In the 19th century, there were few photographs, so important events and people often were pictured in prints, textiles and ceramics.

English Staffordshire potters and American potters made numerous figurines and pitchers decorated with scenes that today would appear as newspaper photographs. Millington, Astbury & Poulson of Trenton, N.J., made an embossed pitcher in 1861 that pictured a group of soldiers on a staircase with the impressed words “Col. Ellsworth, First Soldier Killed” and the names “F.E. Brownell” and “J.W. Jackson, The Traitor.”

Col. Ellsworth had worked in Abraham Lincoln’s law office, then campaigned for him. He joined the Union army in 1861, and on May 24, he entered Alexandria, Va., with his men. He noticed a Confederate flag on an inn, went up the stairs and cut the flag down. He was shot by J.W. Jackson, the innkeeper. Corp. Brownell killed the innkeeper. Col. Ellsworth became the first Civil War casualty and was awarded the Medal of Honor. The historic pitcher was made in white or with colored decoration.

Q: I have an advertising thermometer that hung in my grandfather’s basement. It still works. It’s metal and measures 21 inches high and 5 inches wide. What’s funny about it is what it advertises – something called Hamlin’s Wizard Oil, which is described as: “Great for pain. Used internally and externally for all aches, pains, soreness, swelling and inflammation from a great variety of causes.” At the bottom, there’s a list of names of other Hamlin products, including Hamlin’s Blood and Liver Pills and Hamlin’s Cough Balsam. What kind of products were these?

A: The Hamlin Wizard Oil Co. of Chicago was one of many U.S. businesses that marketed their own “patent medicines” from the late 1800s into the early years of the 20th century. Until the Pure Food and Drug Act passed in 1906, these concoctions were unregulated. Most of the “medicines” were mixtures that included alcohol or pain-killing drugs like morphine or cocaine. Hamlin Wizard Oil was one of the more famous patent medicines. It was introduced in 1859 by John A. Hamlin of Cincinnati. Hamlin moved to Chicago in the 1860s. Wall thermometers were used extensively as advertisements around the turn of the 20th century. Yours probably dates from this time. Hamlin’s company remained in business until the mid-1900s. After 1906, its products were less-wizardly medications like cold tablets and cough syrup.

Q: My father’s old American flag has 48 stars. Is it valuable?

A: American flags with 48 stars are too common to be valuable, unless their history is remarkable – like the flag in the famous photo of Iwo Jima, for instance (but that one is in a museum). The U.S. flag had 48 stars for 47 years, from 1912 to 1959. Arizona was admitted to the Union as the 48th state in 1912. The flag gained an additional star on Jan. 3, 1959, when Alaska became a state, and a 50th star on Aug. 21, 1959, the day Hawaii joined the Union. Flags in good condition with 48 stars sell for about $20.

This historic pitcher shows an event in the Civil War. It was offered for sale for ,500.

A: I hope you can help me identify my antique pottery pitcher. It is all black and has embossed scenes of angels on the front and back. The bottom is stamped “P. Ipsen, Eneret, 191.”

A: Your pitcher is a piece of black-fired terra-cotta. It was made at P. Ipsens Enke, a factory in Copenhagen, Denmark. The mark on your pitcher was used between 1871 and 1917, but the factory produced black-fired wares like yours only in the 1890s. The factory was founded in 1843 by Rasmus Peter Ipsen (1815-1860), a master potter who had trained at the Royal Copenhagen factory. After Ipsen died, his wife managed the factory until his son took over in 1865. The factory remained in business until 1955, and through the years employed many Danish artists, including Georg Jensen, the famous silversmith.

Q: I have a Howdy Doody electric night light that still works. It’s a hard-plastic figure of Howdy sitting on a round wooden base. Howdy’s legs are spread out in front of him. He is holding his arms straight down, with his palms down and hands stretching out to the side. His pants are blue, his shirt and boots white, and his scarf green. He sits about 9 inches high. What is the light worth?

A: Howdy Doody items of all kinds are collectible. They are especially popular among baby boomers who fondly remember his TV show, “The Howdy Doody Show,” which aired on NBC from 1947 to 1960. Night lights and lamps with Howdy Doody figures on the base were sold in a few sizes and styles. Yours, a large night light, would sell for $150 or more if it’s in close to mint condition.

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If polishing a wooden-handled copper or silver teapot, be sure to cover the wood so it is not stained by the metal polish.