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Elizabeth Allen spent some of the money she earned braiding straw hats to buy this plate that pictured the Massachusetts State House. In the 17th century, most people ate off pewter or wooden trenchers. The great English pottery works set up in the 18th century made ceramic "china" dishes more available to more people and many, like this plate, were made just for the American market. As in the 18th century, only a few people could afford real Chinese dishes. When the English started making ceramics, it meant that even ordinary Americans could gather around a table where each person had their own set of dishes to use, a practice unknown to most people from the 18th century. Plates like the one Elizabeth Allen bought were very popular among Americans in the 19th century.

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Plate "Massachusetts State House"

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