https://emuseum.gardinermuseum.com/internal/media/dispatcher/9821/fullPlate with a view of the Ladies' Cabin, border with vignettes of steamships Acadia and Columbia (from the Boston Mails Series)1841-1851J. and T. EdwardsOverall: 1 5/16 × 10 1/4 in. (3.3 × 26 cm)Earthenware with blue transfer printThe Barbara and James Moscovich Collection of Canadian Historical ChinaG13.15.230Plate with a scene from the "Boston Mails" Series with a view from the Ladie's Cabin, border with vignettes of steamships, Acadia and Columbia
Boston Mails Series
The Boston Mails series depicts views of steamships from the British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company. In 1840 Canadian Samuel Cunard (1787-1865) of Halifax, Nova Scotia was the first to cross the Atlantic with a fleet of wooden paddle-wheelers – steam replaced sails – carrying the royal mails, and following regular schedules. Sir William Edward Parry awarded Cunard the £60 contract in 1830 because he promised to deliver the mail with a schedule and punctuality similar to the railway trains. Three different potters celebrated Cunard's achievements who formed a partnership with a Scotsman and built four ships: Britannia, Acadia, Caledonia and Columbia. Though reflecting contact with Boston, this pattern was popular in Canada, appearing in Toronto in the 1840s.
19th and early 20th Century CeramicsCeramics for the Canadian Market[]European CeramicsEnglish Earthenware1819105909EnglishImpressed Boston Mails above steamship