Dinnerware Diary

Tips for Decorating Your Winter Table

Hello from Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog, and best wishes of the Season! As you're preparing your tableware and decorations for holiday guests, take a moment to read these great money-saving ideas from Replacements, Ltd. design specialist, Dubravka Vujinovic. In addition to having a last name that's really hard to spell, Dubravka is incredibly talented and creative. Everytime she leads a seminar at our facilities, there are always "ooohs" and "aaahs" in the audience when she demonstrates her simple steps to creating decorations that are lovely, out-of-the-ordinary, and money-saving, too!

"Think outside the box," is the advice that Replacements, Ltd. design specialist Dubravka Vujinovic always gives to anyone who wants to spruce up holiday decorations, but doesn't have a lot of money.

"Do you have serving pieces in the china cabinet gathering dust? Those could be the start of the perfect centerpiece. A great idea that's also really easy is to fill a soup tureen or large serving bowl with flowers, greenery, or colorful holiday ornaments to complement your napkins or china," Dubravka said. "You can do something similar with your sugar bowl, or even fill water goblets or tumblers with greenery to use at each place setting."

"Many people fall into the trap of thinking they need to rush out and buy an entire holiday pattern," Dubravka said, "when just adding festive salad or accent plates can actually give your table an entire new seasonal look. Many dinnerware manufacturers complement their year-round patterns with coordinating holiday accent plates."

Dubravka Vujinovic leads Replacements, Ltd. seminar.
 

Dubravka's Quick Tips

Mix old and new china patterns, or combine your formal dinnerware with more casual pieces. For instance, use a colorful earthenware dinner plate from the Homer Laughlin Fiesta collection as a charger to add more "pop" to a delicate china pattern.

Ornaments aren't just for holiday trees. Decorate each place setting with ornaments. This bright infusion of color will not only add sparkle to your table, you can give them to your guests as keepsakes from your special evening.

Fill silver bowls with water and float candles for evening entertaining. Instead of flowers, fill clear vases with cranberries, lemons or greenery in water. 

Look outdoors. Use seasonal greenery, including holly, running cedar, magnolia leaves, and pine cones on the table to add color and contrast.

Dubravka's most important tip? "Relax, have fun with your decorations, and enjoy your friends and family this holiday!"

 

Wishing you and all your loved ones the happiest of holidays, it's Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog, signing off! Don't forget to visit our web site, and let us hear from you by e-mail at ross.howell@replacements.com.

 

Wizard of Oz Collectibles

Hello from Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog! Released in August 1939, the motion picture "The Wizard of Oz" is being celebrated in 70th anniversary DVDs, high definition films and videos, Blu-ray releases, online newsletters, blogs, chat groups, cable TV, print and broadcast news stories, and more. Many consider the movie to be among the best 10 films of all time.

Here are some out-of-the-ordinary gifts to add to the collection of a "Wizard of Oz" fan, whether it's for your own collection, or a gift for someone special.

This collector's plate bears a wonderful likeness of the young Judy Garland, just 16 years old when "The Wizard of Oz" was released.

"Dorothy," Hamilton Collection "Portraits from Oz."

Did Margaret Hamilton nail that "Wicked Witch of the West" role, or what? I still get goosebumps when I hear that trademark cackle. Hamilton, a character actor known for her plain looks and spinster manner, remained independent of the studios her entire career. She once joked in an interview: "I was in a need of money at the time, and my agent called. I said, 'Yes?' and he said 'Maggie, they want you to play a part on the Wizard.' I said to myself, 'Oh Boy, The Wizard of Oz! That has been my favorite book since I was four.' And I asked him what part, and he said 'The Witch' and I said 'The Witch?!' and he said 'What else?'"

"Wicked Witch of the East," Franklin Mint "Wizard of Oz."

Now this is our kind of witch - actress Billie Burke played the role of Glinda, the Good Witch in "The Wizard of Oz." Remembered for her beauty and lilting voice, Burke was 53 years old when she played the part of Glinda. She was fond of remarking, "Age doesn't matter, unless you are cheese!"

"No Place like Home," Lenox China "Wizard of Oz."

Actor Bert Lahr left his New York school to join a vaudeville act at the age of 15. Successful on stage and screen, he played the role of the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz." In a delightful figurine from Department 56, he's crowned King of the Forest, reprising the scene from the movie.

"King of the Forest," Department 56 "Wizard of Oz."

Pinot reminded me not to omit the most important star of "The Wizard of Oz," Toto. In Frank Baum's book, Toto was a male, but in the movie, his role was played by "Terry," a female Cairn terrier. Pinot always says if you want a job done right, get a woman to do it!

If you have a question or comment about china, crystal, flatware (sterling, silverplate, stainless), or collectibles, contact us at

ross.howell@replacements.com.

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog 

American Treasures - Metlox, Fostoria, and Oneida

Hello from Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog!  Recently we published an article on Japanese tableware manufacturers and patterns.  Here's some information on historically important U.S. companies and patterns.  Have any china, crystal, silver, or collectibles of particular interest?  Let us know!  We'll see what we can find out for you.

With his bright red, green, and yellow feathers, there's no doubt who's top rooster in the Metlox California Provincial pattern!  Metlox Pottery - also known as Metlox-Poppytrail and Metlox-Poppytrail-Vernonware - is a highly regarded American tableware company that traces its origins to 1921, when T.C. Prouty and his son, Willis, opened "Proutyline Products" in Hermosa Beach, CA.  The company produced architectural tiles using a patented tile body made primarily of talc.  In 1927 the Proutys introduced Metlox as a division - the name "Metlox" combined the words "metal" and "oxide."  Now located in Manhattan Beach, the company added big outdoor ceramic signs to its product mix.  These signs were popular with theaters featuring the works of the burgeoning California film industry.  When demand for the signs dwindled during the Great Depression, Metlox introduced it first line of dinnerware in 1932, continuing production until it closed its doors in 1989.

California Provincial by Metlox.

Fostoria Jamestown-Green is green, pressed glass with a concave, squarish bowl that features swirling, spiral panels on the side. The twist stem echoes the shapes of the panels on the bowl, and the foot is round. Even with its square shape, the curves in this pattern are organic and elegant. Founded in Fostoria, OH, in 1887, the Fostoria company relocated to Moundsville, WV, shortly thereafter, because of that region's abundant natural resources. Jamestown-Green was one of four colors in the Jamestown pattern to be released in 1958 - green, amber, blue, and clear - additions to a line of popular colored-glass stemware introduced by Fostoria in the 1920s. After meeting decades of stiff foreign competition with classic designs and innovative glass-making methods, Fostoria operations were shut down by its parent company, Lancaster Colony, in 1983. Fostoria glass is highly sought-after by collectors today.

Jamestown-Green by Fostoria.

Oneida Paul Revere satin-finish stainless steel bears the name of the famous patriot who made his living as a silversmith, and features a design reminiscent of the American Colonial period.  One of our most popular Oneida flatware patterns, with more than 8,000 individuals having registered their interest, Paul Revere was introduced in 1959.  A production run of 50 years and counting, with quite a few changes in culture and style along the way - is testimony to the quality of Oneida!  The company grew out of the original Oneida Community founded in upstate New York by John Humphrey Noyes more than 150 years ago. The Christian communal society was based upon the principles of individual self-perfection and shared property. Women bore the same duties as men, and individual responsibilities varied daily. Many inventions were developed at Oneida - including some of the world's most recognizable and beautifully designed flatware.

Paul Revere stainless by Oneida.

Inventory staff in our warehouse at Replacements, Ltd. have been busy checking in some great new items for the fall season - especially for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Pinot and I will be doing some research so we can pass along information to you.

Meanwhile, be sure to visit our web site, or e-mail Pinot or me at ross.howell@replacements.com.  Talk to you again soon.

Ross Howell 

Japanese Tableware Design Artistry

Hello from Pinot the Blog Dog!

Our Replacements, Ltd. showroom staff has already started preparations for our big Sidewalk Sale September 18-20, so if you live nearby (we're located just outside Greensboro, NC) or your travels to the beach or mountains are bringing you through, be sure to mark your calendars.  We'll have great deals on special sets from Lenox China and Johnson Brothers, and other big savings, too!  (Did I mention we have extra special pet bowls from a variety of patterns?)  We'll see you in September!

Watching as staff decides where to locate pallets on the sidewalk.

Here are some more interesting patterns from our inventory.  Each of these beautiful, high-quality dinnerware designs is produced by a Japanese manufacturer.

Noritake Sonoma Gardens is whiteware with grape clusters, cherries, and apples on the rim that spill onto the verge (where the center of the plate joins the rim).  Noritake, which excels in fruit and floral designs like Royal Orchard and Azalea, was founded in 1876 as "Morimura Brothers" by Baron Ichizaemon Morimura IV and Yutaka Morimura.  With offices in Tokyo and New York, the company exported curios, paper lanterns, and other items.  Visiting the Paris World Fair in 1900, the baron decided to produce fine dinnerware for export to the U.S. Noritake shipped its first china to the U.S. market in 1910.  After World War II (its exports to the U.S. had been cut off during the war years), Noritake focused on designs reflecting U.S. culture and design, and in 1948 Noritake ware again became available in the U.S.

 
Noritake Sonoma Gardens. 

Noritake Crystal Sweet Swirl-Lilac is elegant crystal with a swirled stem and curved panels on a convex bowl that flares at the top.  Noritake produces many crystal patterns designed to complement Noritake dinnerware. The company's crystal and glassware collection includes handmade, mouth-blown, and machine-made stems.  The Sweet Swirl pattern is emblematic of Noritake's success in the U.S. market.  Replacements, Ltd. currently has 16 variations of Sweet Swirl on file - colors range from black to lemon, from gray to light green, from amber to peach.  Sweet Swirl-Lilac was manufactured 1985-1988.  The most successful Sweet Swirl colors - clear, dark blue, light blue, and light green - were manufactured for two decades, 1985-2005.  In the highly competitive tableware market, many companies would enjoy emulating the success of Noritake Crystal!

 
Noritake Crystal Sweet Swirl-Lilac. 

Yamazaki Silver Old Denmark is high-quality, satin-finish stainless steel with round, sculpted handles featuring elegant ring designs.  The name of the pattern is no doubt a wink and a nod to Danish flatware manufacturers, who often employ broader tines in their forks, and give flared, non-traditional shapes to knife blades and spoons - design traits evident in Old Denmark.  This Yamazaki design is superbly made - a complement to a wide range of china and crystal.  From unique flatware patterns featuring sculpted handles with carefully finished tines, bowls and blades, to specialized serving pieces of generous size, each Yamazaki Silver pattern is designed to enhance both the appearance of the table setting and the enjoyment of the meal.  The company offers a wide range of stainless styles, from light-weight designs to heavier, more formal patterns, from glossy finishes to satin-finish designs.  Distinctive gold trim stainless designs are also available.

 
Yamazaki Silver Old Denmark.

Remember that you can always contact Ross and me by e-mailing at ross.howell@replacements.com.  Let us hear from you!  And be sure to visit our web site.  Talk to you again soon!

Pinot the Blog Dog

Prestigious Mottahedeh Reproductions

Hello from Pinot the Blog Dog!

We just had a great "Christmas in July" celebration in our showroom.  All kinds of items were offered at great savings, and Santa drew the name of a lucky showroom visitor who won a $500.00 Replacements, Ltd. gift card.  So many people signed up for showroom supervisor Jill Slatter's "Dining Etiquette" seminar that we had to schedule two programs!  And lots of people came in to take advantage of our Silver Repair Clinic, when our silversmiths inspected sterling and silverplate and gave people estimates on the cost to repair and restore the items at no charge. Click on this link to get more "Christmas in July" information.  And next year, be sure to come for a visit yourself!

 
Santa draws $500.00 gift card winner!

We have great Patterns of the Week selections for you!

Mottahedeh Canton is high-quality reproduction china of an early blue-and-white porcelain pattern from Asia.  Mildred Mottahedeh, who founded Mottahedeh & Company in New York City with her husband, began collecting Asian porcelain, jade, and bronze in 1929.  The couple's collection came to hold more than 2,000 items, and was considered to be one of the finest collections in the world.  Mottahedeh used
pieces from her collection as models for exquisite porcelain reproductions of the original Chinese wares.  Her company became one of the most prestigious porcelain manufacturers in the world, producing pieces for the Metropolitan Museum and Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.  Mottahedeh monteiths (punch bowls), bearing the great seal of the United States,
were presented as gifts to visiting heads of state by President Ronald Reagan.

 
Mottahedeh Canton china.
   
Wedgwood Crystal Dynasty features polished, geometric dot and panel cuts on its flared, squarish bowl - the stem is multi-sided, with a round foot.  Introduced by Wedgwood in 1981, Dynasty crystal was manufactured for 9 years.  Its shape is classic!  For the Wedgwood company, 2009 is a special year - the firm is celebrating its 250th anniversary. In 1759, Josiah Wedgwood established himself as an
independent potter at the "Ivy House Works" in Burslem, England. During his career, he made many refinements in the production processes for porcelain dinnerware.  Today, the Wedgwood company's patterns sometimes feature shell designs.  Wedgwood's personal passion was conchology, the study of mollusk shells. He often was seen on the beaches of England, collecting specimens. Wedgwood used these organic shapes in many of the original designs and patterns for his tableware and figurines.

 
Wedgwood Crystal Dynasty.

Take a look at the classical scroll and plume designs in Towle Queen Elizabeth I  sterling, and you'll understand why the pattern, introduced in 1970, is still in production.  More than 5,000 individuals have registered their interest in Queen Elizabeth I with Replacements, Ltd., and Towle is one of our most popular silver makers.  The company is founded on the craftsmanship and artistry of the Moulton
family of England, who over six generations of silver making, raised their artisanship to a high art. A young man named Anthony Towle would join William Moulton IV as an apprentice. When Moulton retired, Towle and a partner, William Jones, bought the Moulton family stock and formed Towle & Jones in 1857. With such a long history and distinguished tradition, Towle's Queen Elizabeth I is a pattern that resonates with skill and pride in craft.

 
Towle Queen Elizabeth I sterling.

If you'd like to get in touch with me, Pinot the Blog Dog, or with Ross, my assistant, e-mail us at ross.howell@replacements.com.  And whenever we can help you with china, crystal, silver, collectibles, or any need you might have in tableware, be sure to visit our web site.  Talk to you soon!

Pinot the Blog Dog

Interesting Newspaper Article

Hello from Pinot the Blog Dog!  Recently a story appeared in the Greensboro News & Observer about the highway billboard at Replacements, Ltd. and an interesting approach to job-hunting in the current economy.  This is the link.

Here's a picture of the puppy, Josh, and me playing together.  He's growing like crazy!  He's way bigger than I am now.  He's going to be our Featured Pet in the next Replacements, Ltd. Broadcast Newsletter.  I'll send you the link when the article is published.  You'll see how big he is then!

 

Remember to visit Replacements, Ltd. whenever we can help you with any item you need in china, crystal, silver (sterling, silverplate, and stainless steel), or collectibles.  Questions?  E-mail Pinot or Ross at 
ross.howell@replacments.com.

Talk to you soon!

Pinot the Blog Dog 

 

 

Beautiful Dinnerware Patterns

Hello from Pinot the Blog Dog!

Here's a picture of my new buddy, "Joshua."  Everybody calls him "Josh."  He works in Fulfillment Operations at Replacements, Ltd., with his human, April (we're a pet-friendly workplace).  He's a puppy, as you can see, and he is growing faster than you can imagine!  He's already pretty good on the keyboard, but I'm going to have to keep working with him on his grammar and punctuation.  And he keeps forgetting to back up his files!

  
Josh and his beanie baby

Each week at Replacements, Ltd. we feature three patterns in china, crystal, and flatware that are especially interesting because of their design and history.  Here are the patterns from this week.

Beautiful Names, Beautiful Designs

Beautifully named Amapola (Spanish for “poppy”) by Villeroy & Boch features exquisitely rendered, embossed poppy designs on the rim that spill onto the well of the plate.  Concentric, intertwined green stems on the rim complete the design.  Amapola is a showcase pattern for Germany’s Villeroy & Boch, founded in 1748.  Its longevity is not the only rare characteristic of the company in a modern corporate world.  Despite the ravages of World War I and the Second World War, Villeroy & Boch remains a family owned company; the eighth generation of the founders actively creates and produces tableware designs.  Villeroy & Boch is the world’s largest producer of ceramics.  Its wares include egg cups, bath tubs, the tiles in New York City’s Holland Tunnel, and table settings for the Vatican in Rome.

 
Villeroy & Boch Amapola

Another beautifully named pattern is Cambridge Caprice-Moonlight Blue.  This crystal shimmers like moonlight!  Produced by Cambridge from 1937 to 1953, the light blue, swirled optic design features a knobbed and ribbed stem with round foot.  The Cambridge Glass Company was founded in 1873, when a group of businessmen from the town of Cambridge, OH, decided to charter a glass-producing facility.  A factory opened its doors in 1902.  Most of Cambridge’s early designs were heavy, pressed-glass patterns.  Arthur J. Bennett, an Englishman, was hired to manage the Cambridge factory.  Bennett would design many of the company’s most successful patterns, and ultimately acquired the firm.  Some of the firm’s most successful patterns and colors were introduced under Bennett’s leadership.  Competition from overseas forced Cambridge to shut its doors in 1958.

  
Cambridge Caprice-Moonlight Blue

Introduced in 1941, Lunt Silver American Victorian is scallop-shaped sterling with magnificent scroll and floral designs.  It’s a lovely complement to the poppy design and swirled optic effect of Amapola and Caprice-Moonlight Blue.  Lunt was founded as the A. F. Towle & Son Mfg. Co. in 1880 in Newburyport, MA.  Towle and his son left the company and built a new factory in Newburyport under the name A.F. Towle & Son Company.  After moving to Greenfield, MA, in 1890, the firm diversified.  It went into automobile manufacturing and produced one of the first “horseless carriages” in America.  Lack of financing caused the endeavor to fail, and George C. Lunt, who had been apprenticed to Towle, obtained financial assistance and established Rogers, Lunt & Bowlen Co., in 1902.  Since 1935 the company has used the trade-name Lunt Silversmiths.

 
Lunt Silver American Victorian

Visit our web site, and remember that you can always e-mail me, Pinot the Blog Dog, or Ross, at ross.howell@replacements.com.  Hope you are having a good summer and see you again soon!

Pinot the Blog Dog

Fourth of July Holiday

Hello from Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”   It’s easy for us to forget that the founding fathers signed their lives away as traitors when the Declaration of Independence was made public on July 4, 1776.

As we Americans look forward to hot dogs, fireworks, and perhaps a baseball game, let’s honor the day with special reverence and bright hopes for the future in what are hard times for many.  To help you prepare for your Fourth of July celebration, our Replacements, Ltd., founder and CEO, Bob Page, and our inventory specialists have put together a selection of items from our 13,000,000-piece inventory to help you make this the best Independence Day celebration ever!  Have a look at these items.

 
Nikko An America for All Seasons 82-Piece Set – 80% Off MSRP!
A blue-and-white celebration inspired by the art of Charles Wysocki, our special Nikko An America for All Seasons 82-piece set includes 12 dinner plates, 12 soup/pasta bowls, 24 salad/dessert plates (6 of each in 4 different motifs – autumn, winter, spring, and summer), and 24 mugs (6 of each in 4 different motifs, as with the salad/dessert plates), along with 1 creamer, 1 sugar bowl and lid, 1 salad serving bowl, 1 round serving platter (12 inches), 1 sauce boat (open), 1 salt and pepper set, and 1 cookie jar and lid.  The price is $229.95, a savings of 80% off the retail price of $1,132.00.  Follow the link to our secure, easy-to-use web site, or call us for more information toll-free at 1-800-REPLACE (1-800-737-5223) 8:00am - 10:00pm, ET, 7 days a week.  Call now – these sets will go quickly!

 
Pfaltzgraff Heritage White 3-Piece Canister Set – Lovely and Useful
For your kitchen counter, sideboard, or hutch, the paneled white stoneware shapes of our Pfaltzgraff Heritage White 3-piece canister set will make lovely accents, and you’ll use them so often you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them!  For your big Fourth of July backyard cookout, you could use the largest canister for flowers and the other two for big dill pickles and special dressings.  They’ll look beautiful on your picnic table with bunting or small American flags!  And don’t forget red, white, and blue balloons for the kids!  The price for our special 3-piece canister set is $44.99, a savings of 44% off the MSRP of $80.00.  Follow the link to our secure, easy-to-use web site, or call us toll-free at 1-800-REPLACE (1-800-737-5223) 8:00am - 10:00pm, ET, 7 days a week. 

Lenox Crystal Holiday Gems-Ruby 4-Piece Set, Stemless Wine
There won’t be any problem spotting the red on your red, white, and blue Independence Day table!  Ruby-red stemless wine glasses (4 3/8 inches tall) from Lenox Crystal will add spectacular color to your spread - and they’re the ideal size and shape to handle any beverage, from milk to iced tea, from apple juice to wine, from lemonade to punch.  Our special price for the Holiday Gems-Ruby 4-piece set of stemless crystal wine glasses is $19.99, a savings of 31% off the MSRP of $29.00.  Be sure to browse our web site for the other beautiful pieces we have in the Holiday Gems-Ruby pattern, with red bowls and clear crystal stems and feet.  Just follow the link to our secure, easy-to-use web site, or call us toll-free at 1-800-REPLACE (1-800-737-5223) 8:00am - 10:00pm, ET, 7 days a week.

 
20-Piece Stainless Flatware Set, Oneida Tortola – 65% Off!
The handsome, clean design of Oneida Tortola features a flat tip and two beads near the utensil – its distinctive shape will enhance any table, indoors or out!  Our special set includes 4 dinner knives, 4 dinner forks, 4 salad forks, 4 teaspoons, and 4 place/oval soup spoons for a price of $29.99, a savings of 65% off the MSRP of $86.12.  This is a great “starter” set for your new graduate or for a young couple just setting up their household – they’ll use your durable Oneida stainless steel gift for years to come!  Follow the link to our web site and browse our selection of Oneida Tortola place setting and serving pieces, or call toll-free at 1-800-REPLACE (1-800-737-5223) 8:00am - 10:00pm, ET, 7 days a week.  A phone associate will be delighted to help you!

In a couple of days, Pinot the Blog Dog and I will have more items to suggest for your July 4th weekend. Until then, remember you can e-mail us anytime at ross.howell@replacements.com, or visit our Replacements, Ltd. web site.

Ross Howell and Pinot the Blog Dog

Inaugural Luncheon to Use China Pattern of President Abraham Lincoln

Hello from Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog! Recently we saw on CNN some information about the china that will be used at the Presidential Inaugural Luncheon. The service will be replicas of the pattern used during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and features the American bald eagle with the United States Coat of Arms. The illustration here is from CNN and the Senate Inaugural web site. We thought we’d see if we could find a little more information for you.

 

A wonderful reference is the book, Official White House China: 1789 to the Present, 2nd edition, by Margaret Brown Klapthor, published in 1999 by The Barra Foundation, Inc., in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. We checked online and found used copies available at amazon.com and alibris.com, and they’re quite expensive!  But the information and photographs in the book are truly remarkable.

According to Klapthor, although President and Mrs. Lincoln entered the White House in 1861 under the cloud of impending war, Congress had nonetheless set aside substantial funds for furnishing their new home.  Mrs. Lincoln felt there was too little china left from the service used in the administration of President Franklin Pierce to set a formal dinner, and embarked on a shopping trip to New York and Philadelphia to remedy the situation.

As Klapthor notes in her book, the May 16, 1861, issue of The New York Daily Tribune reported that Mrs. Lincoln visited the “establishments of Lord & Taylor and Messrs. E.V. Haughwout & Co.  At the latter establishment she ordered a splendid dinner service for the White House in ‘Solferino’ and gold with the arms of the United States emblazoned on each piece.”  This same firm, under the business name Haughwout & Dailey, had sold a dinner service to President Pierce.  Those plates featured a blue band; Mrs. Lincoln selected “Solferino,” a bright, purplish color in the palette she preferred not only for her home decorations, but also for her personal attire.

No backstamp appears on the Lincoln china purchased in 1861, other than marks on two bon-bon pieces.  According to Klapthor, it is likely that “blank” porcelain for the service was produced by the Haviland factory in Limoges, France, and supplied to E.V. Haughwout & Co., who would have had the pieces decorated by hand in New York City.  The set so delighted Mrs. Lincoln that she ordered one for her personal use.  When President Lincoln ran for reelection in 1864, Klapthor notes that The New York World newspaper attacked Lincoln bitterly, accusing him of padding the bill for the official dinner service with the cost of the one used by his wife.  “Honest Abe” made payment for the second service from his own pocket.

Klapthor writes that the “royal purple,” or “Solferino” set originally purchased by Mrs. Lincoln in 1861 was augmented in subsequent administrations - first by President U.S. Grant in 1873, then by President Chester Arthur in 1884, and finally, by President Grover Cleveland in 1894.

Don’t forget to visit the Replacements, Ltd. web site, and e-mail Pinot the Blog Dog and me at ross.howell@replacements.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Ross Howell

Copeland Spode "Chicago Pitcher"

Hello everyone, and best wishes for the New Year from Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog! In spite of the bad economic news, it's been a good holiday season here at Replacements, Ltd.  We hope that soon all of us around the world will see movement toward economic recovery and good times ahead. Pinot received a new collar for Christmas from one of her girlfriends and is very excited. She's prancing around even more than usual!  Recently we had a very interesting e-mail correspondence with a couple who had read our piece about the Grosvenor Merlin china from the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. We hope to have more information about Merlin for you soon.  Here we wanted to share some information about a very cool historical piece in our Replacements, Ltd. Museum.

Copeland Spode Chicago Pitcher

As one would expect from any commemorative piece, our museum feature, the Copeland Spode Chicago Pitcher, released in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition of 1893, is full of history.  But the particulars of this piece’s release make it something truly special. 

The Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, began as an observance of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World.  Having outdone New York City and Washington, DC, to get the exposition, Chicago went all-out to make it spectacular.  The exposition site covered 600 acres, and nearly 200 buildings, in classical style, were constructed.  Man-made lagoons and canals accented the magnificent buildings.  Often referred to as “The White City,” the exposition was designed in large part by Daniel Burnham (architect who designed the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, DC) and Frederick Law Olmstead (landscape designer of Central Park, New York City, and the grounds around the United States Capitol Building).  The buildings and layout of the exhibition were to serve as prototypes for city design, following the Beaux Arts principles of symmetry and balance.

As fate would have it, a young English teacher from Wellesley College, MA, visited the exposition on her way to Colorado for a tour of the West.  Katharine Lee Bates would later write the poem that would become the patriotic song, America the Beautiful.  The “alabaster cities” in her lyrics are a reference to the white buildings of the Chicago World’s Fair.

Launched in a period of great optimism in industrial America, the exposition was visited by such luminaries as inventor Thomas Edison; activists Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, and Frederick Douglass; entertainers Scott Joplin and Annie Oakley; financiers J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie; aviator Octave Chanute; writers Henry Adams, Hamlin Garlin, William Dean Howells, and Helen Keller (with her teacher, Annie Sullivan); and President Grover Cleveland.  In the six months that the exposition was open, more than 27 million people attended.  This number represented about half the population of the United States in the period!

Noted on the backstamp of the Copeland Spode Chicago Pitcher as designer is the name, Frank E. Burley, whose business, Burley & Co., was located on State Street in Chicago.  In the “Chicago Blue Book of Selected Names...” (1892), Burley’s firm ran this advertisement: “We bring to this city and offer for sale at reasonable prices, the choicest Table Wares, the richest Ornamental Pieces and the latest novelties in Ceramics secured by personal visit to the Art Centres of the Old World.”  In all likelihood, Burley commissioned the production of the Chicago Pitcher on a business trip to England.  A decade later, the “Annual Report 1903” of the Chicago Historical Society notes a gift “From Burley and Company...an historical pitcher designed by the late Frank E. Burley.  The different groups of figures forming the decorations represent the history of Chicago from the first visit of Marquette, 1673, to the Columbian Exposition, 1893.”

Encircling the top panels of the Copeland Spode Chicago Pitcher is a depiction of the Great Fire of 1871 that destroyed four square miles of the city.  You’ll see in the detail a rendering of Catherine O’Leary, who with her husband, Patrick, owned the small shed where the fire purportedly started, along with her famous cow.  The legend (popularized in the song, “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow,” sometimes called “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”) continues, even though Michael Ahern, a reporter for the Chicago Republican, admitted in 1893 (the year of the Columbian Exhibition) that he had invented the story about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicking over her milking lantern.

Other depictions include Potawatomi warriors pointing across a lake, probably at French explorers who were the first white men to arrive in the region.  Also depicted are the area’s first trading post, built by Haitian Jean Baptiste Pont du Sable, the area’s first permanent settler; Fort Dearborn, destroyed during the War of 1812; and a depiction of Athena (goddess of wisdom and knowledge) with the Palace of Fine Arts, also known as the Fine Arts Building (built specifically for the 1893 Columbia Exhibition), which, years later, would evolve into the Field Museum of Natural History, a landmark on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive.

While the Copeland Spode Chicago Pitcher in our Museum is not for sale, Replacements, Ltd. carries a wide variety of classic Spode patterns, among them, the most popular china pattern in our entire 13,000,000-piece inventory, Spode Christmas Tree.  Be sure to browse our web site.  And remember that we always invite you to visit our facilities!  Here you’ll find a stunning variety of silver, china, crystal, and collectibles!  Our warehouse facilities (the size of 7 football fields) hold more than 13,000,000 individual pieces in more than 300,000 patterns!  Our Showroom and Museum are open from 9:00am to 7:00pm ET, 7 days a week (except holidays); free tours are available from 9:30am to 6:00pm ET, 7 days a week.  The Showroom and Museum are conveniently located between Greensboro and Burlington, NC, at exit 132 off Interstate 85/40.  We look forward to seeing you!  And remember to e-mail us at ross.howell@replacements.com. 

Ross Howell