Name/Title
Adams porcelain thimbleEntry/Object ID
2021.1.203Description
White porcelain thimble with rural "Cattle Scenery" in red. Part of the Franklin Mint "Thimbles of the World’s Greatest Porcelain Houses" series.
Retailer description: "The 'English Scenic' design which decorates this collector’s thimble was called 'Cattle Scenery' at the time of its introduction approximately 100 years ago. The pattern, specially hand engraved for the thimble, is carried out in the traditional Adams pink. The thimble itself is handcrafted and, as far as can be traced, is the very first to be produced by the Adams company. The Adams name is among the oldest in the porcelain industry, dating back to 1657 when John Adams rebuilt Brick House in Burslem, England as a pottery. In the late 18th or early 19th century, William Adams began his experiments in copper-plate printing. Although the process had been used in England as early as 1753, Adams was the first at attempt it in North Staffordshire. At that time the secret of this technique was so jealously guarded that two of the Adams craftsmen employed in copper-plate printing worked in a locked room. Many of Adams’ most popular tableware patterns are still produced by a refinement of this same process and are the direct result of those early experiments. By 1818 the company had expanded to include five separate potteries in Stoke. William Adams then took his four sons into partnership, and the name of the firm became William Adams & Sons. Because of their growing export business, Adams opened offices in New York in 1821, returning to England with a number of American designs which were later issued in several colors, mainly pink and green."Collection
Marianne Kerr Thimble CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2021.1Source or Donor
Marianne KerrMade/Created
Date made
circa 1980Place
Country
England, United KingdomContinent
EuropeDimensions
Height
2.4 cmDiameter
2.7 cmLocation
Box
Box 19Cabinet
Object CabinetRoom
Studio