There were, quite literally, printed wares for everyone, including the Victorian child. These pieces are from a toy service made by W.T. Copeland & Sons of Staffordshire. They bear a date mark for March 1889, and also the name of the Canadian importer, A.T. Wiley & Co. of MontrΘal. The pattern is closely allied to the traditional "Willow" and varies from it only in certain details (there is, for example, no bridge with the customary three figures on it). Undoubtedly many of the Canadian advertisements for "Willow" included willow-type patterns such as this: The Victorian child who owned these toy dishes had a pattern which was also available to her mother. ("Willow" was first produced by English potters in the eighteenth century and was still in production at the Copeland factory in the 1950s.) Toy ware was often advertised together with adult- sized services. MontrΘal's Daily Witness (November 15,1882) offered toy tea sets "IN PRINTED EARTHENWARE... FROM $1.50 UP" in the same advertisement as tablewares for grown-ups.
