Tile Produced by Sherwin & Cotton
Porcelain and ceramic is often used for decoration e.g. porcelain figurines, wall plates and other items such as this portrait tile.
In the collection of the Salvation Army Museum Basel there are two portrait tiles of William Booth which are made by Sherwin & Cotton. One of them is framed.
In 1877 at Hanley, in Staffordshire, England, Sherwin & Cotton founded their company. They were one of the many potters in Stoke-on-Trent and were well known for their production of tiles.
In 1904, General William Booth had already become famous, not only in Great Britain also in many other countries.
The style of the tile is known as emaux ombrants. (In tile-making, enamels in which the design is modeled in intaglio (engraved) and tinted glaze is poured in to a level with the surface).
This item is more than one hundred year old and shows several elements of the time: The portrait of a then well-known person was made for a special event with a technique which was used in the lifetime of the founder of The Salvation Army.
On the back of the tile in the lower left corner one can find a porcelain inscription. The tile is marked with the words:
Portrait of
General Booth
1904
_____
Made By
Sherwin
& Cotton
Eastwood Works
Hanley Staffs
______
In the same year an International Congress was held in London by The Salvation Army. The congress badge which was given out, uses a picture of William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army.
It is almost the same as on the tile. Perhaps the tile was made because of the International Congress of the Salvation Army and shows a very detailed portrait of General Booth.
