Australian Federation mug

AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION
Australian Federation, the day that Australia became a nation, occurred on 1 January 1901 when the 6 British colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, united to form the Commonwealth of Australia.

Up to Federation the British colonies in Australia were like 6 separate countries as each had its own government, laws, defence force, stamps and taxes. The colonies had even built railways using different gauges, which complicated the transport of people and goods across the continent.

By the late 1800’s there was growing sentiment amongst the colonists that it would be more efficient to have a national government to manage the shared concerns for trade, defence and immigration. Sir Robert Garran, who was active in the Federation movement, later reflected that the colonies were united by a combination of 'fear, national sentiment and self-interest'.

In 1889, Sir Henry Parkes, who was premier of NSW at the time, gave a rousing address at Tenterfield, NSW, calling for 'a great national government for all Australians'. After this speech was well received Parkes lobbied his fellow premiers to back Federation. Parkes was probably unlucky not to be declared the first Prime Minister of Australia but he became known as “the Father of Federation”.

In 1890 a national convention was held to draft a constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia. After much consultation and amendment, the new Constitution was agreed to by the colonial parliaments in 1897 and from 1898 the people of each of the 6 colonies were then asked to approve the constitution in referendums. In 1900 a delegation travelled to London to present the accepted constitution to the British Parliament and on 9th July 1900 Queen Victoria signed the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900.

ROYAL DOULTON
The Royal Doulton company began in 1815 as a partnership in a factory at Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth which traded as Jones, Watts & Doulton until 1820, when the trade name was changed to Doulton & Watts. They specialised in making stoneware like bottles, jugs and jars, much of it intended for inns and pubs. In 1826 it moved to a pottery on Lambeth High Street, in 1854 it took the name Doulton & Co and by 1897 employed over 4,000 workers.

Doulton & Co started manufacturing circular ceramic sewage pipes in 1846 and the advent of 1846–1860 cholera pandemic in London which led to the massive upgrade sewage management in London was advantageous to the business.

By the 1860s the company became interested in more artistic wares and started experimenting with glazes and making refined stoneware to compete with porcelain. From 1871 Doulton offered work to designers and artists and pieces from this period were signed by the artists, usually with initials or a monogram incised on the base. Many are also dated. Until 1882, "every piece of the company's art stoneware was a unique item". In 1882, Doulton purchased the small factory of in Burslem, Staffordshire, which placed Doulton in the region known as The Potteries.