English Advertising Pots...What is all the rage?
Where were you when you fell in love with English Advertising Pottery? For me, it was in 2015 at an open air flea market in Ohio. Looking through one vendor's booth I saw this white pot, full of staining and crazing with a striking black graphic. When I put my hand on it, it felt substantial and the Dundee Marmalade imprint was striking. The price was right too, just a few dollars. I had to have it.
Once home I began researching this pot I found its origin. It dated back to the early 1900s Victorian Era, once held orange marmalade and was from the United Kingdom. I was surprised at its good condition, especially for being over 100 years old!
Digging deeper, I discovered these pots are now highly collectible and finding them “in the wild” for a pittance was an incredible find. These ironstone pots were once used to hold food, elixirs, medicines, toothpaste, ink and ginger beer.
Once the contents were emptied, they were discarded into the tips (trash dump) of London and buried. Since they were made of ironstone and glazed pottery they could not be burned. So off to tips and where they got buried and slept under the pressure of the earth for decades.
Enthusiasts and excavators began finding these pieces of history and have been unearthing them and reviving them for the past 50 years. Most often, they are found stained from the soil, cracked, and in many cases with a beautiful crazing effect. All of which creates the perfect patina and gives these pots much character.
Today, most of the dumps have been emptied and now finding pots, especially Marmalade Pots are becoming more difficult due to demand.
They are certainly historical treasures and if you find one, “out in the wild”, you might just want to go buy a lottery ticket!
