Antique Adams Tunstall St. Augustine Plate

Circa 1900/Tunstall, England

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, British potteries exported vast quantities of souvenir transferware to the United States to satisfy the growing tourist market in historic destinations. Towns with deep colonial roots, such as St. Augustine, Florida, commissioned English firms like Adams to produce commemorative plates featuring local landmarks and heraldry. These items were sold in local emporiums as keepsakes for affluent travelers journeying south via the newly established railroads.

William Adams & Sons of Tunstall, England, was one of the oldest and most prolific ceramic manufacturers in Staffordshire, operating for generations before becoming part of the Wedgwood group. Their factories utilized advanced transfer-printing techniques to apply intricate, multi-colored historical crests and decorative geometric borders onto durable earthenware blanks. These vibrant souvenir pieces remain highly sought after by collectors of both Floridaana and antique British transferware.