The objects seen here are souvenirs collected by Abby Knight McLane and her husband Allen McLane. The well-traveled couple is thought to have personally gathered the collection, which represents the kind of curio-cabinet collecting that occupied many Americans in the late 1800s.
Though each piece is unique, McLane’s souvenir collection is a typical mix of found objects and items with historical associations: a piece of a cedar doorpost from Government House in St. Augustine, Florida; a stone in the shape of an arrowhead from Mount Pony, near Culpeper, Virginia; “antediluvian oak” from a bog near Killarney, Ireland; a small white stone from the ruins of Pompeii, Italy; and a round metal fragment of the HMS Great Eastern, the ship used in the laying of the Atlantic Cable.
This transfer-printed creamware bowl was made by Fletcher Shelton of Staffordshire, England during the early 1800s. The interior base of the bowl depicts an American sailing ship. On the outside of the bowl are three transfer prints—two of George Washington and one of a boat on a canal. The first depicts George Washington stepping on a lion, representing his defeat of Great Britain. Second is a portrait of George Washington flanked by the allegorical figures of Liberty and Justice. Justice proclaims, -“Deafness to the Ear that will patiently hear & Dumbness to the tongue that will utter a Calumny against the immortal Washington.” Liberty is pointing to Washington as she says, “My Favorite Son.” Below the portrait is the statement, “Long live the president of the United States.” Both maritime designs and celebrations of George Washington are common themes on Liverpool creamware. Robert H. McCauley purchased this bowl from Sara B. Clutz of Gettysburg, PA on July 13, 1940 for $55.00.
This bowl is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
This transfer-printed creamware pitcher was made by Francis Morris of Shelton, England during the early 19th century. One side of the pitcher features a circular chain of sixteen links, each with a state’s name. Inside is an image of Liberty crowning a portrait of George Washington with laurels. The other side has a circular ribbon with states names written on it, enclosing a stanza from Joseph Addison’s 1701 poem “A Letter From Italy To The Right Honourable Charles Lord Halifax.” The stanza reads “O Liberty thou Goddess! / heav’nly bright, / Profuse of bliss / and pregnant with delight. / Eternal pleasures / in thy presence reign. / and smiling plenty leads / thy wanton train.” Lastly, under the spout is a small print of a sailor bidding farewell to a lady. The print is titled “Smuglers.” Robert H. McCauley purchased this pitcher from Mrs. Fred W. Austin of Weymouth, MA for $65.00 on May 31, 1939. Much of the transfer printed pottery of the period celebrates the life of Washington and the ideals of freedom and liberty.
This pitcher is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
By the 1950s, women comprised half of the voting electorate. To encourage their participation, campaigns produced inexpensive costume jewelry such as this pin featuring the symbol of the Republican Party and the familiar nickname of Republican presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower defeated Democratic challenger Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956.
The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children. The concept originated in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1858, and was revived for Lincoln’s campaign by the city’s young Republicans. Tailored oil-resistant enameled cloth capes distinguished the marchers, some of whom were too young to vote. Their example spread from Hartford to cities in the northeastern United States, which contributed traveling companies totaling some ten thousand uniformed men with torches to a Grand Procession in New York City on October 3, 1860. The martial spectacle—including fireworks, Lincoln “Wide Awake” transparencies, and floats—created envy among the city’s Democrats, and panic among southern sympathizers who regarded the torch-lit parade as a provocation.
Woodrow Wilson was governor of New Jersey when he became the 1912 Democratic presidential nominee. The only US president to hold a Ph.D., Wilson had previously been a professor of Political Science and president of Princeton University. This wooden nutcracker was an attempt to add a lighter touch to Wilson’s reputation as an intellectual and academic. He won a four-way race in 1912 defeating former president Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive), incumbent president William Howard Taft (Republican), and labor activist Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) who finished in that order.
This image, said to be the most popular poster design of World War II, appeared as a billboard in 1941. Carl Paulson created the design under the direction of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Inc., for a U.S. Treasury Department campaign promoting the widespread public ownership of defense bonds and stamps. To demonstrate the power of advertising while selling bonds, the billboard industry displayed this image of the American flag at more than 30,000 locations in some 18,000 cities and towns across the country in March and April 1942. The Treasury brought back the billboard for campaigns in July 1942 and 1943. To meet public demand for copies of the billboard, the Government Printing Office printed 4 million small color reproductions.
The Roosevelt quotation on this poster is from his fireside chat of May 27, 1941. In this radio address he proclaimed "an unlimited national emergency" to strengthen the nation's defense in response to the threat of a "world war" growing from the "advance of Hitlerism." In particular, he said "the delivery of needed supplies to Britain is imperative. I say that this can be done; it must be done; and it will be done."
William Jennings Bryan was only 36 years old when he became the Democratic presidential candidate in 1896, the youngest major party nominee in history. The text printed on this campaign ribbon is from the conclusion of his "Cross of Gold" speech delivered at the National Democratic Convention in Chicago, Illinois on July 9, 1896. This speech won him his party's nomination and is widely regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American political history. The "16 to 1" refers to the Democratic Party's "free silver" policy position to move the nation from the gold to the silver standard. Bryan was a leading voice for the belief that a silver-to-gold coin ratio of 16:1 as the currency standard would lead to national economic prosperity after the Economic Panic of 1893.
This 1906 Christmas postcard features photographs of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, US President Theodore Roosevelt, and Emperor Meiji of Japan. Earlier that year, Roosevelt had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War. According to the Nobel Foundation, "Roosevelt was the first statesman to be awarded the Peace Prize, and for the first time the award was controversial."