Pottery Makers' Marks-Tell Us a Story

I love to look up and find out what information I can about the odd bits of vintage or contemporary dishware that I find. When shopping around, I usually look for Farmhouse or Cottage style items that would look well as a display in a hutch, plate rack or as a centerpiece. I know that decorator plates aren't fashionable at this time, but I just can't help myself.  I also find quite a few pieces of good quality dinnerware that one might need to replace a broken or lost item. I'm becoming quite a detective. There's so much info. to be found on the internet and it often becomes a history lesson. Two World Wars in Europe and the fall of the Soviet Union have taken their toll on many manufacturers. For example, if an item was made in Czechoslovakia, its definitely vintage as this country has been rearranged and is now known as the Czech Republic. 

This is an antique 1890's Brown Transferware Cream Platter made by Johnson Bros. The pattern is called "Mignon" which means "small & delicate" in French. The pattern is delicate, but the platter is fairly substantial. It's of the same timeline as Art Nouveau and the Arts & Crafts Movement. But, I don't see it falling neatly into either style. It is a Nature inspired design.

It has a very British mark, what with the crown and the shield. Johnson Brothers went out of business in 2015, so they were in production for over a century. They were one of the first companies to introduce stoneware or ironware, which is a refined earthenware and a big deal at the time. A growing middle class wanted nice, affordable, useable dinnerware.

This pretty, little celery dish was made in the Art Nouveau style which was popular during 1890-1910, its delicate floral pattern does look Victorian & feminine. This style is known for flowing lines and shapes inspired by Nature. You can certainly see this  in the gently curved edge of the oval dish.    

It was made in Germany as its mark states.

This Reinhold Schlegelmilch, or RS mark, was used on their good quality porcelain manufactured in Germany from 1912 to 1945. Earlier, this same pottery used a similar mark but, designated Prussia and after Germany, Bavaria. The pottery didn't move, the map did. Another interesting note about this pottery, is that to this day there are forgeries of their pieces sold. Mostly vases and decorative items. So beware-

 I really love this simple leafy design, which is pattern: SCG28-Leaves & Brown Pods w/ Gold Trim. I think it deserves a more interesting name. It's dark and light shades of brown with pale greens. Schirnding is the name of the town the where the pottery was founded in 1901. By 1906 the factory had 6 modern kilns, electric lights and its own link to the local railroad. It survived WWI & WWII and is still a successful business today. As with many potters' marks, there are many variations of the same design. I think the simple edelweiss flower is lovely.

Porcelain Marks & More

There is the same mark, but stamped with "Made in Germany  U.S. -Zone". How soon we forget that Germany was once divided by a wall. I also have a few teacups stamped "Occupied Japan". 

Lastly, this sweet, innocent little sugar and creamer set with a transfer design of pink cabbage roses which may have a dark past. It was made by Bohemia Ceramic Works in what was Czechoslovakia. BCW was founded in 1921 in what is now Nova Role, Czech Republic. Czechoslovakia was dissolved in 1993 and separated into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. 

This back stamp is a bit elaborate.

  

It depicts a lion surrounded by a stylized B and the words Bohemia-Made in Czechoslovakia. As I looked up info. about this mark, another place kept popping up-Neurohlau....? I turned to Wikipedia, turns out it was a concentration camp during WWII 1942-1945. Furthermore, prisoners, mostly women, were sent to work at the BCW factory during this time. Which may or may not be when this set was made. It is still the same pretty, little table set, but it seems different. I hope it isn't connected to that dark time. 

BCW was nationalized after WWII and became part of Karlovarsk Porcelain in 1958. 

As in Staffordshire, England-Due to the natural resources available in the region of Bohemia, it became one of the largest pottery centers in Europe in the early 1900's, with over 30 manufacturers. 

The items shown here and many others are available at my home shop. Do have a look.

Hope you're a wonderful day....!    Carole

Virginia Rose China-Homer Laughlin China

I still love to learn, and learning more about vintage items is one of the reasons I love shopping for ‘treasures’ at the second-hand stores.  You never know what you’ll find & what you can learn about.  With some of the items I buy, it’s difficult to find any information.  But, with other items there is loads of information.  For example on my last trip, I found these cute, little Shabby Chic dessert plates:

Tucked away in a corner, I almost over-looked them.  I took a second look & noticed the pretty raised rose pattern & the curved platinum gilt edge.  I checked for damage & found only a few minor chips on the back, which actually adds to the Shabby look.  On the back also was the company name Homer Laughlin, and the pattern name “Virginia Rose”.

At least I thought it was the pattern name.  I looked it up online and found that “Virginia Rose” describes the plate’s shape, not the pattern (I didn’t think it looked much like a rose).  Also, the Homer Laughlin Company is a very popular brand.  It was established in 1871 by Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin, two brothers who lived in East Liverpool, Ohio. For well over a century, this company has produced high-quality, American-made pottery.  It is the largest producer of home and restaurant porcelain dinnerware in the USA.  In fact, Homer Laughlin pottery is very collectable, and there are books and web sites dedicated to this manufacturer's products.  There are collector's clubs, such as the Homer Laughlin China Collectors Association, which have been created to support collectors, buyers and sellers.  Many of their products, such as Fiesta ware, are readily available and sellable in today’s collector's market.  Some of the Fiesta ware pieces are quite pricey. 

The Virginia Rose dinnerware was designed in 1933, by Fredrick Rhead and HL produced so many pieces of this shape that many of the patterns were never given names.  Hundreds of different decorations were produced until the late 1960’s. Virginia Rose continues to be a popular shape with collectors.
 
The Virginia Rose has embossed roses spaced around the rim and was produced on a white or yellow glazed body.  There were two other embossed designs, Marigold & Republic, which are often confused with the Virginia Rose. All three shapes were decorated with decals which are either identical or very similar.
There are two popular rose patterns, the “Fluffy Rose” and the pattern of my dishes, the “Moss Rose”, produced 1934-65.
My “Moss Rose”:




Here are examples of the “Fluffy Rose” pattern from:  TGL Direct.com –Which has loads of vintage china for sale, & an interesting, informative blog.


Isn’t it a beautiful pattern…?!  So pretty & feminine.


The date of manufacture can be determined from the back stamp- the first mark is an internal mark.  The 64 is 1964, N is the plant #4, and 8 stands for August.
For more information, go to the Homer Laughlin website:   http://www.hlcdinnerware.com/about/history


Hope you are having a great day-Carole















Blogger Labels Tags: vintage plates, vintage dishes, Virginia Rose, Homer Laughlin, Moss Rose, china, porcelain, dinnerware, transfer-ware, FiestaWare, dessert plates, rose pattern

Amazing Hand Embroidered Wedding Dress-TWO NERDY HISTORY GIRLS

Back in the day, 1734, proper young ladies prepared for their future as a wife & mother.  This wedding dress is truly a labour of love:



A Very Special Embroidered Wedding Dress

According to the Nerdy History Girls:
"The bride, Elizabeth Bull, was born in Boston in 1716. While we often tend to think of New England in the early 18th c. as a primitive colony in the wilderness, Boston was a sophisticated town, connected to all the world's seaports by its ships. As the only daughter of a wealthy merchant, Elizabeth was not only taught fine needlework, but had access to silk threads from the best shops in London and silk cloth from China. She also had the time to devote to perfecting her skill, as well as a genuine talent for color and design."

Imagine all the hopes & dreams that went with stitches in this dress.  I hope she had a happy ending!

Follow the link for more pictures & info.

Hope you're having a great day-Carole

Vintage Liberty Blue & White Transfer-ware Dishes

I love this time of the year!  Spring has sprung.  The days are long, warm & sunny.  It’s also the beginning of yard sale season, time to start treasure hunting again……This last weekend I was on the way back from the store and came across the end of a yard sale.  Boxes were being re-packed, usually the sellers don’t want to put all the left overs back in the garage, and you can really get a good deal.  I don’t think that I’m a cheapskate, but I love getting a good deal.  It’s all part of the fun.  Anyway, I could see there was a box of blue & white dishes which seemed so familiar.  I made an offer, which the owner happily accepted, and drove off with 2 boxes of blue & white dishes.  When I got home and unpacked the boxes, I recognized the Liberty Blue pattern.  My Mom had brought some of these dishes at the grocery store.  I remembered seeing them displayed at the Jewel.  I started doing a bit of research and discovered………
The Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings & Loan was a financial institution established in 1925.  To celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1975, they looked for something special to offer their account holders.   They also wanted a 1976 promotional premium item to tie in with the 1776-1976 bicentennial celebration of America’s Declaration of Independence from England.  They contacted the Enoch Wedgwood Company, located in the historic Staffordshire district of England.  Enoch Wedgwood (1813-1879) was an English potter, founder in 1860 of the pottery firm Wedgwood & Co of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. He was a distant cousin of the famous potter Josiah Wedgwood, of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, but their two businesses were separate concerns.  Wedgwood & Co was renamed Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd in 1965 and in 1980 it was taken over by Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, who renamed it Unicorn Pottery.  Many of the vintage Avon keepsake dishes were made by this company.  They developed a unique pattern of ironstone dinnerware, the Staffordshire Liberty Blue, for the savings & loan company.  Ironstone is a type of pottery first made in the United Kingdom in late 18th-century.  It is often classed as earthenware, although in appearance it is similar to fine stoneware.  It was developed in the 19th century by potters in Staffordshire, England as a cheaper, mass-produced alternative for porcelain.  Its name is derived from its strength & durability.  The Liberty Blue dinnerware was made in the tradition of the 19th century Staffordshire historical blue china, also called transfer-ware.  “Transfer” designs were first applied to ironstone by Miles Mason, in an attempt to copy the designs of Chinese porcelain.  Transfer-ware is most often in one color, such as blue, against a white background.  Some patterns have colored details that were added on top of the main design.  These designs range from dense patterns that cover the piece, to small, delicate floral motifs.  The Liberty Blue pattern consists of fifteen different historic scenes from the American colonial period.  It is ironic that this tableware pattern, celebrating Colonial America’s independence from England, was created in England.
HISTORIC SCENES:

• Washington crossing the Delaware from
• Lafayette landing at West Point
• The Boston Tea Party
• Paul Revere on horseback
• Old North Church
• Ben Franklin
• Mt. Vernon – George Washington’s Home
• Monticello – Thomas Jefferson’s Home
• Independence Hall
• Washington leaving Christ Church
• Betsy Ross – the nation’s first flag

Each dish has a historic scene in its center and a border pattern of wild flowers.  Such as this Betsy Ross dessert/berry bowl.
 
On the backs, there is a unique stamp in the center with an eagle holding a flag, shield and a banner with the words ”Original copper engravings of historic colonial scenes printed on Staffordshire Ironstone.  Detergent and Dishwasher safe.”  Above the eagle are the words “Liberty Blue.” Directly below the shield are the words “Made in England.” Finally, at the bottom, is the name of the scene.
 
The association launched the promotion in 1975.  When a subscriber made a new deposit of $50, he received a free four place setting.  If a customer deposited $1,000, he could buy a 45-piece set for only $45.   Additional settings could be purchased.  The Liberty Blue dinnerware was made for two years.
In October 1976, the association announced it was discontinuing the promotion at the end of the year. After that time, customers could order pieces from the Sigma Marketing Co. of Garden City, N.J.
Sometime after 1976, Liberty Blue dinnerware was offered to grocery stores nationwide for promotional use.  For so many dollars spent on groceries, the customer could buy a different piece.  Each week there would be a different item to purchase.  This must have been the display I remember.  The dinnerware disappeared from the scene by the mid-1980s.
  
The arrival of eBay created a market for the dinnerware as original purchasers and those who inherited sets wanted to complete them or add accessory pieces. In 2002, Debbie and Randy Coe authored "Liberty Blue Dinnerware," published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
 
  
  
 






If you are looking for more Liberty Blue dinnerware, visit the Robbin's Nest.


And just because it’s so pretty, here is a French Country table by Debbie at:  Confessions of a Plate Addict



Well, that’s all for now.  Hope you are having a great day-Carole

Blogger Labels Tags: Liberty Blue dinnerware, dinnerware, tableware, ironware, vintage, transfer-ware, blue, white, Staffordshire, Enoch Wedgewood, colonial, American colonial, historic scenes, bicentennial, English dinnerware, Benjamin Franklin Savings & Loan