A LEISURE PURSUIT

From the Victorian Era, possibly Edwardian, I found these plates at an antiques mall near Brantford, Ont.  I bought 2 from a set of multiple dinner plates, a serving platter and a grotesque tureen.  I did regret only buying 2, but later found the exact same set at an antiques mall outside of Orangeville.  I now have a set of 4.  The extremely unusual hand-painted borders suggest that this was a wealthy woman's pastime, to paint blanks.  However, some plates have a number on the bottom, without signature or insignia, which suggests that they might have been from a small manufacturer and/or small production run.