The main body surface of this Doulton Lambethware camp kettle, is decorated with continuous circles which have been gilded. Combined with the deep blue enamel this creates a bold, bright design. The shape of this camp was in use by the factory, in stoneware, at the end of the 19th century ( see CER 3801-1901) as was the use of this gilded circle technique. The firm revived the technique with brighter, striking results in the 1920s.
Royal Doulton began in Lambeth, London, in 1815 when John Doulton manufactured ceramic items such as stoneware bottles and sewer pipes. The Victorian revolution in hygiene and sanitation ensured its success, and Doulton's later produced tableware and commemorative items. They moved to Burslem in The Potteries in 1882, added porcelain to their production two years later and were granted a Royal Warrant in 1901. The Lambeth works, where this camp kettle was made c.1920, continued in production until 1956.