Hand-painting china was an easy and fashionable craft during the Victorian era. A popular project was decorating children’s dishes and drinking mugs with nursery rhyme characters or the alphabet.  A nineteenth century magazine, The Art Amateur, A Monthly Journal Devoted to Art in the Household, once provided delightful alphabet illustrations for decorating children’s drinking mugs. The publication also suggested drawing these whimsical patterns on tiles as a charming mantel decoration for the nursery fireplace.

The figures and letters were outlined in black so they would stand out in relief – dark against a pale ground. The following color schemes were also suggested for those who wished to add some color to the original design:

Whether recreating your own nineteenth century children’s dishes or designing a truly Victorian nursery and bathroom, these illustrations will offer an opportunity to create a fun-filled craft. You can hand-draw the alphabet motifs on mugs or tiles at a pottery or ceramic studio – they provide everything including supplies, a little coaching, and a lot of encouragement. Another option is to create your own decals with the images, using your inkjet printer with inkjet water-slide decal paper. These decals may be applied onto almost any smooth, non-porous surface. These decorative non-fire inkjet decals make arts and crafts projects fun and easy – your imagination is your only limit!  An online source is located here.