Maker: Francis Morley & Co.; Staffordshire, England; ca.1850; ironstone; pattern name: "Lake"; view of Rideau Canal, Bytown. CMC 978.135.1

During the nineteenth century, transfer printed earthenware was the type of ceramic in most common use. Less expensive than hand-painting of ceramics, transfer printing produced pleasing results on pearlware and ironstone. Printing a design under the glaze -- a partly automated process -- enabled the creation of a vast range of designs that owed much to Chinese motifs, in portraying landscapes that were likely to be known by consumers. This plate shows the Rideau Canal emptying into the Ottawa River.