Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Vintage Thursday: Prized posessions

Cleaning out my mother's house was, sometimes, overwhelming. I couldn't let go of those things that I remembered in our home; things that went back to my childhood and were wrapped inside all of the cupboards and corners of my memory.
The flow blue platter and the gravy boat were used for special dinners for as long as I can remember and, because they are so old, I suspect they might have been my grandma's as well.
I spent the morning researching Flow Blue on the Internet and I'm more confused than enlightened. I did learn that if it says England on the back or Bottom of a piece (which these do) that they were made after the 1900's. It had to do with U.S. tax laws on imported goods starting in the 1890's. This pattern is called "Lorne" and has a shamrock design.
The large serving plate, with the charming 1910-1920's design, is hand painted. The mark on the underside says "hand painted" and "Nippon" with an "M" in the middle of a circle of olive branches (I'm guessing on the leaf).
"Nippon," simply means "Japan." Nippon china was produced for export to the United States beginning in 1865, when the country ended its long period of commercial isolation, and ending in 1921, when the United States enforced the McKinley Tariff act which prohibited the import of items which were not "plainly marked, stamped, branded or labeled in legible English words. As Nippon was considered the Japanese word for the country of origin, "Japan" being the English equivalent, the period of the Nippon china mark came to an end.
The big (and it is huge) heavy teapot is not something I remember Mom using. We found it way back in a cupboard over the refrigerator. It's a wonderful teapot that would keep tea hot for hours. The mark on the underside is so blurred that I'm still trying to figure it out. It does have what appears to be an AP in the middle of the stamp. The two letters are capitalized and joined together. I think this pot is just charming. The design seems to be pottery glazed and fired. The gold is very worn.
The small crystal container with a very worn silver lid was my grandmothers. I remember it on her dresser.
This is the only piece of furniture I was able to fit into my Toyota. I was waiting for a highway patrolman to stop me all the way home because I couldn't see out the back window with all the stuff that was piled up behind the back seat. This table was on top of everything and I swore I wouldn't leave without it. This was always in my mother's bedroom window. I don't know much about it yet but I will research the style when I have more time. I just love it.
There is an old oak buffet and an oak, glass doored, bookcase desk that are still in the house waiting for me to figure out how I'm going to get them up here and then ...., where I'm going to put them. Something is going to have to leave my house in order to accommodate these beautiful pieces. This is so hard. I NEED A BIGGER HOUSE!!

Please check out all of the posts listed for Vintage Thingies Thursday at Colorado Lady's Blog. There are always lots of great vintage items and interesting stories.
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13 comments:

  1. Beautiful pieces and you will treasure these family heirlooms. The Flow blue is gorgeous I never heard of it before.

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  2. What beautiful treasures, that tea pot is adorable...I love it!

    Have a great VTT and a wonderful weekend.

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  3. What beautiful pieces of china. And what a heritage to keep in your family. I hope you will be able to rent a truck to get the other pieces of furniture!

    Jocelyn
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

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  4. Oh, Connie... it is so hard to make those choices, isn't it? I must do some photos of the things I kept from our home growing up. Nothing as fine as your pieces as my sister got the china and the Fostoria and the silverware. But the things I did chose to keep are treasures to me and are fun, to boot. I love the flow blue platter and gravy boat. The heavy teapot is very unusual,too, and the pattern is so delicate. I can see the reason for each and every one being special to you in their own way.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Helen

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  5. Old family dishes bring back a lot of memories. It's interesting how much information you were able to find.

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  6. It makes me happy to see that another person cares about the history of items in her mother's home - and not just casually discarding them without a thought. I have asked my mom about histories of things that she owns, as I think about it, and it will help me when I go through a time of loss that will surely come in the future....

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  7. What lovely flow blue and what nice memories of your Mom. I am sorry to hear of your loss. I read several posts on your blog. I liked the collage your made of your Mom. I saw the "Don't Stand at my Grave and Weep" poem collaged. When my Dad passed away, he had printed it on his computer, knowing that my Mom would look and find it. It looks like you have some lovely things to remind you of your Mom. :)

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  8. Connie, what lovely treasures who have to remember your mom. I like everyone of them. When my mom passed on I was able to get some of her glassware and alot of crochet work she had done. I kept it quite a while then I divided the pieces up and gave them to my children say they were to be passed down not given away or sold. Have a great day and weekend. Madeline

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  9. Thank you for sharing your family's treasures!
    Cindy

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  10. From what I can see from your photos, it was worth all you went through to get those things from your mothers. They all are very lovely.

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  11. I've also been known to sigh over blue dishes... It's nice to have something beautiful to pass on

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  12. Connie, You have my sympathy for your mother's passing. Everything that you keep will continue to remind you of her. I loved the conversation with the goats... Can't wait to read the continuation.
    hugs, Sue

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  13. How lovely, good memories to have these things that your Mom treasured. I especially love the big teapot & the side table-I can't wait to see the rest of your memorabilia from Mom.

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