AN EXAMPLE OF BRITISH CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE MAKING: THE MANUFACTURING AND EXHIBITING OF WEDGWOOD’S FROG SERVICE
AN EXAMPLE OF BRITISH CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE MAKING: THE MANUFACTURING AND EXHIBITING OF WEDGWOOD’S FROG SERVICE

Summary/Abstract: This article examines how Josiah Wedgwood’s Frog Service, manufactured for Catherine II, Empress of Russia, at the end of the 18th century, shaped and displayed a new image of Britain. A collection of more than 1,200 illustrations, this service was indeed definitely not a neutral, somewhat random gathering of views, but the consciously built image of a newly unified country. By emphasizing Britons’ common roots, it represented Britain’s new identity and, as such, was exhibited in London before being shipped to Russia. This exhibition, in turn, managed to modify the identity of the service and of its viewers.

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