Vintage Style for Modern Living
Placesetting with Cream & Sugar – Casual by Iroquois China – Designed by Russel Wright – 1946
Our friend Mitzi over at Vintage + Goodness = Happiness has requested that I post a photo of some of the Iroquois Casual China by Russel Wright which we talked about in the previous entry.
Shown here is the dinner plate, dessert plate, bread & butter plate, salad bowl, gumbo bowl, tea cup & saucer and the great stacking cream & sugar set. These pieces are in the sherbet pink and charcoal colors.
The modern lady and I had a great find this week – a set of four place settings of Russel Wright’s Iroquois Casual in the Sherbet Pink and Charcoal colors.
The set is just wonderful but what made it even more special was the original tri-fold brochure for this classic mid-century line of china. I love finding pieces like this and just had to share this one.
Introduced in 1946, the Casual line was made of high-fired vitreous china and was very durable – suitable for use in the oven and on the stovetop as well as on the table. Russel Wright, and his wife Mary, often demonstrated how resistant to breakage this dinnerware was by upsetting a drainer full of the dishes during department store promotional presentations.
Russel and Mary Wright demonstrating Iroquois Casual China – circa 1947
The durability of these dishes is equally appreciated by collectors today. This dinnerware is not as likely to be found with chips, cracks or crazing as many other mid-century lines are prone to have. For example, Russel Wright’s American Modern dinnerware is notorious for crazing and we have found our fair share of American Modern in poor condition for this very reason – largely due to being overheated in dishwashers during the dry cycle.
But Iroquois Casual has stood the test of time and is one of the legacies from a man who was dedicated to make American home life easier – Russel Wright.
Spontaneous Collection of Items – The Modern Guy’s Desk
When I was five the older couple who lived next door, Mr. & Mrs. Barnes, gave me a rock collection. Mr. Barnes had carefully wrapped each specimen in a bit of paper towel and placed a small card inside which described the stone and the location of its origin. Those small bits of rock and stone may as well have been nuggets of silver and gold to me and I spent many hours carefully unwrapping each one, examining it, and just as carefully storing it back away in its box.
I believe that was my first true “collection” although I never recall a time that I wasn’t assembling items of some sort into a grouping. Often those items have been very specific and similar and, at other times, have been a seemingly random selection of unconnected things that come together as a “collection” only in my mind.
I was thinking of this while cleaning my desk the other day. The items shown above have resided together there for several years now. While totally unconnected in any way this grouping has become a spontaneous collection – one gathered and assembled with no forethought or planning but which are now, at least as far as I am concerned, a single unit.
This grouping includes, a PEZ dispenser, a beat up cream pitcher from The Ruffner Hotel, a wooden Number 8 typeblock, a pewter donkey, a New York Flatiron Building souvenir, a bottle opener from the Fesenmeier Brewery, a U.S. Army pin, and stack of eight Kennedy half-dollars. Each of these items I acquired individually with no thought of where they would go and certainly without having a “need” for them. They just each appealed to me in some manner and over time have simply combined to become a small collection of otherwise meaningless items that stay on my desk. They are now one – a collection.
The modern lady and I are collectors of some very specific items as well – Blenko Glass, Heywood-Wakefield furniture, artwork and dinnerware. The best example of borderline obsessive compulsive disorder in our family is our acquisition of dinnerware as we have accumulated upwards of dozen complete or nearly complete sets.
While our basic tastes always lean towards vintage modern there are several collections in our home which do not fall into that category at all. The modern lady’s mammy doll collection and Virgin Mary figurine collection are two of those and, while additions to these collections are not what we are generally seeking on an ongoing basis, they both seem to keep growing.
Vintage Mammy Dolls – The Modern Lady’s Collection – circa early 20th Century
Vintage Virgin Mary Figurines and Icons – The Modern Lady’s Collection
Collecting has been going on since people first began hunting and gathering. The Association of Collecting Clubs lists 2866 collecting groups and from my experience that list just skims the surface. In our shop we cater to collectors and are constantly reminded of the importance of collections in everyday life. Collections are an expression of individuality and, regardless of the monetary value, add significantly to a persons sense of well-being.
Just like the assemblage on my desk which I wouldn’t part with for any amount of money.
Dawn Burnt Orange Telephone– Northern Telecom – circa 1970’s
Telephones once sat in one place, were wired there so you didn’t misplace it, and actually dialed with a rotary dial. While most telephones were primarily untilitarian in nature, design trends influenced the look. There was the standard Western Electric Model 500 units, which was in many households, great sculptural phones were available in mid-20th Century America to accent the modern decor of the time.
Ivory Ericofon– L.M. Ericsson Company – Sweden – 1959
The quintessential mid-century telephone was the Ericofon made by the L.M. Ericson Company in Sweden. This iconic phone was unique in style and in the way it functioned with the rotary dial and “hanger” on the bottom. I remember first seeing this phone in early James Bond films.
Ericofon Bottom Dialer– L.M. Ericsson Company – Sweden – 1959
Telephones are often the forgotten area of good interior design for the home. For someone striving for a true vintage mid-century modern look a vintage phone is a necessity.
Vintage phones make unique and greatly appreciated Holiday gifts which will be put to use daily. Available at vintage shops, antique malls and through online sources like Ebay you can generally pick up a great phone in working order for between $75 – $150.
Make certain the phone works and has no damage or cracks to the body. Often found with the old 4-prong plugs a simply adapter will easily convert a phone for modular jack use.
Epic Candle Holder Pair – Viking Glass – circa 1965
With three shopping days left until Christmas you may have a few additional gifts to get and the budget may be getting a little tight. No fear – there are very lovely, vintage gifts to be had at a very reasonable price at you local vintage shop.
The items shown in this post are just some of the great items with high style for low dollars!
Snap-Glass Coffee Mugs – Corning – circa 1969
Enamel & Silver Plate Candy Dishes – Reed & Barton – circa 1958
Planter – McCoy Pottery – circa 1969
This is just a sampling of what is available. You can’t get unique gifts like this at one of the Big Box stores, you will need to venture into the vintage, antique and thrift stores. But the choices will likely make it very easy to find that perfect gift.
Votive Holder – Pilgrim Glass – circa 1960
You will also likely then be shopping a locally-owned shop – which is a gift to your home town economy as well! Happy hunting!
Magnolia Vase – Red Wing Pottery – circa 1940’s
Red Wing Pottery began in Minnesota in the 1860’s with potters from Germany who had settled the area. For nearly a hundred years the company primarily produced crocks, jugs and bowls aimed at the agrarian society. The company primarily sold in the Midwest, Northwest and in Canada.
After World War II, Red Wing Pottery adapted to the changing American social landscape shifting their product line from one focused on the farm to one aimed at the modern home. Dinnerware, vases and pottery decorative items were what Americans wanted and Red Wing was ready to supply this need.
Vase B1431– Red Wing Pottery – Designed by Belle Kogan – circa 1950’s
Free Form Bowl 1304 – Red Wing Pottery – circa 1950’s
Red Wing employed some wonderful designers including Belle Kogan and produced the Town & Country dinnerware line designed by Eva Zeisel. Town & Country is one of the most sought-after 20th Century dinnerware lines with an avid collector following.
Town & Country Dinnerware Brochure Pages – Red Wing Pottery – circa 1950’s
Red Wing Pottery was yet another company to close as the result of low-cost imports and ceased production in 1967. Descendants of the Gillmer family, who owned Red Wing, re-opened the company in 1996.
Red Wing Pottery pieces offer variety in color and design and are sure to please the mid-century collector this Holiday Season. Prices vary dramatically with many vases and pottery items running $75 and under. The Town & Country dinnerware line is hard-to-find, usually priced at a premium, but worth every penny whenever you can put your hands on it.
Pair of Geometric Vases– Riihimaaein Lasi Oy – Finland Designed by Tamara Aladin – circa 1969
Riihimaaein Lasi Oy (a.k.a. Riihimaki Glass Works) began producing art glass in the 1930’s and, after hiring a team of wonderful young designers after World War II, produced some of the most beautiful glass to come out of the Scandinavia.
Among those designers was Tamara Aladin who worked for Riihimaki beginning in 1959 and remained there until the company ceased production of art and tableware in 1976. Her designs for Riihimaki are dramatic and tend to utilize unlikely geometric combinations.
Scandinavian Glass has seen a vigorous revival thanks to collectors and aficionados of mid-20th Century style. These pieces can be a bit of a challenge to find but are well worth the search and are often available at vintage shops or online.
Vases, like the ones shown here, make stylish gifts for your stylish friends and will be treasured for years to come. They are in the $50 – $75 price range. Look for glass that is free from chips or other damage.
Pinch Water Glass Set – Imperial Glass – Designed by Russel Wright – 1949
To pick up a Russel Wright Pinch Glass is a pleasure. The form of this glassware is designed to fit right in your hand – it cradles there perfectly and feels define. It is the definition of functional art.
Designed by Russel Wright in 1949 and produced by Imperial Glass throughout the 1950’s this glassware is elegant and beautiful. Made to compliment Russel Wright Casual dinnerware line for Iroquois China, these glasses are as at home on the table as they are in the living room with before-dinner cocktails. The glassware is very durable with thick walls and a polished bottom.
A set of these will make you the ultimate Santa to the person lucky enough to receive them as a gift. They are premium glassware though and a set of six is likely to run you about $175 – $200.
Orange Peel Glaze Vase Trio – Haeger Pottery – circa 1958
The roots Haeger Pottery go back to a brickyard outside Chicago in 1871. Known at that time as Dundee Brickyard, the company manufactured millions of the bricks used to rebuild the City of Chicago after the great fire which destroyed over 17,500 buildings the same year the company began.
By 1900, the year of company-founder David H. Haeger’s passing, the firm was making simple red clay pots for the florist trade. Edmund Haeger, David’s son, oversaw the transformation from Haeger Bricks to Haeger Potteries. The company is still in operation today.
The bright “orange peel” glazed vases shown here date from the 1950’s and were one of numerous modern designs put out by Haeger during this period. These vases look great individually and in sets and can usually be easily found at your favorite vintage shop. They are valued between $25 – 45 each depending upon size.
Casserole Dish on Brass / Walnut Warming Stand– Stangl Pottery – 1959
Everyone has got to eat and serving food with style is the cornerstone of any great dinner party.
The 1950’s and 60’s produced some stunning pieces for entertaining and the fabulous casserole dishes from the period are great for use as decorative pieces in a mid-century modern inspired kitchen and are functional as well.
Moon Deco Covered Casserole – Pyrex – 1971
Covered Casserole in Chinese Red – Hall China – circa 1950’s
Starburst Covered Casserole – Bavarian – circa 1950’s
Made by numerous manufacturers food serving items such as the ones shown here make a very nice gift for friends and family. Most are very affordable with prices in the $25 to $75 range with some more collectible makers or designers, such as Russel Wright, going for a premium.