Pewter was the metal of choice for household goods in England and America in the seventeenth and into the eighteenth centuries. Immense quantities of porringers, candlesticks, plates, and other items could be found on both sides of the Atlantic. The collection of British pewter at Colonial Williamsburg, which illustrates the development of basic forms and types of decoration, is remarkable for its breadth and detail. The collection also contains a number of American examples that often exhibit regional and individual preferences.