File:American homes and gardens (1911) (17532501804).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar81911newy (find matches)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening
Publisher: New York : Munn and Co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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i78 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS May, 1911 things that one might trump up in their imagination which Dr. Syntax did not do, according to this simple, old-fash- ioned tale. He seems to have had his share of experiences with horses, as he sold and traded frequently in these, and in one of the pictures some one had palmed off on him a blind horse, which is represented as rushing madly into a stage coach with Dr. Syntax on his back, terribly fright- ened and minus his wig, which had been jostled off. It seems to have been during this tour that Dr. Syntax decided that he would marry a second time, so in the third volume, published May 1st, 1821, we see on the title page the "Third Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of a Wife." As far as I have been able to discover he did not have very good luck at first in rinding a wife, although he seems to have interviewed a great many people with this object in view. Finally, he advertised for a wife, and there is an illustration showing the doctor standing in a room, sur- rounded by a crowd of females, all of them struggling for supremacy. It was about the year 1820, or a little later, that the Staffordshire potters in England commenced to decorate their china with popular subjects, and inasmuch as the story of Dr. Syntax had awakened widespread interest through- out England, these Staffordshire potters reproduced on their plates and platters the most interesting of Rowlandson's drawings. The author of the Syntax poem was 80 years old at the time of the publication *of the third volume. His identity is not positively known. Modern editions of the Dr. Syntax poem, ascribe the authorship to William Combe. In the Syntax poem there are eighty colored illustrations by the artist, caricaturist, and "well-known print seller of the Strand," T. Rowlandson, to whom we have already re- ferred. Thirty-seven of these views have been reproduced on Staffordshire ware. There may be others which have not yet been discovered. Collectors are interested in this series, because of their rarity and because they are among the most perfect specimens of dark blue printing to be found. The rarest Syntax piece, without doubt, is "Dr. Syntax Entertained at College." I only know of the existence of one, which is in my own collection. I have heard rumors that there was another, but have never been able to locate it. Next in importance and rarity comes the large "Har- vest Home" platter. At the Burritt sale, several years ago, in the American Art Rooms in New York, one sold for $470. Since that time I have not heard of one being of- fered for sale. The "Harvest Home" scene occurs also on a large punch bowl. "Dr. Syntax and the Gypsies," which appears on the sides of a soup tureen, and also on three cup plates, is another rare view. The unusual picture, "The Banns For- bidden," appears on the cover of this tureen, and I have never seen it on any other piece of blue ware. The three cup plates making up the picture of "Dr. Syntax and the Gypsies" are very hard to find. Separately they are worth about $35 each. Together the three are worth $150. Next in rarity to the pieces mentioned are the platters: "Dr. Syntax Sells Griggles," "Pat in the Pond," "Noble Hunt- ing Party"; and the plates: "Dr. Syntax Sketching the Lake," "Dr. Syntax Setting Out on His First Tour," "Dr. Syntax Setting Out on His Second Tour." The plates in colors, three of which are shown in the illustration, are not exact reproductions of the Rowlandson drawings. They belong to a later period. The work is crude and the maker is unknown. They are very hard to find., Although only thirty-seven Syntax pictures have been printed on blue Staffordshire plates there are a great many varieties of these pictures. For example, "Dr. Syntax Sketching the Lake" appears on a small plate, the back- ground being white, the border having a decoration of pale green and white rosettes, and the picture itself in the center of the plate being the regular Staffordshire blue. This same scene appears on the ladle of a gravy boat. A num- ber of the Syntax views appears on plates with different borders, showing that some other potter besides Clews undertook to reproduce these Rowlandson pictures. Some of the scenes will occur on a platter, also on a plate, and again on a gravy boat or in the bottom of a soup tureen. Collectors usually accept these different varieties, and con- sider them distinctive pieces in their collections. Note.—Mr. Hudnut will continue his paper on Dark Blue Staffordshire in the Tune issue of American Homes and Gardens. It will be illustrated by the historical plates depicting American scenes.
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