Dr. Syntax
The Doctor Syntax series originated with the English caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, whose sketches lampooned England’s poor country clerics, and the eccentric author, William Combe (himself in debtor’s prison at the time) who penned rhymes to match the sketches, circa 1815 to 1821. The learned Doctor leaves his wife to tour England “in Search of the Picturesque” and publish a book of his experiences and sketches to “create a real mint”. This folly produced a long series of adventures, at least thirty of which have been memorialized on tablewares by numerous potters, including the Clews brothers in early 19th century Staffordshire and the Buffalo Pottery in early 20th century New York.