This white ironstone, raised letter, A-B-C plate features a view of hard farm work as its...

This white ironstone, raised letter, A-B-C plate features a view of hard farm work as its subject. A group of African American workers, men, women and children, gather cotton out in the fields. Clues to the workers' poverty are provided by the shoeless feet of the foreground group and the bare shoulders of the men in the chest high fields. Green, pink, blue and ochre enamels highlight the black transfer printing.

Given the period of this plate, the decades following the American Civil War, it is uncert...

Given the period of this plate, the decades following the American Civil War, it is uncertain to what degree this subject was linked to the issue of slavery. Workers in various settings were typical subjects for juvenile plates. Given the strong abolitionist tradition in Britain, however, it is impossible for the plate not to have stirred poignant feelings on behalf of the workers.