Category: Artifact Corner

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at one of the souvenirs brought back from Frances Henrietta and Henry Webb’s honeymoon to Europe in 1833. The couple spent over a year touring Europe, and spent time in France, Italy and England. During their travels to Rome, they picked up a souvenir book, which contains many sketches of famous landmarks. This is one of the pages, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. We know Frances and Henry visited The Vatican City thanks to Frances’ journal from their honeymoon.

Here is an excerpt from that journal entry:

“Saturday, February 2 (1833)
At nine this morning we set out in a carriage proceeding to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The chapel is filled with frescoes by Michaelangelo. Where the seats are for ladies is a very open grating about the height of a person. This being the exclusive chapel of the Pope the ladies cannot look at him except through a grate. Knowing that he was to officiate we were informed that we must go in dress and the ladies with their veils. I was fortunate in procuring a stand directly by the grate. The Swiss guards gazed at me for trespassing so much nearer the grate than the other ladies. But as my view was decidedly the best, I was seemingly ignorant of my encroachment. Today is Candlemas Day. The Pope was seated on a throne with Cardinals surrounding him very richly dressed, then the different orders of priests, Monks, etc. Among the most conspicuous ceremonies was the blessing of the candles. The Cardinals one by one presented a candle to the Pope, he blessing it and they kneeling kissing his toe and finger ring.”

Let’s learn a bit more about St. Peter’s Basilica. The original basilica of St. Peter was constructed under the orders of Constantine in the year 319. It was the belief that this was the spot where St. Peter was crucified by the Romans in 64 AD. 250 years later Christianity was spreading across Europe like wild re, and churches began to spring up everywhere. The original church was over 350 feet long and 125 feet high, a massive and impressive structure. Many smaller chapels, each with holy relics were formed in the church over the years. The church stood for over 1,000 years, and was a holy pilgrimage for Medieval travelers. By the 1400’s, the church was really showing signs of it’s age. Some sections of the wall were leaning so badly, they were measured at being 5 feet o from vertical. Sections of the ceiling started to come down during mass, causing many people to flee. This was when Pope Julius II decided it
was time to replace the crumbling basilica. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. The current basilica is comprised of stone from the old basilica as well as ancient Roman ruins. Many of the greatest Renaissance artists contributed works to St. Peter’s, such as Michelangelo and Raphael.

Having been to St. Peter’s personally, I must say, it is an amazing work of Renaissance architecture, and if you are in Rome, it is a must see! This sketch of the basilica is in fantastic shape, and it’s amazing how similar St. Peter’s looks 190 years after this drawing was done. We are so lucky to have this piece in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a small pendant. On one side we have a onyx stone, and on the other side we have a beautiful compass. The pendant is gold plated, and has some lovely scroll work at the top of it. This pendant was likely made in the mid to late Victorian period. Let’s learn a bit more about the history of compasses!

A compass is a device that indicates direction and is one of the most important tools in navigation. Magnetic compasses are the most well known type of compass, and our compass is a magnetic one. A magnetic compass consist of a magnetized needle that is allowed to rotate so it lines up with Earth’s magnetic field. The ends point to what are known as magnetic north and magnetic south. Historians are not quite sure when humans discovered the principles of magnetism. We do know that as early as 2,000 years ago, Chinese scientists may have known that rubbing an iron bar (such as a needle) with a naturally occurring magnet, called a lodestone, would temporarily magnetize the needle so that it would point north and south. Early compasses were made of a magnetized needle attached to a piece of wood or cork that floated freely in a dish of water. As the needle would settle, the marked end would point toward magnetic north.

Before the introduction of the compass, geographical position and direction at sea were primarily determined by the sighting of landmarks, supplemented with the observation of the position of celestial bodies. Other techniques included sampling mud from the seafloor this was something done in China. Some other techniques included analyzing the flight path of birds, and observing wind, sea debris, and sea state, which was a common practice in Polynesia and elsewhere. Some of the most incredible navigators, the Norse, are believed to have used a type of sun compass to locate true north. On cloudy days, the Vikings may have used cordierite or some other birefringent crystal to determine the sun’s direction and elevation from the polarization of daylight; their astronomical knowledge was sufficient to let them use this information to determine their proper heading. In their earliest use, compasses were likely used as backups for when the sun, stars, or other landmarks could not be seen. Eventually, as compasses became more reliable and more explorers understood how to read them, the devices became a critical navigational tool.

Our compass is in good shape. The dial over the compass is scratched, and can make it slightly difficult to read, but this is to be expected given it’s age, and how much use it probably had. This was designed to be worn on a chain, either as a necklace, or stored in a pocket. It’s a beautiful compass from the mid to late 1800’s and we are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

A slightly different artifact corner today – we speak with our intern Zach about his experience!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at two very necessary items in our museum, chamber pots. These two pots are made of porcelain, and each of them have their original lids. One is painted with flowers in blue, green and warm umber tones. The other is a straight white glaze, with the same cattail motif as the pitcher and basin set we featured in a previous video. This one likely came with the pitcher and basin as a bathroom set. Let’s learn a bit more about the history of bathrooms, but more specifically how people used the toilet.

The first known use of what we would recognize as a toilet dates to around 3200 BCE in Ancient Mesopotamia. In 3,000 BCE the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, which is on the Orkney Isles of Scotland, contains examples of internal small rooms over a communal drain, rather than just a simple pit. In the Indus city of Lothal (c. 2350 BCE), houses belonging to the upper classes had private toilets connected to a covered sewer network constructed of brickwork held together with a gypsum-based mortar that emptied either into the surrounding water bodies or alternatively into cesspits, the latter of which were regularly emptied and cleaned. The Romans had latrines that used flowing water. They had toilets that were elevated from the floor, that sat above a sewer system that was periodically flushed to remove the waste. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, there is not a lot written about toilets or how people did their business. In the Middle Ages, the upper classes had a room called a Garderobe. They were flat pieces of wood or stone spanning from one wall to the other, with one or more holes to sit on. These were above chutes or pipes that discharged outside the castle or Manor house. The garderobes were always kept away from the main living areas, so as to keep the smell at bay.

Chamber pots, similar to the ones in our collections, were already in use in the Medieval period. By the 16th century, cesspits and cesspools were increasingly dug into the ground near houses in Europe as a means of collecting waste. Urban population centers were growing and street gutters were becoming blocked with the larger volume of human waste. So, people took matters into their own hands, hence the digging of cesspools and cesspits. Cesspools were cleaned out by tradesmen, known in English as gong farmers, who pumped out the liquid waste, then shoveled out the solid waste and collected it during the night. This solid waste, euphemistically known as night soil, was sold as fertilizer for agricultural production. During the Victorian era, housemaids collected all of the homes chamber pots and carried them to a room known as the housemaids’ cupboard, where they would be emptied and cleaned. Outhouses were also very common, but if you live in our area, imagine having to go outside to use an outhouse in the middle of January at night. Not at all appealing! In 1826, a man named Isaiah Rogers installed the first indoor plumbing in the Tremont Hotel in Boston. But it wasn’t until 1891, when we have the invention of what we would consider the modern toilet. We owe that to a man named Thomas Crapper, who history would thank by turning his name into a euphemism for the toilet. Sorry Thomas, we really all are appreciative of your invention.

Our Chamber pots are in good condition. They both have minor chipping on them, which is unsurprising given the amount of use they both received. They offer us a glimpse into our past, and also a reminder of how lucky we are to have our modern conveniences, like indoor plumbing. We are so lucky to have them in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a small glass bottle that can be found in the apothecary in the museum. This bottle belonged to Fannie Delord Webb Hall, and was part of the medicine she administered to the many patients she treated from the home here in Plattsburgh. The glass bottle still contains the original paper label, and even contains the original cork, and some of the bottle’s contents remain as well! Let’s learn a bit more about Listerine, and antiseptics in general.

Throughout history, surgery has been a very dangerous thing to undergo. Even if you had the best surgeons in the world, and the surgery was successful, you could still be in real danger from bacterial infection such as sepsis or gangrene. Antibiotics would not be discovered until 1928, and so for everyone undergoing a surgical procedure prior to that, infection was a real concern. In 1864, while working at Glasgow University as Professor of Surgery, Joseph Lister was introduced to Pasteur’s germ theory of disease, and he decided to apply it to the problem of surgical infections. He looked for ways to prevent germs from entering a wound by creating a chemical barrier—which he called an antiseptic—between the surgical wound and the surroundings. The chemical he chose to use was carbolic acid, which killed the germs on contact. As the number of surgery related infections fell, the evidence that antisepsis worked became irrefutable and it was widely accepted by surgeons around the world. Lister even received Royal Approval when he used his carbolic spray during a surgical procedure on Queen Victoria.

Listerine was first created in 1879 by a chemist in St. Louis named Joseph Lawrence. Lawrence named his new medicine after Dr. Joseph Lister, as a way of paying homage to him for his work in antiseptics. Listerine was originally designed to be a surgical antiseptic,not a mouthwash. But, it’s sales were nothing to write home about. According to Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s book Freakonomics: “Listerine, for instance, was invented in the nineteenth century as powerful surgical antiseptic. It was later sold, in distilled form, as both a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea. But it wasn’t a runaway success until the 1920s, when it was pitched as a solution for “chronic halitosis” — a then obscure medical term for bad breath. Listerine’s new ads featured forlorn young women and men, eager for marriage but turned off by their mate’s rotten breath.” By 1985 Listerine had been accepted by the American Dental Association, and had already become a household name.

This bottle is one of the original designs from the late 1800’s, and was intended to be used as a surgical antiseptic. Fannie would treat just about any patient that came to her door, and remained up to date on all medical advancements, so this was likely something she used in her practice. This bottle is in great condition, despite a few sections of the original label having come off with use. This is a fascinating look into medical procedures in the 19th Century, and the Listerine company in general, and we are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at portraits of some of the women in the Delord house, and talking about one of our favorite topics, fashion. The first portrait we will be examining is that of Mahitable Nott Webb Deane. This portrait was painted in 1767, and depicts her in a beautiful mustard colored gown. The next picture we will be looking at is of Margeret Bloodgood in a white, empire-waisted, diaphanous gown typical of the Regency Era. And lastly, we’ll be looking at this portrait of Frances Delord Webb in a gray silk gown painted in 1833 in London. This gown is the epitome of Romantic Era fashion. Let’s learn a bit more about women’s fashions from the 1760’s to the 1830’s.

In the mid 1700’s women’s fashions were anything but tame. Bright colors and bold patterns were all the rage, and the fabric choices themselves were also decident. Stunning silks that were richly embroidered were all the rage, trimmed with silk and velvet bows, ruffles, and other decorative trims. The mid 1700’s was the height of the era’s fashions, everything was bigger and more bold. Women’s clothing styles emphasized a narrow, inverted conical torso, achieved with boned stays, above full skirts. Hoop skirts continued to be worn, reaching their largest size in the 1750s, and were sometimes replaced by side-hoops, also called ‘false hips’, or panniers. The usual fashion of the years 1750–1775 was a low-necked gown (usually called a robe), worn over a petticoat. Most gowns had skirts that opened in front to show the petticoat worn beneath. If the bodice of the gown was open in front, the opening was filled in with a decorative stomacher, pinned to the gown over the laces or to the stays beneath. By the 1780’s and 1790’s, women’s fashions were undergoing a dramatic shift. Women’s clothing styles maintained an emphasis on the conical shape of the torso while the shape of the skirts changed throughout the period. The wide panniers (holding the skirts out at the side) for the most part disappeared by 1780 for all but the most formal court functions, and false rumps (bum-pads or hip-pads) were worn for a time.

The nineteenth century opened with a fashion landscape that was changing dramatically and rapidly from the styles of a generation earlier. The French Revolution brought fashions that had been emerging since the 1780s to the forefront. Neoclassicism now defined fashion as both men and women took inspiration from classical antiquity. For women, the high-waisted silhouette in lightweight muslin was the dominant style. The color pallete was more muted and subtle, and the gowns that women wore were not adorned with heavy embroidery. But, like all things in fashion, this simplicity and return to natural form was to be short lived. This style dominated for around 20 years before the fashion tides began to shift again in the 1820’s. The waistlines began to settle more towards the natural waist rather than being directly under the bust. The 1820s were a transitional period away from the “Empire” silhouette and Neoclassical influences. Instead, Romanticism became the chief influence on fashion, as Gothic decoration lavished dresses and historicism inspired styles borrowed from past centuries. Layers of color and an increasingly exaggerated silhouette, for both men and women, created a style of dramatic display by the end of the decade. In the 1830s, fashionable women’s clothing styles had distinctive large ‘leg of mutton’ or gigot sleeves, above large full conical skirts, ideally with a narrow, low waist, achieved through a combination of corsetry to restrict the waist and full sleeves and skirts that made the waist appear smaller by comparison. Heavy stiff fabrics such as brocades were all the rage, and many 18th Century gowns were cut up and repurposed. The fashionable feminine figure, with its sloping shoulders, rounded bust, narrow waist and full hips, was emphasized in various ways with the cut and trim of gowns. Up to about 1835, the small waist was accentuated with a wide belt, as we can see here in the wedding portrait of Frances Henrietta, painted in 1832.

As you can see from the portraits in our collections, women’s fashion was ever changing, very much like fashion today. If you are interested in seeing these portraits in person, and learning more about women’s fashions in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, we open for the season May 23rd! Let us know in the comments which time period and which style of dress was your favorite! Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at a painting that was done sometime between 1832 and 1833. This painting is of British Parliamentarians and the King, and was done to commemorate the reforms to being made to Parliament and voting. This portrait is done on ceramic, which is then housed in a wooden frame. We believe that this piece was acquired by Frances Henrietta and her husband Henry Webb on their European honeymoon. The two traveled Europe in 1832 and 1833, with them being in England in 1833. Unfortunately, the piece is not signed, so we do not know who the artist was. Let’s learn a bit more about painting portraits on porcelain, and the reforms that this Parliament were making.

People have been painting on porcelain and pottery for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and romans decorated their pottery with portraits of heroes and gods. Their portraits were glorifying and idealistic, rather than trying to be realistic. Throughout the Middle Ages portraiture on pottery basically disappeared. In the 14th and 15th Centuries, during the Renaissance portrait painting on pottery began to come back into fashion. Portrait painting on porcelain really came into it’s heyday in the 18th Century. The bulk of the paintings on porcelain were miniatures, small pieces meant to be displayed on a pice of furniture or carried with you on your person, rather than hung on a wall. Our piece is large and framed, meaning it was meant to be hung and displayed on a wall.

So, what was so important about the reforms being made that a portrait was painted to commemorate it? In 1832, Parliament passed a law that changed the British electoral system. It was known as the Great Reform Act, which basically gave the vote to middle class men, leaving working men disappointed. The Reform Act became law in response to years of criticism of the electoral system from those outside and inside Parliament. Elections in Britain were neither fair nor representative. In order to vote, a person had to own property or pay certain taxes to qualify, which excluded most working class people. There were also constituencies with several voters that elected two MPs to Parliament, such as Old Sarum in Salisbury. In these ‘rotten boroughs’, with few voters and no secret ballot, it was easy for those standing for election to buy votes. Industrial towns like Manchester or Birmingham, which had grown during the previous 80 years, had no Members of Parliament to represent them. In 1831, the House of Commons passed a Reform Bill, but the House of Lords, dominated by the Tory party, defeated it. This was followed by riots and serious disturbances in London, Birmingham, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Exeter and Bristol and other cities throughout England.

This portrait is in very good condition. The frame is in rougher shape, and has had some repair work done to it. It is the original frame though, which is great. We’re not sure why Frances and Henry decided to purchase this painting and bring it back with them, but we’re glad they did. It is a fascinating glimpse into British history and we are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi everyone, and welcome back to another Artifact Corner. Today we will be looking at a small pin. We have quite a few brooches and pins in our collections, but this one is an absolute conundrum. Fannie Delord Webb Hall really liked brooches, and wore quite a few of them in different pictures, but we can’t find any information on this pin. The pin has a coat of arms on it, and some gold text. The text reads “Honi soit qui mal y pense,” which is Medieval French for ‘Shame on him who thinks evil of it.’ As it turns out, this is a Victorian era Order of the Garter pin. Why on earth do we have this pin in our collections? No member of the family was a member. Let’s learn a bit more about the Order of the Garter.

The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George Cross. The Order of the Garter is dedicated to the image and arms of Saint George, England’s patron saint. Appointments are at the sovereign’s sole discretion and are usually in recognition of a national contribution, for public service, or for personal service to the sovereign. There are numerous legends surrounding the origin story for the order of the garter. The most popular involves the “Countess of Salisbury”, whose garter is said to have slipped from her leg while she was dancing at a court ball at Calais. When the surrounding courtiers snickered, the king picked it up and returned it to her, exclaiming, “Honi soit qui mal y pense!” (‘Shame on him who thinks ill of it!’), the phrase that has become the motto of the Order. However, the earliest written version of this story dates from the 1460s, and it seems to have been conceived as a retrospective explanation. The use of the garter as an emblem may have derived from straps used to fasten armour, and may have been chosen because it held overtones of a tight-knit “band” or “bond” of knightly “supporters” of Edward’s cause.

Membership in the Order is strictly limited and includes the monarch, the Prince of Wales, not more than 24 companion members, and various supernumerary members. The monarch alone can grant membership. Monarchs are known as the Sovereign of the Garter, and the Prince of Wales is known as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter. Male members of the Order are titled “Knights Companion” and female members are called “Ladies Companion.” St. Georges Chapel in Windsor is the mother church of the Order of the Garter and the location of special services in relation to the Order. Every Monarch and Prince of Wales has been a member of the Order of the Garter from the late 1340’s to present day.

The Delord family was decidedly American and French. The family were very much on the side of the American cause during the War of 1812, with Henry and Betsey Delord being friends with the American commanders, and holding dinner parties for them. So, it seems a bit weird that the family would end up with an Order of the Garter pin in their possessions. We will continue to try to figure out the origins of the pins arrival, but for the time being, we’re just not sure. It is a beautiful pin, and in quite good condition. We are so lucky to have it in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by!

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at this Victorian pitcher and basin. It has a lovely cattail motif on both the pitcher and the basin. There is no makers mark on the bottom of either the pitcher or the basin, but it does have a number 48 carved into the bottom of the pitcher. We actually have two identical sets of these in our collections. The other set has has the number 110 on the bottom of that pitcher. These are likely the number of sets that were produced by the manufacturer. This type of porcelain is known as ironstone wear, or just called iron stone. Let’s learn a bit more about the material and how it’s made, and what life was like for the early Victorians without indoor plumbing.

Ironstone china, ironstone ware or most commonly just ironstone, is a type of vitreous pottery first made in the United Kingdom in the early 19th century. It is often classed as earthenware although in appearance and properties it is similar to fine stoneware. It was developed in the 19th century by potters in Staffordshire, England, as a cheaper, mass-produced alternative for porcelain. The original patent for ironstone, British Patent number 3724, from 1813 by Charles James Mason, is as follows: 4 parts china clay, 4 parts china stone, 4 parts calcined flint, 3 parts prepared ironstone and a trace of cobalt oxide. The goal was to make hearty pieces that would not break easily, and stand up to the daily rigors of household chores.

This beautiful pitcher and basin set was likely used every single morning and evening by members of the Delord family. Getting ready in the morning in a home with no plumbing or central heating was a lot more laborious than our morning routines. First and foremost, you needed warm water. The Victorians did not believe very hot or very cold water was good for you, so warm water it is. That meant building a fire or stoking the embers from the fire the night before. Once the water is warmed, you would put it in the pitcher, and bring it back to your basin. Now you can wash up for the day. Some women added flower petals to their water, like rose, lavender, or chamomile. This would not only perfume the water, making it smell nice, but would also act as an astringent. You would wash your face in the basin first, then use a damp washcloth to wash the rest of your body. Having a full bath was something that happened once or twice a month. Then it’s time to get dressed, and put your hair up. There is a common misconception that women did not wear makeup, and this is simply not true. Women in the Victorian Era wore makeup, but it was meant to be subtle. The fashion of the time was to have as natural a look as possible, and makeup was used to simply enhance your beauty. With all of that done, you were ready for the day. Once you were ready for bed, the pitcher and basin were filled with warm water again, and it was time to wash up.

This pitcher and basin are in fantastic condition. There are no chips or cracks to the pieces, a testament to just how hardy the ironstone wear is. There is some slight discoloration of the glaze, but that is not terribly uncommon for a piece of this age, that has received this much use. This set is a reminder of how lucky we are to have indoor plumbing and hot water on demand. We are so lucky to have these beautiful pieces in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to another artifact corner. Today we will be looking at this Victorian pitcher and basin. It has a lovely cattail motif on both the pitcher and the basin. There is no makers mark on the bottom of either the pitcher or the basin, but it does have a number 48 carved into the bottom of the pitcher. We actually have two identical sets of these in our collections. The other set has has the number 110 on the bottom of that pitcher. These are likely the number of sets that were produced by the manufacturer. This type of porcelain is known as ironstone wear, or just called iron stone. Let’s learn a bit more about the material and how it’s made, and what life was like for the early Victorians without indoor plumbing.

Ironstone china, ironstone ware or most commonly just ironstone, is a type of vitreous pottery first made in the United Kingdom in the early 19th century. It is often classed as earthenware although in appearance and properties it is similar to fine stoneware. It was developed in the 19th century by potters in Staffordshire, England, as a cheaper, mass-produced alternative for porcelain. The original patent for ironstone, British Patent number 3724, from 1813 by Charles James Mason, is as follows: 4 parts china clay, 4 parts china stone, 4 parts calcined flint, 3 parts prepared ironstone and a trace of cobalt oxide. The goal was to make hearty pieces that would not break easily, and stand up to the daily rigors of household chores.

This beautiful pitcher and basin set was likely used every single morning and evening by members of the Delord family. Getting ready in the morning in a home with no plumbing or central heating was a lot more laborious than our morning routines. First and foremost, you needed warm water. The Victorians did not believe very hot or very cold water was good for you, so warm water it is. That meant building a fire or stoking the embers from the fire the night before. Once the water is warmed, you would put it in the pitcher, and bring it back to your basin. Now you can wash up for the day. Some women added flower petals to their water, like rose, lavender, or chamomile. This would not only perfume the water, making it smell nice, but would also act as an astringent. You would wash your face in the basin first, then use a damp washcloth to wash the rest of your body. Having a full bath was something that happened once or twice a month. Then it’s time to get dressed, and put your hair up. There is a common misconception that women did not wear makeup, and this is simply not true. Women in the Victorian Era wore makeup, but it was meant to be subtle. The fashion of the time was to have as natural a look as possible, and makeup was used to simply enhance your beauty. With all of that done, you were ready for the day. Once you were ready for bed, the pitcher and basin were filled with warm water again, and it was time to wash up.

This pitcher and basin are in fantastic condition. There are no chips or cracks to the pieces, a testament to just how hardy the ironstone wear is. There is some slight discoloration of the glaze, but that is not terribly uncommon for a piece of this age, that has received this much use. This set is a reminder of how lucky we are to have indoor plumbing and hot water on demand. We are so lucky to have these beautiful pieces in our collections. Thanks so much for stopping by.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Sunny Morning by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7813-sunny-morning
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://cemmusicproject.wixsite.com/musiclibraryfiles