Plate
China Divided Plate. Blue on white china plate with three divided compartments for dining. The largest compartment, at the bottom center, features an oval shaped landscape of "Cheat River" as identified by a banner. A river flows through the central portion of the wooded valley. Train tracks extend from the bottom of the image, toward a bend on the left edge, then finally back toward a central vanishing point. The image is encircled by a band of leaf and flower ornamentation with a scalloped interior edge and saw tooth border on the exterior. The top left compartment bears an image of "Potomac Valley" within. Railroad tracks extend into the distance along alongside an indiscernible image of a carriage or raft in the lower right center. The same border of leaf and flower, with scalloped and saw tooth edges repeat itself around this compartment. The "Thomas Viaduct," is depicted in the top right compartment; the river is visible in the lower left, some buildings are at the center. This image is once again framed by the same floral and leaf border with scalloped and saw tooth edges as the others. The ridges which divide the compartments are decorated with blue bands and an egg and dart pattern on their outside edges. The rim of the plate features images of trains and a plaque, clockwise beginning from the bottom; Pedestal, "First Stone of the Balt. & Ohio Railroad" a banner below (outward facing), "Laid July 4, 1828." The second image, (facing inward from here on) is of a "Horse Drawn Car 1830;" third image, "The Tom Thumb 1830;" fourth image, "The 'Atlantic' 1832"; fifth image, "The 'Philip E. Thomas' 1838;" sixth image, "Winans Camel 1851;" seventh image, "Mogul '600' 1875;" and the eighth image, "The 'Lord Baltimore' 1925." An egg and dart motif surrounds the outer edge.
The maker's mark on the bottom of the compartment plate is malformed and barely legible but appears as if it would have matched the Scammell's mark on the serving lid of this set as opposed to the Shenango hallmarks on the rest. Additionally "Scammell's...tre... China" is stamped into the bottom; several letters are illegible.
This collection of blue and white china was used in the dining cars of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad during the 100th anniversary of the founding of the line. The china is styled in the manner of the Old Staffordshire China.
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