A CONTEST OPEN TO NON-PROFESSIONAL AMERICAN ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS LAUNCHED THIS BEAUTIFUL PATTERN LINE...

{HISTORY}

A beauty in sight and sentiment, these Gardenia pattern bread plates were made by Homer Laughlin in 1944 for their Eggshell Nautilus series. The winner of a prize contest held by the Vogue Mercantile Institute in New York City in 1943,  this pattern was one of three selected to be featured on Homer Laughlin dishware. 

The lovely thing about this design contest was that it was only open to non-professional artists and designers. It was the hope that by holding such a contest, American Mercantile and Homer Laughlin would be able to find patterns that truly appealed to the American woman of the 1940s - the woman who bravely and beautifully held up the home front during the WWII years. The ones who decorated, cooked, and celebrated day in and day out despite stress and uncertainty.  The ones who strived to set a pretty table, to add visual cheer and a welcoming atmosphere to home spaces, regardless of the troubling situations occurring in the world.

Gardenias, in the language of flowers, are often associated with hope, love, and purity as well as protection. This might have offered some meaning behind the design choice of this flower in this contest.  The gardenia branches featured here contain blushing pink and yellow tones set against soft white petals unfurling from sage and pale evergreen leaves. Pink wax flowers wind their way around the rim. 

A really fun look into the design and color preferences of women in the 1940s, the only thing that could have been better about this contest was finding out the name of the woman who designed this gardenia pattern. That is a piece of information that still eludes us, but perhaps one day we'll be able to pin name to pattern. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Colors include pastel pink, sage, pale evergreen, celadon, light grey and pale lemon yellow
• Matching set of four plates
• Stamped on back with maker's mark, dish style and pattern name 

{CONDITION}

In beautiful vintage condition, these plates contain no chips, cracks, spots or stains. The shimmery gold rim around each plate is bright and shiny, but there are a few spots where it is wearing ever so slightly. There is a small rust mark on one plate near the center gardenia flowers that measures 1/8th in size. This is a manufacturing flaw, most likely a natural mark in the clay, as it is under the glaze and does not affect the use of the plate in any way. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Each bread plate measures 6" inches in diameter and weighs 5 oz.