American Toby Jug Museum 

Great Britain's Britannia character jug modeled by William K. Harper and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 1997 limited edition of 1,997 commissioned by Travers-Stanley. Britannia was the original name given by the Romans to the province that comprised what is now England and Wales. Neighboring Ireland was known as Hibernia, Scotland was Caledonia, Germany was Germania, Brittany was Armorica and France was just plain Gaul. After the Romans left, Britannia gradually fell into disuse, but later, in the days of the Empire, it came to represent the spirit of Britain herself. Since 1672, Britannia has been anthropomorphized into a woman wearing a helmet, and carrying a shield and trident. It is a symbol that blends the concepts of empire, militarism and economics. The poem "Rule Britannia" by James Thomson (1700-1748) was put to music by Thomas Augustine Arne around 1740 and is sung as an unofficial national anthem. The crest of the helmet forms the handle of the jug.