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Satire on the blue and white china craze, 1880
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Satire on the blue and white china craze, 1880
The six mark tea-pot: satire on the mania for blue and white china. An aesthetic young lady examines a teapot and exclaims to her gentleman friend(who bears a remarkable likeness to Oscar Wilde): Oh Algernon, let us live up to it! Date: 1880
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Media ID 20142271
© Bubblepunk
Aesthetic Algernon Ceramics Classic Craze Mania Movement Oscar Porcelain Satire Teapot Wilde Japonism
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This image, titled "The Six Mark Tea-Pot: Satire on the Mania for Blue and White China," dates back to 1880 and offers a witty commentary on the societal obsession with blue and white china during the late 19th century. The photograph features an elegant young woman, her refined gaze fixed on a teapot, while she engages in conversation with a distinguished gentleman, who bears a striking resemblance to the renowned Irish wit, Oscar Wilde. The aesthetic movement and Japonism, two influential cultural trends of the era, had fueled the craze for blue and white porcelain. This exquisite teapot, adorned with six intricate blue markings, symbolizes the height of sophistication and good taste. The young woman's exclamation, "Oh Algernon, let us live up to it!" underscores the intense desire to possess and display such desirable objects within the confines of the domestic sphere. The satirical tone of the photograph is further emphasized by the man's nonchalant expression and the seemingly unnecessary inclusion of the six marks on the teapot. This clever juxtaposition of the woman's unbridled enthusiasm and the man's indifference serves to poke fun at the excesses of the blue and white china craze. As we admire this print, we are transported back to the opulent interiors of the 1880s, where the pursuit of beauty and the finer things in life reigned supreme. The teapot, once a simple household item, had become a status symbol, a testament to the power of art, aesthetics, and the human desire for self-expression.
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