Supplying ceramics

I have re-discovered the digitised copy of Boston china importer – D.B. Stedman & Co – from the Library of Congress. The company supplied china and glassware to the hoteliers of Boston.

Their address of 80 & 82 Broad Street is directly opposite the now Hotel Dagny. The hotel was not a customer, absent from being listed in the catalogue at time of printing in 1861.

Why rediscovered? I’m a voracious reader of magazines and if they cover antiques, home decor or ceramics, I’ll while away the next few hours.

Ceramics in America has now captured my attention. A particular article, War and Pots: The Impact of Economics and Politics on Ceramic Consumption Patterns by George L. Miller and Amy C. Earls studies the tastes of the time and what drove them.

Evidence from the nineteenth century suggests that oversupply and falling prices drove changing consumption patterns, yet little documentation and analysis of quantified data have been presented.

Looks to be a fascinating read.