Little Miss May Puzzle

This child’s tea set pattern is one of the Little Miss May Series (sometimes spelled Mae). It is marked “MAY” on the back. Produced c. 1890 by Charles Allerton & Sons (1832–1942) in Longton, Staffordshire, the scene of a girl standing in the garden with an apronful of eggs is presented in a round cartouche in the Aesthetic style. Flowers surround the center pattern, and a leafy border completes the picture. The other two patterns in this series in the database are “Little Girl with Big Dog” and “Little May with Pets.” The three patterns in the series each have a different border. “Little Girl with a Big Dog” features varying sized cartouches of varying subjects juxtaposed around a larger central cartouche picturing a child with an arm around a dog. “Little Mae with Pets” features a child sitting on a doorstep holding a cat in her lap while another cat drinks milk from a saucer at the feet, and a dog sits patiently at her side. The registration marks on the patterns show dates for 1887, 1888, and 1890. According to a published source, when Charles Allerton became a grandfather, he created a series of transferware patterns featuring Little May as she grew up. Pieces of this pattern are known in blue, pink, black, and green. In the TCC Database, the pattern numbers are 3493, 1776, and 1774.

Photo courtesy of eBay seller PattisVintageStuff