#17 - Transfer-Printed Rice Plates for the South-East Asia Market

One of the greatest achievements in transfer printing in the last half of the 19th century was led by J. & M. P. Bell of Glasgow, Scotland. The firm was established in 1842 by the two brothers: John and Matthew Perston Bell. They began by producing useful kitchen wares. By the 1860s they were well established, and there was high demand for their decorative and useful pottery. In the 1860s and 1870s there was a large volume of exported ware, from other Scottish potteries as well as Bells, that was sent out to all parts of the world. John Bell became a ship owner and purchased a firm in Rangoon to assist with the continuation of their adventure.