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Domestically-made "redware" plates like this one were inexpensive and were an improvement over wooden plates. A local potter made this plate and applied a lead glaze before firing it in a kiln. The glaze sealed redware, which is made from a porous clay, and made it suitable for baking and handling liquids as well as solids. Other utilitarian objects made from redware included milk pans, mixing bowls, bean pots, butter churns, and chamber pots. Americans preferred to use fancier, mass-produced English pottery for table use.

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