From:Florence Nightingale Museum
Name/TitleCrimean War Bowl
About this objectCrimean War transfer printed commemorative bowl.
This object is not on display.
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Contains three short poems; an image and description of the Castron Bridge; and badge commemorating Crimea showing a lion, eagle, and the flags of the United Kingdom and France.
The Crimean war took place between 1853 to 1856 and was fought on the Crimean Peninsula by the Ottoman Empire, Britain, Russia and France. The war was a series of fragmented battles with high fatalities and public shock at the terrible and unsanitary living conditions (ref1). Several factors contributed to the cause of the war, such as religion, trade, and political motives that created a volatile situation for European powers, who felt the need to defend their trade routes and assets. The Crimean War was a diplomatic struggle for power where both France and Britain used the war to continue personal motives and intentions of expansion. The Crimean War was the breaking point after years of upheaval and the Ottoman empire’s decline and slow collapse.
Despite the fatalities of the war, there were a lot of technological and medical advances that transformed modern warfare and medicine to what is more recognisable to contemporary society. The Crimean war resulted in an estimated 16,000 British soldiers dying from diseases, such as cholera and typhus, and around 4,000 soldiers died from military activities (ref2). The work of Florence Nightingale, a nurse based in Scutari hospital during the Crimean War, revolutionised nursing on battlefields and sanitation methods to provide effective and sterile medical help for the wounded (ref3). Nightingale’s work transformed public health and medical practice through using statistical evidence to improve sanitary practices and caring for the ill.
The Royal Patriotic Fund or Royal Commission of the Patriotic Fund was set up in 1854 by Queen Victoria with Prince Albert as president of the committee with the purpose to “co-ordinate the collection and distribution of money donated by the public for the widows and orphans of men killed during the war” (ref4). Prince Albert married Queen Victoria in 1840 and was given the title of Prince Consort in 1857. He became influential over Queen Victoria’s affairs and democratic decisions. Prince Albert focused policies on humanitarian and moderate reforms, and his role as the president of the Royal patriotic war fund committee was a way to continue his influence and humanitarian ambitions. During the Crimean War, many charitable organisations were set up to combat the growing number of war widows and orphans due to the increase of investigative journalism by The Times that reported and illustrated the devastating living conditions of the war (ref5). The rise of investigative journalism increased public awareness of the war and its impact on widows and orphans (ref6).
The production of commemorative pottery illustrating the the victories of the Crimean War and the soldiers who died during the conflict were not uncommon, for example, earthenware pottery with transfer prints designed by George Eyre, manufactured by Samuel Alcock and Co were a common manufacturer of commemorative pottery (ref7). In general it was not uncommon for commemorative pottery to be commissioned detailing Britain’s valiant victories in wars and battles across the world. This bowl is an example of pottery that commemorated the Crimean War and the contribution of the Patriotic war fund to helping families impacted by the destruction of war.
This object is significant to understanding the historical context of the Crimean war from a British, domestic perspective. The general public had access to the press’ investigative journalism and ‘sensational’ reports that described the horrors of war in a way that was not as accessible during previous conflicts. The families of British soldiers fighting in the war were directly accessing information about the situation of their loved ones, which heightened the emotional turmoil. The Crimean War was one of the major conflicts fought during Queen Victoria’s reign, and there are many reports that emphasised Victoria’s concern and interest in the conflict and the fate of her soldiers. Therefore, this bowl is significant because it represents a conflict in the nineteenth century and documents how the crown responded to the war in a domestic sense by offering support to the bereaved families during the political and international upheaval. Queen Victoria was also known to have supported Nightingale’s nursing efforts during the war and emphasised the important role Nightingale had in improving the lives of British soldiers (ref8).
References
1 - J, Brain, ‘The Outcome of the Crimean War’, undated, Historic UK
2 - Royal Collection Trust, ‘Royal Commission of the Patriotic Fund, 1855’, undated, Queen Victoria and the Crimea https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/queen-victoriaand-the-crimea/windsor-castle-drawings-gallery/royal-commission-of-the-patriotic-fund>[accessed 5 April 2022].
3 - E.Fee, and M.E. Garofalo, ‘Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War’, American journal of Public Health, vol. 100 (2010), p.1591.
4 - Ibid.
5 - National Army Museum, ‘War Widows Association: supporting the families of the fallen’, undated, National Army Museum
6 - Ibid.
7 - National Army Museum, ‘Royal Patriotic Jug, Crimean War, 1855’, undated, Online Collection
8 - Royal Collections Trust, ‘FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AND QUEEN VICTORIA’, undated, Queen Victoria and the Crimea: Windsor Castle Drawings Gallery
Object research undertaken by Amy Chandler, Digital Research Volunteer 2022
MakerThe Royal Patriotic Fund
Maker RolePublisher
Date Madec1850s
Period19th Century
Medium and MaterialsCeramic
MeasurementsHeight: 13.0cm
Base diameter: 15.0cm
Top diameter: 27.3cm
Object TypeBowl
Object number0356
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved