Wedgwood and European Ceramics from the Dr. Ellis F. Rubin & Suzanne Borow Rubin Collection

Glazed earthenware, leather, paper

Consisting of two albums assembled by Lilian Gary Taylor (born Lilian Marie Gary, uniformly referred to as Mrs. Robert Coleman Taylor), documenting her Liberty Ware project, which designed to raise money for those afflicted by World War I though the manufacture and sale of patriotic ceramic tea ware. She provided a concise narrative of this in her own, self-published volume, so these albums serve as a meta-narrative, a history of the entire project (including the book itself) in documentary form. It includes manuscript passages from Taylor, as well as letters, original drawings, receipts, invoices and canceled checks. These document the entire process from the creation of the original sketch by one of her friends for the flag device, to correspondence with William H Plummer & Co., who acted as wholesalers, to original proof designs from Wedgwood, to letters of thanks for gifts of tea services sent to important dignitaries, to notes of thanks from various charity organizations who received funds once the orders started pouring in and there were funds to distribute. The volumes also document the printing and distribution of Liberty China and Queen's Ware, including selections cut from an original printed copy of the book.

Highlights include letters signed by President Woodrow Wilson, former President Theodore Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Lord Balfour, Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces Gen. John Pershing, Admiral William Sims, Cardinal Mercier of Belgium, and several letters from Frank H. Wedgwood as director of the pottery. Also included are two original albumen prints of photographs of Charlie Chaplin with Harry Lauder, which were included with correspondence with the Scottish comedian.   

(Not included are any of the correspondence directly related to the ordering of the china by subscribers, which was all destroyed by Taylor after the funds were completely distributed.)

Along with two Liberty Ware tea services, in bone china and Queensware; the bone china set comprising a teapot, hot water pot, creamer, lidded sugar bowl, six cups and saucers and one dessert plate; the Queensware set comprising a teapot, creamer, lidded sugar bowl, eight cups and saucers and one 6 ¼ in. plate
The bone china service with printed Wedgwood Portland Vase marks, the Queensware service with various impressed Wedgwood marks; and a photocopy of Liberty China and Queensware, the volume privately published by Mrs Coleman Taylor

H: 10 ½, W: 8 5/8, D: 1 in. (each volume) 
H: 5 3/8, W: 8 ½, D: 3 5/8 in. (the bone china teapot)