Park Theatre, New York Dark Blue Dinner Plate

Circa 1825-1835: The handsome oak leaf and acorn border dark blue historical Staffordshire transferware series contains over twenty-five American views, most of them architectural in nature, was manufactured by Ralph Stevenson, Ralph Stevenson & Williams, and Ralph Stevenson & Son, depending on the date produced. This example of the 10" dinner plate is only stamped on the back and dooes not have the RSW mark; so it was most probably not produced by the short-lived firm of Stevenson and Williams but rather by Ralph Stevenson himself or Stevenson in partnership with his son. The theatre was opened in 1798, but as R.T. Haines Halsey explains on page 55 of Pictures of Early New York on Dark Blue Staffordshire Pottery, "in 1820 the interior of the original theatre was completely burned out" and "was almost immediately rebuilt by the owners, Messrs. Beekman and Aster." Halsey describes the building as "eighty feet in length, one hundred and sixty-five feet in depth, and fifty-five feet high" and "contructed of brick covered with an oil cement, which gave it the appearance of the brown free-stone so largely used for building purposes." This plate is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks or repairs and only a few typical light knife marks on the face and minor expected shelf wear on the bottom.