This earthenware pitcher celebrates American military readiness. A militia officer strikes a springy pose near a cannon, encircled by a toast: “Success to America Whose Militia Is Better Than Standing Armies.” The picture’s swagger implies a military preparedness that was in fact woefully off the mark in 1800. Pitchers saw daily use wherever people gathered to eat or drink in homes and taverns. Kahn Fine Antiques/photo courtesy of Antiques and Fine Arts.