Rabbitware: Center Rabbits

The March Pattern of the Month features the second of four Rabbitware themes. Rabbitware, an uncommon transferware genre, was produced around the turn of the 20th century (some patterns possibly earlier) for the American market. It is a combination of transfer printing and stick sponge with hand painting. Forms produced include (primarily) plates, chargers, (rarely) oval platters, and (rarely) mugs, small jugs and a few additional, miscellaneous, forms. There are four pattern categories or series. Two series are anthropomorphic: Sports (featured in the February POM), and Vignette (pending). The two additional, much more common series, are Border Rabbits (also pending) and Center Rabbits (both series commonly but not always including frogs!). We’ll post examples of the third and fourth series in April and May. The maker of the current and two remaining series is unknown (only the maker of the Sports Series is known).

This example is one of five rabbit center patterns. The patterns vary in number and positions of the rabbits; whether a frog is present, or not; and whether trees and a fence are present in the background. All five patterns also appear within somewhat differing sponge/painted surrounds. The painter(s) obviously followed certain guidelines but were allowed a lot of creative freedom within these guidelines. The TCC Database of Patterns and Sources currently documents 12 Rabbitware patterns (simply search under “rabbitware”, with more due to be recorded. For more information, view the DB records and an introductory article on the subject by Siddall and Hoexter in the 2010 Vol. XI no. 1 TCC Bulletin, available to download.