Dinnerware Diary

Design Elegance & Great History

Tonquin-Ruby was designed by Wedgwood's legendary art director, John Goodwin. The china features a lustrous, deep ruby background color similar to lack, a resin derived from the tonquin tree (the tonquin is an East Indies tree, known for dark red resin and black seeds used to make perfume), with gold trim and scalloped shape. Overlaid chrysanthemums, peonies, and anemones in lighter and darker shades of gold are so richly and finely drawn that they are nearly three-dimensional. Tonquin-Ruby was introduced in 1930, the same year the company launched an elaborate celebration of the bicentennial of the birth of Josiah Wedgwood I, founder of the company. Tonquin-Ruby was a worldwide success, remaining in production at Wedgwood for six decades.

Thistle by St. Louis is magnificent crystal with wide, encrusted gold trim that features elegant gold filigree, a concave bowl with flared top and a straight-line optical design on the side, polished crystal cuts on the bottom of the bowl, and a multi-sided, notched stem with round foot that also includes encrusted gold trim. Light dances and spins in this crystal! Made in 1913, prior to World War I, this wonderful pattern is full of Old World charm and elegance.

Equally redolent of Old World charm is the silver pattern Francis I-Gold Vermeil by Reed & Barton, made in 1907. Elaborate and exquisite, the design is tip-heavy with pointed end, scallop-shaped with scrolled edges, a fan/plume design with fruit and flowers, and glossy gold electroplate finish. The Francis I design in sterling silver has graced the tables of maharajahs and American presidents. Early Reed & Barton literature describing Francis I states, "Here is an art treasure of enduring beauty, value, and taste, to enrich the lives of all who appreciate the rare, the distinguished, the classic."

Gorgeous Asian and American Designs for Fall

Sango Gold Dust Sienna is a bold china pattern that showcases an artistic geometric design and a stylized color palette. With its warm earth tones and eye-catching asymmetrical design, Gold Dust Sienna perfectly complements the accompanying Old Williamsburg-Amber glassware and the stylish handle design of Ribbon Edge flatware. Sango is a tableware supplier based in Japan, although its wares are manufactured in various other countries in Asia. Sango's American division was one of the first companies to sell dinnerware outside of department stores, and its product lines continue to expand.

Its wonderful amber color and curved panels make Imperial Glass-Ohio Old Williamsburg-Amber a distinctive pattern. With a knobbed, multi-sided stem and concave bowl flaring at the top, Old Williamsburg-Amber was produced from 1966 to 1980, yet harks back to earlier patterns made famous by Imperial Glass-Ohio in the 1930s. The company, founded in 1901 by Edward Muhleman, a riverboat captain and financier who had enjoyed success in other glass-making ventures, produced widely popular glassware designs for eight decades. Based in Bellaire, OH, Imperial Glass-Ohio was able to pull through the Great Depression due to the success of legendary patterns like Candlewick-Clear and Cape Cod in the late 1930s. Imperial Glass-Ohio pieces are highly sought-after by collectors.

Gorham Silver Ribbon Edge Stainless is a remarkably graceful flatware pattern! Ribbon Edge Stainless features a flowing ribbon edge design with an understated plume decoration on the tip of the handle, and a satin finish. The balance in proportions and shape represents the apex of great design, where each element enhances the effect of the whole. This elegant pattern was produced by a legendary American company. Its founder, Jabez Gorham, was born into a family of eight and apprenticed to eighteenth-century New England silver patriarch Nehemiah Dodge at a very early age. In 1831, Gorham founded his own company in Providence, RI. He quickly established a reputation for creating hand-crafted silver of the highest quality. Gorham Silver's reputation for excellence endures today.

Historic Design Pedigrees

The exquisite patterns featured here represent artisanship of the highest order. Fine bone china made in England, Pembroke-Gold by Aynsley & Sons was produced in 1985, but possesses an elegance and charm that seem to span a century rather than just two decades. The colors of the pattern are wonderfully vivid, with a bright blue bird the signature of the design. The pattern includes an intricate floral design with intertwining limbs, leaves, and delicately drawn, brightly colored blossoms in pink, blue, and scarlet, with gold trim. From the time it was founded by John Aynsley as an earthenware pottery in 1775, through its emergence as a manufacturer of high-quality bone china in the Victorian era, to its work today, Aynsley & Sons' reputation for design and manufacturing excellence is unsurpassed. Queen Victoria herself commissioned the firm to craft a set of bone china for her own personal use.

Sweet Swirl-Clear is splendid crystal made by one of the best-known manufacturers in the world: Noritake. An asymmetrical design, Sweet Swirl-Clear features astonishing depth and movement in the design, with swirling panels in the side of the bowl of the glass, with even more dynamic swirls in the stem, and a smooth round base. Although the design panels are relatively large, Sweet Swirl-Clear refracts light in a spectacular way. This crystal practically invites you to pick it up!

Chantilly, designed by William Christmas Codman for Gorham Silver in 1895, has become one of the most popular silver patterns ever produced. While it has been around for more than a century, it remains popular with new brides and grooms as well as collectors. Chantilly is scallop-shaped, with an outlined, beveled edge, and fan/plume design at the tip. Its graceful border and floral designs were inspired by the "Rococo" style of early 18th century France. During the reign of King Louis XV, Rococo emerged in response to the heavier, highly ornate art of the late Baroque period. Rococo featured elaborate designs with playful swirls, scrolls, and elaborate decoration. This beautiful pattern was produced by an American legend, Gorham Silver, founded in 1831 by silversmith Jabez Gorham. His original shop was located on Steeple Street in Providence, RI.

Impeccable American Craftsmanship

The America stoneware pattern by Pfaltzgraff showcases a variety of charming, rustic motifs based on designs taken from the "Bird of Paradise" quilt currently housed in the American Folk Art Museum. This pattern is a delightful representation of the Pfaltzgraff Pottery Company, which was founded in America by German immigrants. George Falsgraff, a potter and farmer by trade, opened a pottery in 1811 on 21 acres of land in York County, PA. In 1833, Johann George Pfaltzgraff moved from Germany to York County, and partnered with Falsgraff to locate a pottery factory in Freystown, PA. In 1839, the factory began producing earthenware using local red clay. In 1849, Pfaltzgraff sold the Freystown pottery, and moved to a more rural location outside of town. When Johann George died in 1872, his five sons took over the business, and expanded their lines to include stronger salt-glazed stoneware, and other pieces made from high quality imported clay. In 1894, two of Johann George's sons, Henry and George teamed up to build a new, modern production facility to streamline and increase production. The factory was built next to a rail line to further increase the spread of Pfaltzgraff products. Most of the company's records were lost when this factory burned down in 1906, but we do know that over the years the company changed locations and grew, diversifying into glassware and flatware, and eventually emerging as a leader in the American dinnerware market.

Libbey/Rock Sharpe Gibraltar-Clear is pressed glass with a convex bowl that features thumbprint panels with a knobbed stem and round foot. The Gibraltar-Clear design is a fantastic complement to the charming America china and understated Liberty flatware patterns. The Libbey Glass Company was founded in 1818 as The New England Glass Company in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. According to Bob Page and Dale Frederiksen in "A Collection of American Crystal: A Stemware Identification Guide for Glastonbury/Lotus, Libbey/Rock Sharpe & Hawkes," William L. Libbey and his son, Edward D. Libbey, purchased New England Glass in the late 1870s and moved the company to Toledo, Ohio in 1888, lured there by an abundance of natural gas and other natural resources in the area. The name of the company was changed to "The Libbey Glass Company" in 1892. In 1893, Libbey staged a huge exhibition at the Chicago World's Fair in which they constructed an entire glass plant on the fairgrounds. Showcasing the glassmaking process to crowds of up to 2,000 at a time, the Libbey exhibit was one of the fair's most popular attractions, and became a huge marketing success for the company. In 1889, Libbey made a commemorative cut glass punch bowl for President McKinley, and by 1900, Libbey was known as one of the finest cut glass producers in the world. In 1935, Libbey Glass Company merged with Owens-Illinois, another glassmaking company specializing in bottle-making and jar production. In 1948, Owens-Illinois acquired the Cataract-Sharpe Manufacturing Company, which specialized in decorating stemware, tumblers, and accessory pieces supplied by other firms. Libbey is still in operation today, and is currently the second-largest glassmaker in the world.

International Silver Liberty is an alluring stainless flatware pattern with a beautifully chic design. International Silver started as a combination of America's greatest silver manufacturers. During the American Colonial period, New England was home to many artisans producing high-quality pewter, sterling, and silverplate, primarily in Connecticut. Around 1808, Ashbile Griswold opened a pewter shop in Meriden, Connecticut. Through mergers with regional companies, Griswold's original shop grew to comprise fourteen silver manufacturers, including Holmes and Edwards (Bridgeport), Meriden Britannia (Meriden), and Rogers Brothers (Hartford). In 1898, the International Silver Company became truly "international," establishing offices in England and Canada. Throughout the years, International Silver products have remained immensely popular.

Syracuse China "Nature Study" Dinner Plate

Here we feature a lovely dinner plate from the Nature Study pattern by Syracuse China. Produced from 1929 to the 1950s, Nature Study includes forty different designs. The pattern was designed by Harry Aitken, a talented artist who was hired in 1904 to head the decorating department at Syracuse China. Other pieces in the Nature Study series feature daisies, rhododendrons, orchids, blackbirds, and other bird and flower designs.

The original Nature Study plate decoration was a "Poppy" design based on a watercolor Aitken painted of poppies in his own garden. Aitken described the process for creating "Poppy" pieces in an undated "Syracuse China News" article: "The decoration of the poppy starts with a freehand engraving on steel, from which we print. It is then ground laid [with solid colors], painted by hand and lined, all of these processes being under the glaze, after which we snap up a brilliant highlight in [overglaze] enamel color, which is the finishing touch." The pattern was so highly regarded upon its creation that a gigantic "Poppy" plate was displayed as the centerpiece for a 1929 Syracuse China exhibit at the New York State Fair.

During his tenure at Syracuse, Aitken's other artful tableware designs included depictions of various ships, characters from Charles Dickens stories, water lilies, underwater ocean scenes, and many others. In addition to creating alluring art designs, Aitken also developed several new production techniques. In 1924, Aitken developed the "underglaze hand-painted treatments" technique to meet the growing demand for primitive hand painted patterns. This process involved applying a stencil pricked with tiny holes to a piece, then sprinkling charcoal over the stencil. The stencil was then removed, and a decorator would hand paint the piece using the charcoal marks left behind as guides. Aitken also developed a technique called "Shadowtone" in which an airbrush was used to spray colors through multiple layers of hand-cut stencils. Aitken retired from Syracuse China in 1946, leaving behind a legacy of creative and exquisite tableware design.

The story of Syracuse China begins in 1841, when W. H. Farrar founded a pottery in Syracuse, NY. The company was sold in 1868 and changed its name to Empire Pottery. The company changed hands again in 1871, when it was purchased by the Onondaga Pottery Company. The initial products manufactured by Onondaga were earthenware pieces, and the company produced a variety of table and toilet wares. In 1888, the company became the first American company to produce translucent, vitreous fine china on par with that being produced by Europe at the time. The company continued to expand and innovate throughout the early twentieth century, and found success supplying china to the hotel and restaurant industries. In 1966, the company officially changed its name to Syracuse China. In 1995, after a series of mergers and acquisitions, Syracuse China was sold to Libbey, Inc., which shut down all North American production of Syracuse in 2009. Today, Syracuse China pieces remain highly sought by collectors.

Bold Tableware Designs from England and America

 
Fresh Fruit by Johnson Brothers features a colorful fruit motif accented with vibrant green trim. The elegantly sculpted plates, saucers, and bowls in the pattern are octagonal in shape, with an embossed rim. The fruit designs on these pieces are varied, and are done with alluring colors and perspective so as to transform the pieces. Johnson Brothers china is known for producing beautiful, high-quality tableware. The company was founded in 1882, when brothers Alfred, Fredrick, and Henry Johnson (grandsons of the famous Meakin dinnerware family) purchased the Charles Street Works at Stoke-on-Trent in the legendary china-producing region of Staffordshire, England. Producing basic whiteware known as "semi-porcelain," the Johnson brothers created dinnerware that had the delicate characteristics of fine china, but the durability of ironstone. In 1900, a fourth brother, Robert, relocated to the United States to establish a presence for the company in North America. 

Fostoria Virginia-Green is pressed glass with a concave, multi-sided bowl that features thumbprint panels with a multi-sided stem and foot. The balance of the design is extraordinary, and the design is the perfect complement to the octagonal Fresh Fruit plate and geometric Fairview flatware design. Founded in Fostoria, OH, in 1887, the Fostoria company relocated to Moundsville, WV, shortly thereafter, because of that region's abundant natural resources. Crafted in the tradition of colored glassware introduced by Fostoria in the 1920s, the Virginia pattern was produced in 12 different colors - amethyst, brown, clear, dark blue, emerald, light blue, light green, peach, pink, smokey grey, yellow, and the green seen here. Fostoria continues to be an American legend in tableware design, and Fostoria pieces remain highly collectible.

A beveled outline and flat handle with multisided tip distinguish the classic lines of the Fairview stainless pattern by Gorham Silver. Like the geometric balance of the Virginia-Green glassware, Fairview is a lovely complement to Fresh Fruit. This elegant pattern was produced by a legendary American company. Its founder, Jabez Gorham, was born into a family of eight and apprenticed to eighteenth-century New England silver patriarch Nehemiah Dodge at a very early age. After founding his own company, Gorham quickly established a reputation for hand-crafted silver of the highest quality. Gorham Silver's reputation for excellence endures today.

Applied Art In Floral Design

 
Portmeirion Botanic Garden is rimmed, round china with a multi-motif floral design and brightly colored butterflies, bees, or dragonflies at the center. At the bottom of the design is the English common name and Latin botanical name. A verdant, geometrical leaf design is painted on the rim. The pattern offers a spectacular array of choices, not only in the floral designs, but also in the shapes and sizes of the china! Portmeirion artist Susan Ellis-Williams came up with the multi-motif idea for this pattern in 1972, when she was looking through rare books at an antiquarian shop. A volume of old, beautifully colored, meticulously drawn illustrations called out to her. The launch of Botanic Garden included 28 different flower types and was an immediate success!

Chantilly crystal by Cambridge flares at the top, with a delicate filigree pattern etched on the concave bowl and a lined optical design. The stem is molded, the foot round. This shapely pattern was a big hit for Cambridge - Chantilly was produced for nearly two decades, from 1939 to 1958. Founded in 1873 in the Ohio town of its name, Cambridge primarily produced pressed glass. When Englishman Arthur Bennett joined the firm, he designed many of its new patterns. In 1907 he purchased the company. Under Bennett's careful management and creative leadership (some of Cambridge's most successful designs and colors were introduced during his tenure), the company weathered the Depression. With its history, quality, and beauty, Chantilly crystal will be a great addition to your table!

Reed & Barton Les Cinq Fleurs (Five Flowers) is exquisite multi-motif, scallop-shaped sterling silver, where the handle is tipped with the design of one of five different flowers. A vine design that begins midway on the handle weaves its way down onto the utensil bowl. Released in 1900, Les Cinques Fleurs shows the strong influence of Art Nouveau, where artistic, organic shapes were applied to household items. This beautiful pattern was crafted by Reed & Barton of Taunton, MA, a company tracing its origins to a jewelry store founded by Isaac Babbitt in 1822. With new owners, the company began to use the "Reed & Barton" stamp on its silverware in the 1840s. Les Cinq Fleurs
demonstrates the innovative design and premium quality Reed & Barton customers have enjoyed for nearly two centuries.

Pastoral Motifs, Rustic Designs

 
The warm colors of the rooster and sunflowers in the Certified International Sunrise design contrast beautifully with a cobalt blue background - this is a stunning pattern! With his gloriously colored plumage and his boisterous "cock-a-doodle-do!" at the break of day, the rooster has been celebrated for centuries in painting and text. Sunrise was designed for Certified International by renowned folk artist Susan Winget. Winget is a resident of North Carolina and a recipient of a fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She began her work in 1982, selling watercolor prints. At the time, she hoped to make enough money to help support her family and stay home with her children. Today, her art is a part of furniture, cards, calendars, children's books, and dinnerware. Her spirited, fun, and casual style consistently reflects an appreciation for wonderful bucolic scenes - whether a duck swimming in a placid pond, a rural village, or perched roosters, Winget provides a fresh and distinctive take on traditional folk art.

Iris-Amber, a bold blown glass pattern produced by Artland Crystal, features a delightful air bubble design and a vibrant amber color. This eye-catching glassware design serves as the perfect complement to the provincial Sunrise china and the understated Dorado stainless patterns. The floral namesake of this dazzling glassware has an interesting history of its own. The word "iris" is derived from the Greek word for "rainbow," and for good reason - there are over 300 classified species of irises in a vast array of colors. Iris rhizomes have historically been used to produce medicine and perfume, and various parts of the iris are also used to provide flavor and color to several brands of gin. The beauty of the iris flower has inspired many artists through the years, perhaps most notably in a series of iconic paintings by Vincent van Gogh. In addition, the decorative fleur-de-lis symbol is thought to be a depiction of an iris flower in bloom.

Reed & Barton's Dorado is a gorgeous stainless pattern that features a beveled edge, a rounded tip, and a hammered, glossy finish. Dorado is emblematic of its maker, Reed & Barton of Taunton, MA, a company that traces its origins to a jewelry store founded by Isaac Babbitt in 1822. After changes in ownership, the company began to use the "Reed & Barton" stamp on its silver in the 1840s. One of Reed & Barton's best-known patterns is Francis I. Introduced in 1907, Francis I quickly became a favorite of nobility and presidents. No less than four U.S. presidents dined with Francis I - Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Gerald Ford. In more recent years, the company has also been recognized for its high-quality stainless steel patterns, like the Dorado pattern featured here.