In 1815, when trade between America and England resumed after the War of 1812, Staffordshire potters regained access to one of their most lucrative markets, and America, with its limited industrial base, was ready to import both the necessities and the luxuries of life (Fig. 1).
Blue printed pottery had been a staple import since its introduction in the late eighteenth century. From 1815 the most popular prints were in a bright “royal” blue, available in a wide variety of patterns. By about 1818 a small number of manufacturers produced darker blue wares that enjoyed a brief and intense popularity for about thirteen years. In the twentieth century a small group of the dark blue designs became the most desirable of all collectable printed pottery—patterns illustrating the new nation of the United States.
