Minneapolis Institute of Art

Longfellow jug

Decorator: George Wolliscraft Rhead; Manufacturer: Wedgwood; Retailer: Richard Briggs

Date

c. 1880

Medium

Earthenware

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

“Longfellow” jugs were made by Wedgwood, the famous English manufacturer of fine china and porcelain, as a tribute to the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. On one side is the poet’s portrait; on the other, the first lines of his long poem Kéramos. The jugs were commissioned by Richard Briggs, a Boston retailer of china and glass. Briggs gave one to Longfellow at Christmastime in 1880 and received the poet’s thanks in a letter dated December 30. England, Europe

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