Sunderland 'frog' mug, Crimean War, 1856 (c)

Earthenware, with transfer-printing and hand-colouring, including distinctive purple lustre, made in Sunderland, 1856 (c).

The earliest examples of mugs containing frogs date from about 1775. They were extremely popular as a novelty item and were viewed as a form of rustic joke. An unsuspecting guest would be surprised as he drank from the mug to see a frog emerging from the beverage which would then appear to spit through the hole in its mouth as the mug is tilted.