I Am Having a Fling With Homer...Laughlin China

Hello, my name is Kimberly and I have been having a long standing affair with Homer Laughlin China and other floral dinnerware.

Well, no, I am not quite ready for an intervention, but these are a few of the items that started my love of antiques.  It started when my mother shared one of the platters that was a gift to my great grandparents when they married in 1901.  From then on I loved the simplicity and beauty of these florals that were frequently used between 1900 and 1950.

When I started digging I found that several of the pieces that I collected were manufactured by the Homer Laughlin China Company which actually best known for its line that started in 1936 - Fiesta Ware.  The company actually started in 1871 by brothers Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin in East Liverpool, Ohio.  Their goal was to manufacture high quality pottery that was made in America.  By the turn of the century, they had grown so much that they were able to build a series of plants in Newell Farm, West Virginia where they still are today.  During the Depression years, they expanded into restaurant ware.

You may be wondering if there is a way to determine how old your Homer Laughlin China is?  From my research, the company had a system that was applicable to all of their lines, including the most popular original Fiesta Ware.

First look at their trademark stamped on the bottom of their pieces.  Anything prior to 1890 had a horseshoe mark.  During the following decade, they used an eagle carrying a lion.  A variety of trademarks were used after 1900 with the one above being the most common.

As seem in the pictures above, Homer Laughlin also used a series of letters and numbers showing the date and plant number to show where and when the piece was made.  This is a basic summary:

                                  Manufacturing Dates                Series of Letters and Numbers

                                        1900 - 1910                                2 Numbers + 1 Letter

                                        1910 - 1920                                3 Numbers

                                        1921 - 1930                                1 Letter + 2 Numbers

                                        After 1931                                  1 Letter + 2 Numbers + 1 Letter

After 1921, they used the first letter to indicate which month the piece was manufactured in, with the first 12 letters of the alphabet corresponding to a month.  For example A = January, K = November.

So with the platter, it is stamped with 27L, meaning that it was made between 1900 - 1910.  The second number is the year, so 1907 and the letter references the plant.

The bowl is stamped H43N8 which has an extra number which my sources did not indicate, but if we go with Homer Laughlin's policy, it indicates that this piece was manufactured in August of 1943.  These are general guidelines.

Below are a few more of the pieces I have collected.  Yes, I also love yellow ware, but that is a topic for another day!

The bowl on the far right of this picture particularly intrigues me.  It is made from the same pottery manufacturing process which is supposed to seal the piece with a glaze thus giving it the ability to hold liquids and be oven safe.  However this one is distinctly darker and the crackling of the glaze is very obvious.  The cause is generally from a variety of temperature changes; these dishes were not made like modern pyrex which can go from refrigerator to oven.  Where an item is stored, like a garage or attic over the years, can also impact the color and glazing.  The general consensus, though, is the old manufacturing process included lead so we should be very cautious about using pieces that have crackling like this because not only could it leach lead but also harbor bacteria.  These are not pieces I use, though.  I just love their look!

If you have any questions, comments or would love to share some pictures of your collections,  I'd love to hear back from you!

Have a blessed day!
Kimberly

Great-Grandma Emily's Table

I feel so very blessed to have been able to save my great-grandmother's kitchen table!  Yes, I use it as my office desk now, and it makes me proud.  It is heavy, solid, dinged up and scarred, but I love it.

My great-grandmother Emily was born in 1886 and was married to a man 16 years her senior in 1903.  I have a romantic notion that she was in love with someone closer to her age that her parents did not approve of, so they matched her with great-grandfather William.

Together, they farmed 100 acres given to them by her parents and raised four boys, one girl and later a grandson and granddaughter.  One of the boys was my grandfather.

Even though this table was small (though originally it did have one more leaf), it stood the test of time through all of the family meals, celebrations, canning and butchering sessions, and the somber times (like William's early death in 1933).

My mother fondly recalls all of the Sunday dinners great-grandmother and our aunt prepared.  Since everyone couldn't fit at the table, the men ate first, then the ladies, then the children.  Mama said that was okay, because her sister and cousins could always find plenty of fun out at the farm!

And the food this table held.  Most everything was made from scratch using ingredients raised there.  The fresh fried chicken, homemade noodles, fresh green beans, sauerkraut, dewberry pie...yum!

This, to me, is why I love antiques.  Every piece has a story, a memory, a unique purpose, a representation of a feeling.  

Please share what your favorite antique is and why.  We look forward in hearing from you!

Grandma Betty - An Example of the Values of Positively Prairie

Isn't she just the most adorable lady?!  I really admire her great-grandson for recognizing the value of learning from our older generation and showing so much love and respect for his Grandma Betty - a real role model for a younger generation.

I chose to start out my blogging career with this video because it touches me deeply.  She personifies qualities I admire and try to emulate.  These are the values I hope to share with you.

When creating my business and website, I knew I wanted to find and create things that convey a sense of whimsy; the first antique I thought of was the Felix the Cat Clock - you know with the swinging tail and eyes that move back and forth?  I also wanted to share other things that were inspirational and reminded folks of the core values that made America great - faith, family, hard work, a strong community, respect.  Thus is our logo, "Primitive finds that warm the heart and tickle the soul."

Grandma Betty certainly warms the heart and tickles the soul!  She is spunky, loving, adventuresome (just think, at 80 years old she's learned Instagram and bonded in a new way with Zachary), lives by the Golden Rule, and doesn't spend energy on what she can't control.

Being over 25 does technically qualify her as antique, you might say.  Just think of everything she has seen:  smaller, faster cars, the interstate system, space flight, rapid transit, all of the kitchen toys we take for granted, televisions, computers, wars, assassinations, great leaders, globalization...the list is quite lengthy.

All of these components of our history fascinate me.  I hope to share with you interesting tidbits about the items that were products of that history.  I also plan to share things that amuse and inspire.

Meanwhile, say a little prayer for Grandma Betty and her great-grandson.  Remember her Happy Dance when you're having a rough day!

Talk to you soon and have a blessed day!