Description:

A bone china plate with a painted floral border and printed with the arms of America. The border is pattern 1401, the number painted on the base in red enamel. The twentieth state, Mississippi, was admitted to the union on 10th December 1817; on 4th April 1818 the US Congress adopted the US flag as having 13 red and white stripes (representing the colonies) and 20 stars (one for each state). It is possible it was produced as part of a service to commemorate the event. The twenty-first state, Illinois, was admitted on 3rd December 1818 thus enabling the plate to be dated very accurately.