Oval Tea Canister1825–18505 1/8 × 3 9/16 × 2 3/4"Paint on tinplateGift of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration76.1.701539702566Artist unidentifiedContainersThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24598United StatesPennsylvaniaThree Dimensional WorkseMuseum - Collection HighlightsThe tinware made in several Pennsylvania workshops from about 1800 to 1870 demonstrates certain regional preferences. These include red backgrounds and crystallized floors produced by the application of muriatic acid to an unpainted surface. Typical motifs on Pennsylvania tinware, seen especially on coffeepots, include circles with thinly painted white backgrounds and designs extending beyond the perimeter, large ocher motifs with fine blackwork, and white bands with flowers and fruit. Pennsylvania tinware also exhibits unusual color combinations and a great deal of "thumb work," a technique in which overtones are blended with a finger or thumb.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Oval Tea Canister," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 318.http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24598http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24598http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster2459818251850 76 1 7 The tinware made in several Pennsylvania workshops from about 1800 to 1870 demonstrates certain regional preferences. These include red backgrounds and crystallized floors produced by the application of muriatic acid to an unpainted surface. Typical motifs on Pennsylvania tinware, seen especially on coffeepots, include circles with thinly painted white backgrounds and designs extending beyond the perimeter, large ocher motifs with fine blackwork, and white bands with flowers and fruit. Pennsylvania tinware also exhibits unusual color combinations and a great deal of "thumb work," a technique in which overtones are blended with a finger or thumb.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Oval Tea Canister," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 318.