We are going to Shuffle Off To Buffalo for this month’s Featured Stein. This song is from the 1933 Broadway musical 42nd Street. It should be playing in the background if you have your speakers turned on. These steins were made by White’s Pottery Inc. of Utica, NY. The firm was founded by Noah White circa 1834. Stein production did not commence until 1885; stoneware production ceased circa 1907.
These steins were made to be sold at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo, NY. One stein shows the official emblem of the exposition on one side, and the other shows a buffalo. Vendors had to pay a license fee for the official emblem, which is why the buffalo, an appropriate symbol for the host city, was a popular substitute souvenir. The official emblem is quite clever as two women in billowing skirts form North and South America with their joined hands forming Central America. The emblem was designed by Buffalo artist Raphael Beck (1859-1947).
