This basket represents the earliest porcelain manufacture in America. Most domestic pottery production in the colonies consisted of earthenware crockery, made by local potters using local materials, and stoneware jugs and jars, which required more capital to cover fuel, transport of materials, and experimentation. For fine earthenware or porcelain, aspiring colonists relied on imports from Europe and Asia. Thus, it was a remarkable venture for an American firm to embark on the extraordinarily costly and technically challenging production of porcelain. This openwork basket form painted with blue pigment under the glaze imitates Chinese-inspired wares being made at the Worcester Porcelain Manufactory in England. The American China Manufactory benefited from an anti-importation movement but was ultimately unable to compete with foreign imports and closed after only two years of operation.