- Alfred Fenton & Co.
- Cashmere, c. 1887-1890
- Earthenware
- 7 in (17.78 cm)
-
Not For Sale
Pitcher, 7 inches tall. Blue transfer. Printed maker's mark for Alfred Fenton & Co. This all-over sheet pattern of flowers and berries has two prominent cartouches at the neck of the pitcher which contain ferns and flowers. The pattern is the same on both sides. The continuous diamond border is found inside the rim and on the handle. This pattern is also known in brown. An identical pattern ("Cashmere") was also used by J.F. Wileman at an earlier date.
The partners were Alfred Fenton and his three sons: James Tunstall Fenton, Arthur Fenton, and John Fenton. They had interests in Australia and New Zealand as china, earthenware and glass merchants. Alfred and his sons Arthur and John apparently lived in Australia and looked after the business there and James ran the Hanley, England manufacturing company. John Fenton left the business in 1893 and the other members took steps to remove him from the partnership. It may have been in 1893 that the title changed to '& Co' instead of '& Sons.' It appeared that James did not run the English company well and concealed losses from his family in Australia. The business ran into financial difficulties and in January 1899 an official receiver was appointed by the court. The business continued until 1901. A dividend was paid by the trustees in March 1901 and it is likely that this is when the business closed.
- Subject Matter: Aesthetic (Floral & Botanical)
- Collections: Aesthetic Transferware, Alfred Fenton & Co.