One of the great moments celebrated in any parents' (and often grandparents') lives is baby's first step, and those clever Staffordshire potters--never ones to miss an opportunity--have commemorated that moment in their "Baby" alphabet plate.  In the scene, the little one looks back at us over her shoulder as she grabs onto a rocking chair to support those first unsteady steps.

The pattern is executed in blue transfer with freely brushed enamel highlights. Particularly striking are the stripes of red, blue, ochre, and green that give "Baby" quite a colorful frock.

Raised alphabet letters fill the flat flange that frames the sentimental scene.

While we have no attribution for the maker of "Baby," we note that it shares the almost identical blank, transfer, and enamel style with the better known "London Occupations" series.