Eva Zeisel

Hungarian-born designer and ceramicist Eva Zeisel (1906–2011) worked in ceramics factories in Budapest, Germany, Russia, Austria, and England before coming to the United States in 1938. She designed ceramics for many different clients and is best known for her dinnerware, including Stratoware designed for Sears Roebuck in 1942 and the elegant, all-white Museum dinnerware designed […]

Is It Pottery Or Porcelain?

Pottery is opaque. You can’t see through it. Porcelain is translucent. When a porcelain dish is held in front of a strong light, it is possible to see the light through the dish. If a piece of pottery is held in one hand and porcelain in the other, the piece of porcelain will be colder […]

Russel Wright – American Modern Dinnerware

Modern designs came into fashion in America in the 1930s. Hall China Company’s Airflow teapot, Raymor dinnerware by Roseville Pottery, and the American Modern dinnerware pattern designed by Russel Wright (1905-1976) were important examples of the modern look. American Modern was made by Steubenville Pottery Company of Steubenville, Ohio, from 1939 to 1959. During the […]

Harmony House

Harmony House wasn’t a company; it was a mark used on dinnerware sold by Sears, Roebuck & Company. Harmony House dishes were made by Hall, Harker, Homer Laughlin, Laurel Pottery, Salem China, Universal, and other factories from 1940 until the early 1970s. During the last few years, the dishes were made in Japan. Photo: Replacements […]

Dinnerware Patterns

These dinnerware patterns are organized in alphabetical order.     Autumn Leaf Autumn Leaf pattern china was made for the Jewel Tea Company beginning in 1933. Hall China Company, East Liverpool, Ohio; Crooksville China Company, Crooksville, Ohio; Harker Potteries, Chester, West Virginia; and Paden City Pottery, Paden City, West Virginia, made dishes with this design. […]

Plastic Dinnerware Manufacturers

This is a list of plastic dinnerware manufacturers or companies organized by alphabetical order. Aztec The Aztec Company was located in St. Louis, Missouri. The design of the medium-weight dinnerware line suggests the line was produced in the mid-1950s. Dishes are in deep colors, including Brown, Gray, Green, Mustard Yellow, Salmon, and Turquoise; and pastel […]

Plastic Dinnerware

Plastic dishes were first made in the United States in the late 1920s. American Cyanamid Corporation developed American Beetleware, which was used for dishes given away as premiums with products like Wheaties and Ovaltine. Beetleware dishes were inexpensive to produce, but faded and cracked easily. Another plastic, melamine, was used for dishes beginning in 1937. […]

European Dinnerware Used In The United States

Dinnerware in the average American home in the early 1900s was usually china from Limoges, France, especially Haviland, for “good” dishes and English ironstone or American whiteware for every day. Stylish Haviland dishes were delicate-looking, with molded shapes and floral designs in pastel colors, especially violet. During World War I, few dishes were imported, but […]

Dinnerware Shapes and Sizes

Collectors need to understand the table settings of the past. The dinner sets of the early twentieth century had pieces that may be unfamiliar today. After-dinner cup: demitasse, smaller than regular cup Baker: uncovered, oval vegetable bowl Berry bowl: part of set, serving bowl, 6-8 inches in diameter; individual bowls, 3-4 inches in diameter Butter […]

Dating Dinnerware by Pattern, Color and Shape

Dishes are often designed in the newest styles to go with other new household furnishings. After a little study, it is possible to determine the approximate age of a dish by its shape, colors, and pattern. Decorations like Mexican scenes, abstract designs, the type of border, the flowers pictured, or even the lack of a […]