Census Jug

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Object Details

Description

Made in England for the American market, this creamware jug commemorates the first census of the United States taken in 1790.

The Constitution, adopted in 1787, mandated that the population of the states be counted every ten years to ensure proper representation in Congress. The first census, undertaken by U.S. marshals on horseback, recorded 3.9 million inhabitants in these categories: heads of families, free white males sixteen and older, free white males younger than sixteen, free white females, all other free persons (by sex and color), and slaves.

Date made

ca 1790

ID Number

CE.78.48

catalog number

78.48

accession number

1978.0806

Object Name

pitcher

Object Type

creamware

Physical Description

monochrome, black (overall surface decoration color name)

ceramic (overall material)

transfer printed (overall production method/technique)

coarse earthenware (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 17.2 cm; 6 25/32 in

Place Made

United Kingdom: England, Liverpool, Liverpool

Related Publication

Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History

See more items in

Home and Community Life: Ceramics and Glass

Government, Politics, and Reform

National Treasures exhibit

Domestic Furnishings

Many Voices, One Nation

Exhibition

Many Voices, One Nation

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

Data Source