Wedgwood's "Edinburgh" stands among those aesthetic era compositions that center on a print that appears to be mounted onto the plate surface--in this case a nighttime village scene (certainly not the Scottish metropolis). The view is set off by an exotic pot--it appears to be tooled brass of eastern origin--containing brilliant red peonies. The framed village view appears to stand, improbably, upon a grassy bank, shaded by a branch of happily chirping sparrows. Additional blossoms in pink and blue accent the study.

Lest the Japanesque nature of this eclectic composition slip away, Wedgwood finishes the plate with its "Mikado" border highlighted in yellow.  "Mikado" is probably Wedgwood's most frequently employed Japan-style element.

Wedgwood's "Edinburgh" pattern speaks to two late Victorian obsessions.  The pot holding the peonies demonstrates the late Victorian interest in the exotic objects, whether Japanese, Indian or Middle Eastern.  Yet the obsession with the simple life -- in contrast to the rigors of urban living --  is also exemplified by the scattered flowers, titmice and quiet, rural nightscape. 

Wedgwood does not succumb to Emerson's "hobgoblin" of "foolish consistency" with this pattern. It occurs not only with variations in color, but also spelling. Printed backstamps give the pattern name with and without the final "h".