Factfile

Reform Bill Jug

Theme : Industry

This jug was produced at the Glamorgan Pottery in Swansea c.1832. The pottery produced a varied collection of commemorative 'Reform' jugs, though stylistically they are very similar. This jug incorporates portraits of two of the main figures involved in establishing the 1832 Parliamentary Reform Bill namely Lord Brougham, and Lord John Russell. The Reform Bill of 1832 was the most commemorated political event of the nineteenth century in Britain, and was the result of great civil unrest and a desire for Parliamentary change after the Napoleonic wars. The jug is white and made from earthenware, its patterns, such as the floral wreaths, the wording 'Royal Assent to the Reform Bill, 7 June 1832', and the two portraits are all transfer printed on underglaze black.