Does anyone else out there have it bad for purple? I do, especially when it's purple transferware . Tonight I'm setting the table with J & G Meakin's Romantic England in purple. First, I'll tell you a little about this firm and the brothers who operated it. J & G stands for James and George, the eldest of four Meakin brothers, all who were famous potters, and all the sons of James Meakin, a potter himself. When James Sr. fell ill, the two eldest boys succeeded him in his pottery business and thus formed J & G Meakin in 1851. Within about a year their father had died and the boys moved the factory to a new location in Hanley where they remained for 7 years. The brothers were quick to realize the potential in the export market so George went to the United States to set up the sales market while James remained in England to manage the pottery works and logistics. This lead to much success, so much that a new factory was built on the side of the Caldon