Several of my favorite blogging friends have mentioned that my new posts (infrequent of late) are not appearing on their reading lists. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it relates to FeedBurner. A few weeks ago, someone asked if they could subscribe to receive Affordable Accoutrements via e-mail. In trying to set up that option, I fear that something went awry. If you'd like to try "re-following" AA or subscribing via e-mail, I'd be interested in hearing if that seems to work. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience.
Now on with this week's tablescape:
In recent weeks, I've set tables for you reminiscent of the 1930's and early 1960's. Today, I'm focusing on the World War II era.The china, circa 1938, is by H&C/Heinrich of Selb, Bavaria. The company is still in operation, a division of Villeroy & Boch. I've combined two slightly different patterns for today's table and included a few relatively unusual pieces, such as a round butter dish and ramekins with underplates. Obviously, this is a fantasy setting. If I were really serving a meal today, I'd remove at least half the pieces from each place setting.
Above each plate is a butter pat, also known as butter chips, butters, butter pat plates, butter pads, and individual butters, by RC, Bavaria (the R stands for Rosenthal, another German company ... still in business after 125 years). Butter pats aren't used much these days, but I've found them to be perfect spoon rests to protect the tablecloth after guests have stirred iced tea.
The crystal is "Mayfair," an etched pattern by an American company, Morgantown (closed in 1971). Mayfair was produced in 1943/44. The flatware is "Rio," by Oneida, 1939. Table linens include a vintage cloth with cutwork embroidery and matching napkins. You've seen the flowers before, dried oak leaf hydrangeas from the garden. After checking the rose garden, I was reminded of the poem, 'Tis the Last Rose of Summer. I placed a dried rose at each place setting and scattered others in the center of the table.
Late afternoon turns to evening. The music of a solo violin plays softly, and guests arrive for ...
Tis The Last Rose Of Summer
By Thomas Moore
'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flow'r of her kindred,
No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh!
I'll not leave thee, thou lone one!
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them;
Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o'er thy bed,
Where thy mates of the gardenLie scentless and dead.
So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from Love's shining circle
The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie wither'd,
And fond ones are flown,
This bleak world alone?
Once the pattern was inscribed in the wax, the glass was taken to the to the dipping room where an acid etcher immersed the ware in a hydrofluoric acid bath. The exposed glass was eaten away by the acid, transferring the design etched in the wax to the glass. The length of time the glass was to remain in the bath was determined by the depth of the etching.
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So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from Love's shining circle
The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie wither'd,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?
Here's an excerpt from an online article about the making of Morgantown glassware:
The first step in the needle etching process was to dip the ware to be etched in wax. The wax-coated glass was then taken to the needle machine. The operator carefully placed the ware upside down on a rubber-cushioned plate where it was held fast by suction. The glass was slowly rotated while the machine’s needles traced the pattern into the wax. Plate-etched designs were produced using similar methods; however, the pattern was first produced on a steel plate. Once the design was complete, it was transferred to the glassware using a combination of wax and transfer papers.
Once the pattern was inscribed in the wax, the glass was taken to the to the dipping room where an acid etcher immersed the ware in a hydrofluoric acid bath. The exposed glass was eaten away by the acid, transferring the design etched in the wax to the glass. The length of time the glass was to remain in the bath was determined by the depth of the etching.
I was fortunate to acquire the Morgantown "Mayfair" pieces at a local estate sale. It was near closing time on the last day of the sale, and I was able to purchase all you see (including the salad plates) for under $30. The tablecloth and napkins were also estate sale finds. Again, it was at the end of the sale when the best deals are made. I was able to purchase these as part of a tall stack of table linens, $10 for everything.
If you've had similar experiences at estate sales, I'd love to hear about them!
A final note about Morgantown glassware:
In the early 1960s, Morgantown received an order from its most illustrious customer. The Morgantown Glassware Guild advertised a leaded crystal glassware line called "The President’s House" in 1963.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy had personally chosen this glassware line as the "Official Crystal Service" of the White House. It was a very simple, straightforward glassware design. President’s House glassware was identified with a paper label that read "The President’s House/Handmade Lead Crystal/by/Morgantown." Shown in an early advertisement were three items from the line including an eight-inch plate, an Old Fashioned tumbler, and a Rhine Wine goblet.
In 1967, The President’s House line would return to the news as the glassware pattern chosen by Lynda Bird Johnson for her December wedding.
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Here's the poem again in its entirety:
Tis The Last Rose Of Summer
By Thomas Moore
'Tis the last rose of summer,
By Thomas Moore
'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flow'r of her kindred,
No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh!
I'll not leave thee,
thou lone one!
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them;
Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o'er thy bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.
So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from Love's shining circle
The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie wither'd,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?
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