Plate from the -Hope- dinner service 1790

This is a porcelain plate from the “Hope” dinner service, made by John Pennington in the early 19th century. Imagine this plate as part of an elaborate dinner service during the Regency era, a time marked by both opulence and social inequality. The central image depicts a classical figure, perhaps a personification of Hope, gazing optimistically towards the horizon. But who gets to partake in this vision of hope? The dinner service itself would have been a symbol of wealth and status, accessible only to a privileged few, while the labor involved in its creation would have been largely unacknowledged. This plate invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between aesthetics, social class, and the very idea of hope in a society deeply divided. It reminds us that hope is not a universal experience, but one shaped by power, privilege, and the historical circumstances of its time.