Antique "Boston Statehouse" Blue Staffordshire Large Plate by Rogers

Presented is an antique "Boston State House" transferware plate, circa 1825. Created in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, England, by the potters John and George Rogers, the plate was designed expressly for an American market.  When the brothers John (1760-1816) and George Rogers (1762-1815) started their pottery at Dale Hall, Longport, Staffordshire, in 1780 they were among the first to manufacture the latest invention of blue transfer-printed earthenware tableware. They were also very early exporters of Staffordshire wares, for some of their plates carry the mark of the Dublin retailer James Donovan. The firm traded as John Rogers & Son during the period 1815-42, earning a good reputation among their fellow potters. Ward's 1843 Borough of Stoke on Trent stated that John & George Rogers were “noted for the excellence of their table-ware.” One of the Rogers' most popular transferware patterns made for the American market was their “Boston State House” pattern. There are records of