Historical Staffordshire Plate “America Free and Independent”
England, circa 1830s - Diameter: 6½ inches 
 
A Staffordshire plate transfer-printed with an American eagle bearing shield, olive branch, and arrows, accompanied by the inscription “United States of America Free and Independent.” Produced in England for export to the American market, the design presents a concise and emphatic statement of national sovereignty through one of the most enduring iconographic formulas of the early republic.
 
Issued in the decades following the War of 1812, the plate reflects the continued appeal of patriotic imagery shaped by the conflict and its aftermath, when themes of independence, permanence, and national authority assumed renewed prominence in American material culture. Objects of this kind demonstrate the persistence of Federal iconography well into the nineteenth century.
 
Condition: Excellent.