Doing Good While Doing Well: The Decision to Manufacture Products that Supported the Abolition of the Slave Trade and Slavery in Great Britain

The British campaign to abolish the slave trade saw the introduction of consumer products for those who wanted to support the movement in a tangible way. However, there is scant documentation of these manufacturers and their reasons for deciding investments in the manufacture, promotion and sale of abolition-related products would be viable commercially and successful economically. By closely examining one transfer-printed Staffordshire jug, and identifying the sources of the prints and the manufacturer of the jug as well as the retailer, it may be possible to come to some conclusions as to why manufacturers of consumer goods decided that these products would be profitable as well as popular.