Featured Unusual Teapot Doohickey, or Sometimes Google Lens Works Better Than Others

Of the many teapots in the house, I claimed this one, in part because I was charmed by the little doohickey that holds the lid on when one pours out the very last of the tea. Of course this is something Not Done in polite society, so while I have seen stovetop and camping kettles/coffee pots with similar doohickeys, this is the only pretty teapot I recall seeing that has such a sturdy, utilitarian doohickey.

Maybe this is just because I’m ignorant about teapots, and maybe it’s actually unusual (I’m sure someone here will know), but either way I have no idea what the doohickey is called! Do you? Google lens doesn’t, but identified the teapot itself quite precisely:

“TITLE: Whiteware
MAKER: Cartwright Brothers Pottery Company
DATE: 1887-1896
COLLECTION: Museum of Ceramics/Ohio History Connection H336

In 1887, the Cartwright Brothers Company discontinued Rockingham and yellowware in favor of semi-granite and cream-colored ware. An example is seen here. The Cartwright Brothers were early potters in East Liverpool [Ohio, not England, this confused me terribly for a bit] William Cartwright and Holland Manley purchased an existing pottery, the Webster Stoneware pottery, in 1864. They would make extensive changes to bring production on line after the Civil War. In 1872, when Samuel Cartwright joined William as a partner in the pottery, the name of the pottery changed from Manley and Cartwright to Manley, Cartwright and Company, In 1880 when Holland Manley retired the company was incorporated as the Cartwright Brothers Pottery Company. (Gates, 2009).”
Gallery 2 — Museum of Ceramics

Pardon the shouting, it’s in the original post:

“THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING TEAPOT AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND VERY UNUSAL WITH THE WIRE HANDLE AND THE METAL HOLD DOWN FOR THE LID. AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE WRITE UP ON IT, IT WAS WORTH BETWEEN $85 & $95 IN 1988 AND THIS IS 30 YEARS LATER BUT I'M GOING TO START IT AT A REASONABLE PRICE AT THIS TIME.”

CARTWRIGHT BROTHERS TEAPOT | #41104900

My teapot is in desperate need of a good cleaning, but otherwise not in bad condition.

 

Doohickey was one of my mother's words.
She also liked thingamajig and thingamabob.

 

Mine too.

 

That teapot is beautiful! It has that "keep the home fires burning" look to it.

 

.Ignore...redundant question after re-reading initial post!!!!

 

At the risk of oversimplification: Lid Clamp or Latch?

 

My feeling exactly. Well worth coming back for in the looks department, but sturdy, practical, and somehow comforting too.

 

The beginning of wisdom is the ability to call things by their right names.
Confucius.