Art Nouveau Chalkware Nymph Goddess Vanity Mirror

Developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch in the late 1700s, chalkware was America's budget-friendly alternative to the widely popular, yet costly, imported English Staffordshire pottery. Crafted from plaster of paris or sculpted gypsum, chalkware quickly became the decorative pottery alternative of choice for the middle class who yearned for the beauty and sophistication of English pottery, but didn't necessarily want to shell out the big bucks to own it. Sometimes called "poor man's porcelain," chalkware pieces were cheap and easy to make. In fact, many people made them at home utilizing homemade molds and painted them with oils or watercolors. As time went on and the popularity of chalkware continued to grow, many American and European artists began incorporating this new medium into their repertoire. Soon this so-called pauper porcelain transitioned from rudimentary folk art into highly detailed and skilled fine art. By the latter half of the 19th century, chalkware items proliferated