Washbowl, “Hadley’s Falls Hudson River” pattern from the “Picturesque Views” Series by Ralph and James Clews, Cobridge, Staffordshire, England, c. 1823, earthenware. Richard Crouch Collection on loan to The Montpelier Foundation. Photo by Larry Bouterie.

As a former British colony, the newly formed United States relied heavily on imported British goods to supply its growing consumer base. The 19^th British ceramics industry was perfectly poised to meet this demand with mass-produced, reasonably priced, decorative transfer-printed wares. Pottery makers created patterns designed to appeal to American tastes and patriotic sentiments. This presentation will examine British transferware forms and popular decorative patterns created for and used by American consumers at many socio-economic levels, in both home and commercial settings.

About the Speaker

Leslie Lambour Bouterie, a native of New Orleans, is a career educator, history enthusiast, independent scholar, and self-avowed ceramics addict. Extensive travels, which exposed her to renowned collections of china, fueled her passion for ceramics, especially 18^th and 19^th century British transferware.

While residing in the Washington, DC area, she worked in the field of museum education and interpretation and held positions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Hillwood Museum and Gardens, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Now living in Charlottesville, VA, she serves as the Visiting Curator of Ceramics at James Madison’s Montpelier, assisting the Archaeology and Curatorial Departments, and as an independent consultant to museums and historic sites. In her role as a Visiting Scholar at Colonial Williamsburg, she examines artifacts from archaeological excavations: identifying, researching and documenting transfer-printed ceramics. Leslie volunteers with education and public engagement programs and beekeeping efforts at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and at James Monroe’s Highland.

She currently serves on the boards of the American Ceramic Circle and the Transferware Collectors Club, and is also a member of The Spode Society, The Society for Historical Archaeology, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, and several museums and historic sites. She has written articles for numerous publications, speaks regularly about British ceramics at national and international conferences, and is an annual lecturer for public programs offered by the Archaeology Department of Montpelier.