Collecting Transferware: A Brief History, Tips and Patterns
The resurgence of French antiques and the Shabby Chic trend has
brought toile and transferware back into the forefront of home decorating again! Although toile refers to type of
fabric pattern, and transferware refers to a style of collectible ceramics, the two are quite similar and are often
seen paired together. For example, a kitchen wall featuring a collection of transferware plates is often complemented
by toile window treatments or wallpaper. In addition, toile and transferware patterns have cropped up in the most
unusual places, on clocks, desk accessories, and even pet bowls! But let us begin with a bit of history.
A Brief History of Transferware
"English transferware" refers to ceramics (china, ironstone, etc.) which has been glazed using a specific
decorative treatment, and traditionally produced in Staffordshire, England.
Popular manufacturers of transferware include Spode, Ridgway, Adams, Clews, Johnson Brothers, and Wedgwood.
The transfer printing process was developed by John Sadler and Guy Green of Liverpool in 1756.
The process uses copper plates on which a pattern or design is etched. The copper plate is inked and the pattern
"transferred" to a special tissue. The inked tissue is then laid onto a bisque-fired ceramic item, which is then glazed and fired again.
Initially, patterns were transferred to the ceramic items after glazing, but the ink often wore off.
This "underprinting" is characteristic to transferware; if you look closely at a transferware item, you can often see where the transfer design ends.
Often these are the areas where the pattern doesn't quite match.
The transfer printing process caught on quickly was later adopted by Josiah Wedgwood to create
his popular, ivory based "Creamware". Prior to the development of transfer printing, only the most affluent English
families could afford complete dinnerware sets, becyase every dish was carefully handpainted by an artisan and thus, very
expensive. Transfer printing allowed hundreds of sets of plateware to be produced in a fraction of the time and cost of their
handpainted counterparts, and allowed middle-class families to have both utilitarian and decorative pieces for their homes.
Transfer printing was originally produced in single-color items only, with the favorite hues in blue, red, black, brown,
purple and green. Brown tended to be rather a common and inexpensive color, while blue was the most
sought after and expensive color. Later, technology developed to allow double or triple color transfers. Often, the rim of a plate was in one color and the center design in another.
The first transferware patterns were inspired by the Orient, often featuring pagods; Cobalt Blue pieces exported from China were favorites among the Victorians in particular,
perhaps to designate wealth as only the affluent could afford to travel to the East.
Commemorative wares depicting scenes of historical significance, like royal coronations or the launching of ships, were also
popular. Pastoral themes featured scenes of rural life, farming, cattle, and animals. Today, the most identifiable transferware patterns are French-inspired and romantic, often featuring a woman in a long dress
with a parasol, with a young suitor by her side, placed in a garden or gazebo.
Tips on Collecting Transferware
When collecting transferware, you may be curious as to how to date an original. Dating and identifying
pieces can be simple, if the items were registered under the British system (similar to the copyright system in the United
States). From 1842 to 1883, English items carried a diamond shaped mark which could be deciphered to reveal the
actual day a pattern was registered. After 1884, the registry adopted a single number series, e.g., "Rd. No. 12342",
which today can be used to determine a pattern registration date to within approximately one year.
Registration numbers greater than 360,000 indicate a date after 1900. Other marks that can provide clues to the
date of a piece were printed, incised or impressed, stamped, or hand-painted onto items. The word "Limited" (or an abbreviation
such as "Ld." or "Ltd.") in the pottery firm's name indicates a date after 1860 and was not generally used until the 1880s.
Any piece having the word "Trade Mark" was manufactured after the Trade Mark Act of 1862, and generally
denote a manufacture date after 1875. The word "England" often appeared on items after 1891 to comply with the Mckinley
Tariff Act. "Made In England" indicates 20th Century origins. Unmarked items, as you might imagine, can be more
difficult to trace in terms of their origin, but you can often make an educated guess based on the type of body,
glaze, styling and decoration technique. Today, many popular manufacturers produce transferware, as well as
have re-relased their popular patterns of the past. For example, learn more about one of our favorite English
manufacturers, by visiting the official Spode History site.
Decorating with Transferware
Transferware (especially paired with toile fabrics) make beautiful accent pieces for your kitchen. Remember to always group similar items together
based on color or theme. Try hanging a collection of varied black and white transferware plates, for example,
on a plain wall using plate hangers adorned with black satin ribbons. Or group traditional blue transferware plates on
a blank wall, and then accent with transferware pitchers and other pieces arranged below. Or dress up a countertop or niche above
your cupboards by displaying a transferware vase, saucer or gravy boat, paired with a few plates. For your kitchen table,
try displaying a single transferware pitcher filled with fresh flowers as a centerpiece, and then complement the look
with toile placemats in the same color scheme.
You can also use toile and transferware in other areas of the home. A
transferware milk jug is a perfect vase for flowers on a bedside table or bath, and toile makes a lovely, Shabby Chic statement
as a bedspread or slipcover material. Use toile on upholstered furniture for a regal yet casual look. Toile
has a special quality about it that expresses elegance without being too formal or fancy. You can always feel free
to mix toile with items from a thrift shop or a flea market. Wherever your creativity takes you, toile and transferware will undoubtedly
add a peaceful, pastoral feel to any room of your house.
A Gallery of 19th Century Transferware Patterns - Blue
Looking for the perfect transferware pattern to adorn a blank wall in your kitchen or provide
a Victorian country table setting? Our gallery of transferware patterns from renowned manufacturers such as
Spode, Johnson Brothers, and Villeroy & Boch, can help you get started in collecting transferware pieces.
Note that some of these patterns may have been reissued in other colors. Click on the thumbnails to view a larger picture of each pattern.
Looking for the perfect transferware pattern to adorn a blank wall in your kitchen or provide
a Victorian country table setting? Our gallery of transferware patterns from renowned manufacturers such as
Spode, Johnson Brothers, and Villeroy & Boch, can help you get started in collecting transferware pieces. Note
that some of these patterns may have been reissued in other colors.
Click on the thumbnails to view a larger picture of each pattern.
