The natural reaction on the first encounter with Adams's "Bologna" pattern is "Hey, isn't that Venice?" The scenes are indeed dominated by canals and gondolas. Moreover, the border built upon a rhythmic wave pattern seems more suited to the Queen of the Adriatic than to the inland city of Bologna.

On our small platter that border in red frames a green transfer scene of romantic courtship. A well dressed beauty has been drawn onto her balcony by the sounds of music. On the canal below a suitor, mandolin in hand, utilizes a gondola as a floating stage from which to send his song of love to his intended. The contrast between border and center creates the impression of a framed picture.

The apparent confusion between Venice and Bologna is simply one example of the Midland potters' naive sense of geography. With increased copyright protection for printers, transferware producers who formerly filched published scenes of specific locales turned to imaginary scenes instead. Naturally this sort of geographical jumble increased in frequency. One always thinks of the pattern named "Pennsylvania" with its scene of prominent pagodas.