Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Commemorative Pitcher with Image of Lafayette and Washington
ca. 1824
Maker not marked
England
Stoneware
overall: 5-5/8"h x 7-1/2"wide handle to spout x 5-1/4"d
Special Acquisitions Fund
76.41.12

Small pitcher; Dudson-type commemorative jug; commemorating Lafayette's visit to the United States with raised figures in white on deep brown lustre; portrait of Lafayette entitled "Fayette, the Nation's Guest" on banners above and below one side of "Washington His Country's Father" in same manner on opposite side; the Seal of U.S. under the spout; upper rim design of grapes, vines and tendrils; foliate-form scrolled handle and foliate-form pouring spout.

Many Americans revered Lafayette as a living connection to the American Revolution, others admired him for his life-long devotion to the ideal of liberty. Seeking a tangible demonstration of their esteem for Lafayette, some American consumers purchased household items, like this pitcher, ornamented with his portrait, along with that of George Washington. Manufactured in England, ceramic objects like this pitcher were likely displayed with pride by their owners.