White oval ceramic pap boat shaped invalid feeder decorated with hand painted deep blue Delft decoration in the 'onion' pattern with gilt trim along opening, one side of handle edge and a pair of lines from opening to spout; single open handle on back with spout pointing straight ahead; without man…
White oval ceramic pap boat shaped invalid feeder decorated with hand painted deep blue Delft decoration in the 'onion' pattern with gilt trim along opening, one side of handle edge and a pair of lines from opening to spout; single open handle on back with spout pointing straight ahead; without manufacturers marks; spout opening is part of body; unglazed base.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Collected by Maryanne Szuck and Alice Roeder.
Dates
1930
1960
circa 1930-1960
Date Remarks
Research
Material
ceramic: white
ink: blue
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-D1-3 Box #1
Length
18.3 cm
Width
7.2 cm
Height
6.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Handle previously broken off and repaired; 2.7 cm crack under glaze at edge of opening
Copy Type
original
Reference Types
Documents
Book
eBook
Internet
Reference Comments
Allison, Eileen Michael. Ceramic Invalid Feeders, Pap Boats, and Baby Bottles of the 19th & Twentieth Century. Canada: E.M. Allison, 1997.
Campbell, Gordon. The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006. 2006. Accessed August 18, 2016. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195189483.001.0001/acref-9780195189483
Patelisova, Helena. "The Layers of a Blue Onion." 3NTA. April 25, 2015. Accessed August 19, 2016. http://www.3nta.com/the-layers-of-a-blue-onion/.
Donor file
Research Facts
Collected by Maryanne Szuck and sister Alice Roeder who was a nurse. The large collection was made up of invalid feeders, hot water bottles, eye washers, bedpans, and female urinals.
Invalid feeders were made for both infants and adults. Originally sold for home health care purposes, they were ornately decorated and gilded, often with transfer prints and gilding. Many of these transfer prints were cheaper to produce and became popular in the 19th century. The most common color is blue, and often the same transfer print patterns can be found on popular dinner sets. All prints were applied to the feeders prior to glazing. These transfer patterns were often not shape specific. The results of general print patterns are overlapping areas or areas where a pattern that was split is showing to accommodate the shape of the feeder. Plain invalid feeders were often white and produced for home health care for the poor. By the late 19th and early 20th century, painting ceramics became a popular pastime for women in United States of America, and England. This influence produced a resurgence in hand painted invalid feeders, and popularity in plain white ceramic feeders. Many of the plain feeders were painted in homes or establishments, and once completed sent back to the manufacturer for firing. These are often identified because of the shade of blue is different and less bright than the shade used in print pattern transfers. The invalid feeders produced after the 19th century that were plain mark the shift of the invalid feeder to a more utilitarian purpose for professional use by nurses in hospitals. There were many manufacturers of invalid feeders marketing similar products for babies and adults. These manufactures would sometimes mark the feeder with a logo, the shape number, pattern number, and where it was made.
There are many different shapes for invalid feeders. Some of the shapes are defined as infant or invalid feeders, however it seems that each manufacture used both terms interchangeably. The boat shaped, which looks very similar to a gravy boat, originally evolved from the pap boat shape. It has a straight spout, main opening in the top, and an open handle in the back.
The design, like other medical ceramic ware, was decorated in the popular Blue Onion or Strawflower designs. The origins of this popular pattern originated from high quality Chinese porcelain decorated in cobalt designs. This tradition of blue and white porcelain dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries. When the wealthy Dutch and European merchants began exporting these wares back to Europe, the Meissen Porcelain Manufacturer began producing inspired blue ware called “onion china”. Many other manufacturers followed suit to produce the highly popular design, and the name evolved to blue onion. Each manufacturer had its own variation of the blue onion design. The original Chinese design was actually a floral design with pomegranates and peaches. These designs were so popular on all types ceramic and porcelain ware, that manufacturers produced transfer pattern outlines to reduce production time.
Majority of the invalid boat feeders produced in the 19th century were ceramic. Ceramics in an ambiguous term as it can signify an artefact made out of multiple kinds of clay, and different firing techniques. Ceramic can also be used to signify clay ware that has been fired at temperatures less then 500 °C. One of the many types of ceramic ware that falls under this umbrella term is porcelain. The term porcelain is incorrectly used interchangeably with ceramics. Porcelain ware is from fine white clay, it is characteristically fired below 1300 °C, and is translucent. In addition, to appearance it is generally very hard, durable, and makes a distinct ringing noise when tapped. Like the term ceramics, there are types of artefacts that fall under the term porcelain, such as fine china and bone china.
Invalid feeders are designed to provide liquid or semi solid nourishment in time of illness or incapacity. There are many different shapes for invalid feeders. Some of the shapes are defined as infant or invalid feeders, however it seems that each manufacture used both terms interchangeably. The boat shaped, which looks very similar to a gravy boat, originally evolved from the pap boat shape. It has a straight spout, main opening in the top, and an open handle in the back. This is also known as an infant feeder prior to the development of baby milk bottles. Manufacturers would market this item as both invalid and infant feeders depending on the market they are targeting.