At the turn of the last century, the potteries along the Ohio River were working overtime to fulfill rapidly increasing orders - bricks for streets, clay products for drainage, durable toilet wares, and dinnerware. American potteries had developed new production methods…
Tag: Restaurant China

Classic Restaurant Ware – The Green Crest Border
If there is one pattern that defines restaurant ware then perhaps, a green crest border would find a place in the top three patterns. But still, it is not easy to find in quantity these days. But sometimes, a tall stack…
Plain Old White Ironstone Bowls – Perfect for Chili
Plain Old White Ironstone Bowls – Perfect for ChiliA good chili bowl should hold chili. A better than good bowl for chili should not be too wide – leave the wide bowl for cereal. A wide bowl holds the contents certainly…
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Ohio River Pottery: Black and White Restaurant China
Call it what you will . . . Retro Diner, Restaurant China or Restaurant Ware. To my eye, these plates look fresh and modern. Black is back but did it ever fade away? The scalloped edge brings a cottage in…
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Clay has a life of its own. There are many things it will not do and cannot be made to do. It insists on respect. It records not only the impression we make on it by hand or machine but…
Royal China and Steubenville Pottery
"Anywhere you dig in Sebring you hit pottery shards. In some places they sit in parking lots or driveways, just waiting to tell us their history."
Ohio River Pottery: H. R. Wyllie China Company
Ohio River Pottery: H. R. Wyllie China Company Recently, I found a very old semi porcelain platter in less than pristine condition. I noticed that the gold trim was very very worn, in fact absent in some areas yet, the glaze…
Ohio River Pottery: H. R. Wyllie China Company
Recently, I found a very old semi porcelain platter in less than pristine condition. I noticed that the gold trim was very very worn, in fact absent in some areas yet, the glaze was excellent, no cracks and only slight…

The Gift: The Story of The Homer Laughlin Plate
Almost, thirty years ago, a package arrived postmarked from the Homer Laughlin Company, Newell, West Virginia quite unexpectedly. A few days before, we were at the International Housewares Exhibition in Chicago. It was a big deal, a really big deal. Now,…

Can This Plate Be Saved?
So, you have a favorite plate or you are thrifting and you come across a plate that looks like this one. Can the crazing be removed? Is the piece useable? Well, it depends. In the case of this plate, the…

Pottery made in the Ohio Valley
I like restaurant china because it is built to last and tough to break in everyday use. Hitting it with a hammer will break it. But it is tough and durable. But I did not know anything about the history…