EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: 19th Century Stoneware Jug Manufactured to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore

Monday, July 15, 2019

19th Century Stoneware Jug Manufactured to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore

Last month, while visiting the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, I viewed this highly unusual example of locally made nineteenth century stoneware. At first, I thought it was a waster that had been warped inside of the kiln. But as I read the information displayed with it, I learned that this form was actually done on purpose by the potter.

According to the Maryland Historical Society, "Baltimore stoneware manufacturer M. Perine & Son (1838-1928) produced unusually formed jugs like this to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore. In addition to the date and retailer's name, it is inscribed "Gen. Ross" for British Major General Robert Ross (1766-1814), the most legendary casualty of the engagement."

I do not know how many of these commemorative pieces survive today; this is the only example that I know about. Although, aside from this jug, the Maryland Historical Society owns the original manuscripts from the Perine family potters in Baltimore, including daybooks, workbooks, business and household account books, recipes, and miscellaneous records.

Nevertheless, the Battle of Baltimore, which took place September 12-14, 1814 was a battle fought by land and sea during the War of 1812, and propelled American lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) to write the Star Spangled Banner.

Following Washington, D.C.'s burning by British forces in the summer of 1814, the Brits advanced to Baltimore, where the British forces were met by American resistance. The battle was fought for two days by land and sea.

"Watching the bombardment from Baltimore harbor was Francis Scott Key, who had been detained on a British ship throughout the attack. When he spotted the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry at dawn on September 14, signaling that the Americans had not been defeated, he wrote a poem, completed later that day at a Baltimore hotel. Called the "Defense of Fort M'Henry," it became the lyrics of the United State national anthem."

Should anyone reading this have the opportunity to visit the Maryland Historical Society, I highly recommend it just for the museum's display of artifacts and decorative arts related to the Battle of Baltimore. But the museum's collection contains a lot more material than just that. However, I would also like to learn if many of these type of commemorative jugs or even other forms are in existence today - although, like I wrote, this is the only example that I can recall seeing.

Stoneware Jug Commemorating the Battle of Baltimore