on the platter was based on an 1820 watercolor by Irish painter William Guy Wall (1792–after 1863) reproduced by London-born New York engraver John Hill (1770–1850) as an engraving titled "Newburg" in Henry J. Megarey's "Hudson River Portfolio" (New York 1821–1825). Clews included the view in its series of approximately twenty-three "Picturesque Views" manufactured for the United States export market. The American Wing's collection contains additional pieces by Clews, including others form the same series. It also contains original works by Wall. Refer to the Dictionary for a definition of the term "transfer printing" and for information about Clews.