igned to mark the victory of porcelain over pewter.

A set of pewter platters, or chargers and dishes, made what was called a
"garnish" of pewter, and were a source of great pride to every colonial
housewife, and much time and labor were devoted to polishing them until
they shone like silver. Dingy pewter was fairly accounted a disgrace.
The most accomplished Virginian gentleman of his day gave as a positive
rule, in 1728, that "Pewter Bright" was the sign of a good housekeeper.

The trade of pewterer was a very influential and respectable one in New
England as well as Old England. One of Boston's richest merchants, Henry
Shrimpton, made large quantities of pewter ware for the Massachusetts
colonists. So proud was he of his business that in his later years of
opulence he had a great kettle atop of his house, to indicate his past
trade and means of wealth. Pewter and pewterers abounded until the vast
increase of Oriental commerce brought the influx of Chinese porcelain to
drive out the dull metal. Advertisements of pewter table utensils did
not disappear, however, in New England newspapers until this century.

A universal table furnishing was--

"The porringers that in a row
Hung high and made a glittering show."

When not in use porringers were hung by their pierced handles on hooks
on the edge of the dresser-shelf, and, being usually of polished pewter
or silver, indeed made a glittering show. Pewter porringers were highly
prized. One family, in 1660, had seven, and another housewife boasted of
nine. They were bequeathed in nearly all the early colonial wills. In
1673 John Oxenbridge left three silver porringers and his wife one
silver pottinger; but pewter was the favorite metal. I do not find
porringers ever advertised under that name in New England papers, though
many were made as late as this century by New Haven, Providence, and
Boston pewterers. Many bearing the stamps of these manufacturers have
been preserved until the present day, seeming to have escaped the
sentence of destruction apparently passed on other pewter utensils and
articles of table-ware. Perhaps they have been saved because the
little, shallow, graceful dishes, with flat pierced handle on one side,
are really so pretty. The fish-tail handles are found on Dutch pewter.
Silver porringers were made by all the silversmiths. Many still exist
bearing the stamp of one honored maker, Paul Revere. Little earthen
porringers of red pottery and