Vintage 1950s Floral Restaurantware Luncheon Plate - Pasadena Pattern by Shenango circa 1957
Recollections of the pleasant-yet-basic cooking of our hired cooks in Pasadena came back to me - the big hams or gray roast beef served with buttery mashed potatoes. But then unexpectedly so did yet deeper memories of more elegant meals prepared in a grand manner by accomplished cooks when I was just a girl... Julia Child from My Life in France, 2006
{HISTORY}
There are two great things associated with Pasadena. One being the name of the California city where Julia Child was born in 1912. And the other being the name of this beautiful restaurantware pattern made by Shenango in 1957.
All color and vivaciousness, this luncheon plate contains big bouquets of mixed blooms, in shades of raspberry, lemon yellow, cornflower blue, violet, grape, mint green, sea green, and pale pink. Containing Shenango's famous RimRol WelRoc design - a double banded style built into the underside of the plate - we know that this dinner plate was part of a bustling restaurant that saw frequent turnover and a lively environment. The Rimrol Welroc design was intended solely for such busy establishments so that the wait staff could quickly grab and securely carry plates during hustle-bustle eating hours.
Although not strictly reserved for one specific dining establishment, the Pasadena was a long-used pattern in Shenango's library of designs. First showing up in their inventory in the 1910s, there is record of it still being made for the restaurant industry all the way through the 1980s. That makes it a classic when it comes to hospitality, but interestingly, there are not many pieces available on the market today despite all those decades in manufacture.
This luncheon plate was made in 1957 and might have been a part of the serving set at a neighborhood luncheonette, a school or hospital cafeteria, a city hotel dining room, or a country restaurant. It's fun to think that this Pasadena pattern, created right around the time that Julia Child was born in Pasadena, CA might have been part of the tableware in a restaurant in Pasadena that Julia might have frequented during her West Coast days. There is of course no way to validate such a situation when it comes to this plate, but that's the fun of collecting vintage restaurant ware - all those exciting possibilities and romantic ideas of when and where this plate could have been in service.
{SPECIAL FEATURES}
- Hard to find pattern and piece
- Similar to Syracuse China's Old Haarlem pattern
- Stamped on bottom with the maker's mark and date code H15, which stands for 1957
{CONDITION}
In beautiful vintage condition, this plate contains no chips, cracks, spots or staining. There is a small little black dot near the biggest floral bouquet which is a manufacturing flaw as it is under the glaze. Please see photos.
{SIZE}
Measures 9.25" inches (diameter) and weighs 1 lb 10 oz.
{FOR THE LOVE OF RESTAURANT WARE}
Find more vintage restaurant ware pieces detailing hospitality history here in the shop.