Plate thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Plate

ca. 1832 - 1857 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The plate documents the practice pursued by some of the smart London retailers of having their name printed on wares made to their order, rather than that of the manufacturer. This dish has the trade mark of J. Allsup of 16 St Paul's Church Yard, ca. 1837 - 1852. St Paul's Church Yard had been a centre for the London ceramic retail trade since at least the early eighteenth century. For factories that didn't have a dedicated London show room their network of retail businesses in the capital was highly important. These retailers supplied ceramics to extremely discerning customers for whom shopping had become more than just a leisurely pastime. There were around 20 leading retailers in the early-19th century and Allsup of was remembered by a writer in the Pottery Gazette in 1885 as one of 'The China and glass Dealers of London half a century ago'.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Transfer-printed bone china
Brief description
Plate, bone china plate, probably manufactured by Grainger & Co., probably Worcester, ca. 1832 - 1857
Physical description
Dinner plate, of undecorated bone china. On the front rim there is a trace of a gilded crest of a standing lion, gilding having rubbed away, and the transfer-printed retailer's mark in red of 'J. ALLSUP / 16 St Paul's Church Yard / LONDON' on the reverse.
Dimensions
  • Whole height: 2.7cm
  • Whole diameter: 26cm
Marks and inscriptions
'J. ALLSUP / 16 St Paul's Church Yard / LONDON' (On the reverse.)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Robert Courtenay Stones
Summary
The plate documents the practice pursued by some of the smart London retailers of having their name printed on wares made to their order, rather than that of the manufacturer. This dish has the trade mark of J. Allsup of 16 St Paul's Church Yard, ca. 1837 - 1852. St Paul's Church Yard had been a centre for the London ceramic retail trade since at least the early eighteenth century. For factories that didn't have a dedicated London show room their network of retail businesses in the capital was highly important. These retailers supplied ceramics to extremely discerning customers for whom shopping had become more than just a leisurely pastime. There were around 20 leading retailers in the early-19th century and Allsup of was remembered by a writer in the Pottery Gazette in 1885 as one of 'The China and glass Dealers of London half a century ago'.
Collection
Accession number
C.117-2012

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2013
Record URL
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