Availability of Ceramics in Sydney
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I'! ! , ' I I·1 , , . Not to be Excelled for Elegance or Utility: ' t~~j , 1~;:_ A Study of the 'Availability of Ceramics .' , ' ~:" : in Sydney 1803-1868 ~' d· '~r' ' , ' '. I • Megan Atkins Historical Archaeology IV University of Sydney. /.: I. 'i' , 1991 " , j.,. ! J > 1 1 l. , ' '. I I. .::' , .' ", , J . 'NATHANIEL M'CUlLOCK ... is happy in being enabled to announce that, through his extensive connexion, he has added, by the last arrivals, to his stock a splendid variety of EARTHENWARE of every description, not to be excelled for elegance or utility.' Sydney Herald 15 August 1833 Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Historical Archaeology IV University of Sydney November 1991 Supervisor: Judy Binrungham I I; , I i .....I , I l I i. 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I would like to thank the following people for their advice , and support throughout the year:- Judy Birmingham,Peter White,Roland Fletcher,John Clegg, I Dana Mider and Barbara Fitzroy. I would especially like to thank Andrew Wilson for his help with the illustrations presented in this thesis,as well as for all his ] encouragement and advice in the writing of this thesis. I I NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE AUTHOR. I ,I I ! ' i i . TABLE OF CONTENTS: pg. I.O.INTRODUCTION *1.1.CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR & MATERIAL CULTURE I *1.2.MARKET AVAILABILITY OF NINETEENTH CENTURY 4 CERAMICS 2.0.CONSTRUCTING THE MODEL:METHODOLOGY *2.I.S0URCES OF DATA 7 *2.2.SAMPLING PROCEDURES 7 *2.2.1.THE SYDNEY GAZETTE & N.S.W. 8 ADVERTISER *2.2.2.THE SYDNEY HERALD 9 *2.3.METHODS OF ACQUISITION 11 *2.4.LIMITS OF THE STUDY 13 *2.5.CONSTRAINTS 14 3.0.THE MODEL *3.1.INTRODUCTION 16 *3.2.DECORATIVE TYPES AVAILABLE IN SYDNEY c.1803 TO 1868 *3.2.1.STRUCTURE & CONSTRAINTS 18 *3.2.2.C.C.WARE 20 *3.2.3.QUEEN'S WARE 22 *3.2.4.WHITEWARE 23 *3.2.5.EDGED WARES 24 *3.2.6.SPONGED DECORATED WARES 28 *3.2.7.DIPT WARES 30 *3.2.8.PRINTED WARES 33 *3.2.9.BLUE PRINTED WARES 35 *3.2.10.BROWN PRINTED WARES 37 *3.2.11.GREEN PRINTED WARES 39 *3.2.12.FLOWING & FLOWING BLUE WARES 40 *3.2.13.FLOWING GREEN WARES 43 *3.2.14.MULBERRY WARE 44 *3.2.15.WILLOW WARE 46 *3.2.16.MARBLE WARES 49 *3.2.17.IRONSTONE CHINA WARES 51 *3.2.18.WHITE GRANITE WARES 53 '*3.2.19.PEARL WHITE WARES 54 *3.2.20.WHITE & GOLD WARES 56 *3.2.21.GOLD EDGE (& GOLD BAND WARES 59 *3.2.22.SPRIGGED OR SPRIG WARES 61 *3.2.23.BLUE SPRIGGED WARES 63 r - iii. *3.2.24.BLUE FIGURED WARES 64 *3.2.25.LUSTRE WARES 65 *3.3.SUMMARY:A MODEL OF AVAILABILITY OF 67 CERAMICS ADVERTISED FOR SALE IN SYDNEY c.1803 TO 1868. 4.0.TESTING THE MODEL *4.1.MILLER & THE AVAILABILITY & POPGLARITY 1 OF 19TH CENTURY ENGLISH CERAMICS. 71 *4.1.1.INTRODUCTION 72 *4.1.2.THE MODEL 74 I *4.1.3.DISCUSSION *4.2.THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE:CERAMICS FROM THE REGENTVILLE PRIVY DEPOSIT c.1825-1869. 77 *4.2.1.THE SITE & DEPOSIT 79 *4.2.2.AVAILABILITy,FASHIONABILITY & ASPECTS OF CONSUMERISM AT REGENTVILLE:SOME PRELIMINARY RESULTS S.O.DISCUSSION & COMMENT:THE CERAMIC MARKET IN THE COLONY OF N.S.W. c.1800-1870. 90 6.0.CONCLUSIONS 93 7.0.FURTHER AREAS OF RESEARCH 95 8.0.BIBLIOGRAPHY PLEASE NOTE:THE CERAMIC ADVERTISEMENTS USED IN THIS STUDY HAVE BEEN PRESENTED SEPARATE TO THIS STUDY. iv. LIST OF FIGURES: pg. *FIGURE l:LIFE-CYCLE OF CERAMICS FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL 2 CONTEXTS *FIGURE 2:CATALOGUE DRAWINGS OF WEDGWOOD PLATE 26 SHAPES ON PAPER BEARING AN 1802 WATERMARK SOURCE:ARCHIVES OF JOSIAH WEDGWOOD LTD., REPRODUCED IN I.NOEL HUME 1973,"CREAMWARE TO PEARLWARE:A WILLIAMSBURG PERSPECTIVE" IN I. M. G. QUIMBY (ED.), CERAMICS IN ANERICA, P.222. *FIGURE 3:HANDPAI]\;TED,MODIFIED EDGE DECORATJ.ON ') SOURCE:T.MAJEWSKI & M.J.O'BRIEN 1987,"THE USE & <-. I MISUSE OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH & AMERICAN CERAMICS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS" IN M.B.SCHIFFER (ED.) ,ADv~4NCES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL METHOD & THEORY 11 ,p. 149. *FIGURE 4:DIPT & MOCHA WARES SOURCE:T.G.GREEN .& CO'S CHURCH GRESLEY (DERBYSHIRE) 32 POTTERY, REPRODUCED IN G.A.GODDEN 1980,AN ILLUSTRATED P.173.ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF BRITISH POTTERY & PORCELAIN, *FIGURE 5:MODEL OF AVAILABILITY FOR ADVERTISED CERAMICS 1803-1868 68 *FIGURE 6:AVAILABILITY & POPULARITY OF CERAMIC DECORATION (AFTER MILLER 1991) 73 *FIGURE 7:AVAILABILITY & POPULARITY OF 10 CERAMIC TYPES COMMON TO FIGS.5 & 6 75 *FIGURE 8:SCHEMATIC PLAN OF THE REGENTVILLE MANSION SITE 78 SOURCE:A.WILSON 1988, "THE FAILED COLONIAL SQUIRE: r SIR JOHN JAMISON AT REGENTVILLE" IN J.BIRMINGHAM,D.BAIRSTOW & A.WILSON (EDS. l, ARCHAEOLOGY & COLONISATION:AUSTRALIA IN THE y/ORLD CONTEXT, P. 125. *FIGURE 9:DATED MARKED CERAMICS FROM REGENTVILLE PRIVY 1824-1869 81 .1 ~ . lJ , , . •i v. ~t U~~ i *FIGURE 10:ADVERTISED CERAMICS PRESENT IN 82 REGENTVILLE PRIVY 1824-1869 l. *FIGURE 11:IMPORTS OF EARTHENWARE & CHINA INTO 85 N.S.W. 1828-1857 SOURCE:ARCHIVES OFFICE OF N.S.W. ,COLONIAL SECRETARY, RETURNS OF THE COLONY (BLUE BOOKS) 1822-1857.FIGURES ARE REPRODUCED '. IN K. BARNES, AUSTRALIAN CERAMIC V1PORTS I,ly J1 THE WORLD CONTKYT. *FIGURE 12:FREQUENCY OF ADVERTISEMENTS FOR THE 87 • SALE OF CERAMICS 1828-1857. •rf • I!i 11 I I 1 1.a.INTRODUCTION 1.1.CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND MATERIAL CULTURE Ceramic artefacts recovered from archaeological contexts have been used by historical archaeologists for a variety of purposes.As artefacts whose manufacturer,origin and period of production can often be established, ceramics have traditionally been used in historical archaeology as tools for the dating of deposits and the period of occupation of a site. The interpretativ~ role played by ceramics,however,has greatly expanded during the past decade as historical archaeologists have become increasingly aware of the varied informational content contained within the ceramic database. One area of research in historical archaeology that has gathered momentum in recent years,primarily in North America,is the study of the relationship between consumer behaviour and material culture.Historical archaeologists have isolated consumer choice as one of a number of cultural formation processes which influence the nature of the archaeological record.In the broadest sense,consumer choice relates to those variables which influence consumers in their decision to acquire or select goods and services which they expect will satisfy perceived needs and wants.Archaeologists have identified a number of diverse,yet often interrelated variables that may have influenced consumer choice. A number of variables commonly cited by historical archaeologists as influencing consumer choice are represented in Figure 1.This diagram represents in a simplistic form the life cycle of ceramic artefacts recovered from archaeological contexts.Basically,the life-cycle of a ceramic object begins with its manufacture.It is then distributed or transported to a market where it is purchased by a consumer.It is the decision made by the consumer to acquire only a selective range of goods that is one of the processes that influences what is ultimately deposited in an archaeological context. What motivated the consumer to purchase or select one type of good over another,however,is a complex issue.Historical archaeologists have identified a number of behavioural variables which may have influenced consumer choice.These variables include market access or the availability of goods, socioeconomic status (or the social and economic position of the consumer) ,ethnicity, individual preferences or tastes,household size and composition and foodways functions.After the ceramic has be~n purchased,it is usually placed in general usage at a household or some other level.Such I 2 FIG.l:LIFE-CYCLE OF CERAMICS FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS I MAN UFACTURE. I DlST£IBtIfEO TO I A MARKET I INDIVIDUAL ./ PREFERENCES / / / / ECoNOMIC ~ PURCHASED BY HOUSfHOLD SllE ---- ---- I 50CIAL POsrnON THE CONSUMER a COMP051TlON t 'I." FOOOWflYS 6// 1 FilNCTlON5 I USED 8YTHE: CONSUME-I<. OR. HouseHOLD I 1 I LOST OR DISCflRDfD ON I SITE -----------------+ ----1~~~~~=:N1EXT--- I OrJW FORMS PRRT OF ARCHI'lEDlDQlUIL I ASSEM5lflGE 3 factors as the loss or intentional disposal of the object results in its movement from a living (systemic) context to an archaeological context.The archaeological assemblage that is ultimately recovered is essentially the end product of an I indeterminate series of purchase,use and discard incidents. A large proportion of research concerning consumer behaviour has focused on isolating and examining the influence that the variables of socioeconomic status and ethnicity have on the I nature of the archaeological record.One of the major criticisms of many of these studies has been of the assumption that the , determinants of the archaeological record can indeed be isolated in such a way. Consumer selections may be influ~nced by an indeterminate number of variables which are often interrelated.As Spencer-Wood and Heberling,two leading exponents in this field of research have conceeded: "The complex interaction of factors affecting consumer decisions makes it difficult to tinderstand fully the role of each variable .... Until more is known about the many factors that influence I consumer behavior and the kinds of artifacts deposited and excavated, sophisticated archaeological interpretation , is difficult."l ~ Despite the presence of this extensive body of literature on consumer behaviour,many ceramic studies in Australian historical i1 archaeology still concentrate on aspects of ceramic technology I, and its implications for the dating of deposits.Indeed,a number of recent site reports have produced no more than a description of th~ ceramics recovered from the site.In recent years,however, one of the explicit goals of a number of excavations in Australia i1 has been the investigation of the economic and social position of the past occupants of a site.To do this,excavators have looked at ceramic assemblages .for the presence or absence of "expensive" ~ ware or decorative types,such as porcelain,and the frequencies with which they occur in a given ~eposit.Also,the presence or ~ absence of matching ceramic services has been looked for.The I' lS.M.Spencer-Wood & S.D.Heberling 1987, "Consumer Choices in White Ceramics",in S.M.Spencer-Wood {ed.