Twenty some odd years ago I was sitting with my good friend, Barbie, at her dining room table. I don’t remember for sure, but knowing Barb, it’s highly likely we were enjoying a cup of Tetleys tea and eating something amazing from her kitchen. Barb doesn’t just cook, like an artist, she creates. Beautiful, delicious dishes that draw people together and invite them to linger over good food and good conversation.

As we visited to the muffled voices and laughter of the kids playing in another part of the house, our conversation turned to the dishes displayed on her china hutch. These were the start of a new collection.

I was excited. I have a thing for dishes. I can’t explain it. I know there are those who couldn’t care less if they are eating on fine china or paper plates. I’ve never been that girl. I’ve been a dish collector for almost as long as I can remember.

It started with an old Hall teapot that had been my grandmother’s. I was still just a young girl and she was still alive and well. As I look back, I’m not sure how or why I ended up with it, but I did. And I loved it. Though today the faded golden butterflies look old and frumpy, as a girl, I felt very grown up and elegant when using it.

When I was twelve, our small,  local grocery store started offering Haviland Blue Garland china as a promotion. Stamps, earned with the purchase of groceries allowed the dishes to be purchased at a discount. I loved the silver trim and the soft blue of the little flowers. As a avid reader of historical fiction, I was enthralled with the concept of a hope chest. It was old fashioned and romantic, and I decided I must have one. I would start by collecting Blue Garland china.

My mom saved stamps and I saved my money until I could purchase a piece of china for my collection. Eventually I ended up with service for twelve, a coffee server, and several serving pieces.

That afternoon, sitting at Barbie’s table, I was introduced to a category of dishes that was new to me. Her dishes were brown and white with quaint scenes of the English country. It was a pattern called Country Days by Ridgeway.  I would learn that this type of pattern is called Transferware and it’s available in hundreds of different patterns, with different scenes and different colors.

It reminded me of toile fabric, only on dishes; two of my favorite things in one! My infatuation was instant and complete. Twenty years later I still collect Transferware.

Prior to the mid eighteenth century, decorative dinnerware was hand-painted. This laborious process made it expensive and as such, it was available only to the upper classes. In order to meet the demand of an emerging British middle class for more affordable decorative dinnerware, a transfer process was created.

Images were hand carved into copper plates. Ink was applied to the plates then transferred first to thin paper, then to the pottery. The resulting product came to be known as Transferware. In addition to antique and vintage patterns, modern reproductions are also readily available. In fact, while I do own some vintages pieces, much of my collection is modern.

My favorite Transferware patterns are those whose scenes tell a story. A village. A farm. A castle. A courtship. I even have a Christmas set with The Night Before Christmas poem.

While vignettes form the bulk of my collection, I also have a fondness for Chintz. This Transfereware is characterized by floral patterns that cover the entire piece. It’s beautiful and decidedly feminine.

When not gracing my table, my Transferware collection serves double duty. Because it’s beautiful in it’s own right, I might display it on a mantel, or put flowers in a teapot. To me, this is the best kind of collection; one that can serve a practical function and also be used to enhance a space with it’s beauty.

 

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