{HISTORY}

Made by the oldest pottery in America, this vintage Harker Pottery square cake plate features their Lovelace pattern - a full bouquet of fruits and flowers accented with gold detailing on the handles and rim.

Advertised as a "giant cake plate," it was indeed a big one measuring 12.5" inches x 11" inches. but size aside, what makes this pattern especially fun is that it was part of giveaways at movie theaters in the early 1940s.

If you lived in Los Angeles and you wanted to escape all the news and anxiety of WWII, the best place to head was to the movie theater where you could see showings of Shop Around the Corner with Jimmy Stewart, Swanee River starring Don Ameche or Loretta Young in the Lady From Cheyenne. A special treat included along with your movie ticket was a piece of Harker Pottery's Lovelace dishware. Each week brought a new dish from the pattern, so that by year's end with a visit to the cinema each week, you'd be well on your way to a complete set. 

Part of Harker's oven-tested Bakerite series - a popular oven-to-table design line in the 1930s-1940s, Bakerite pieces came in a variety of shapes and patterns and were often collected piece by piece. This cake plate originally would have come with a matching ceramic cake server too.

A pretty memento from an enjoyable afternoon, these movie theater giveaways must have brought a little glimmer of joy and distraction during the war years.  Once the war ended in 1945, they became memory keepers of a courageous time in history. 

A pastel mix of pink flowers, blue and red grapes, bluebells, pears, figs, and pomegranate it is an abundant bouquet all tucked into a wicker basket. Colors include bubble gum pink, blueberry, brick, coral, mustard, sage green, mint, seafoam, almond and butter yellow.

A dazzler for display or table service, the nice thing about square cake plates like this is that they are adaptable for many other purposes beyond cake. Here in the Vintage Kitchen we especially like them for cheese and charcuterie boards.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Lovelace Pattern

- Stamped on back with the Bakerite mark 

{CONDITION} 

In lovely vintage condition. There are no chips or cracks. There is a lot of beautiful light crazing throughout and a patch of very light staining near the top left corner. The gold detailing on the rim and handles are shiny and bright with just a slight bit of wear in some spots along the top and bottom and bottom edge.

{SIZE}

Measures 12.5" Inches (length) x 11" inches (width) and weighs just a smidge under 2 lbs.

{STYLE IDEA}

Vintage cake plates looked so pretty when paired together in both round and square shapes. Find more vintage cake plates here.