“But They're Just Dishes” ffff Eric Uecker, ppcjock@execpc.com ffffIf you have been involved in the fascinating hobby of vintage and antique dinnerware collecting for a month or more, you by now have surely heard some form of the question "Why would you want to collect dishes?" Likely it has been spoken with a certain amount of honest curiosity and often with some measure of emphatic tone, as if to imply that there is something "weird" about the pursuit of a 70 year old bread and butter plate. After all, "everyone knows" that the ability to quote four year old statistics of an athletic performer you've never met has much more intrinsic social worth than an appreciation of the differences between an informal and formal sugar form from the Taylor Smith and Taylor kilns as issued forty-five years ago; something which you can hold in your hands and store in your cupboard. ffffThe real fact of the matter is that, at least for me, the appeal of dinnerware is a complex issue playing on a number of levels, most of which aren't obvious to the casual onlooker. At face value, dinnerware is nothing more than a pretty household item. Look thoughtfully beyond that and you will see that dinnerware embodies art, history, and industry in a fragile functional form; an outstanding example of which, if you shop carefully, might often be purchased at less cost than the price of a small cold soft-drink. ffffThe art of dinnerware may seem the most obvious characteristic of appeal, given the myriad of beautiful decorations which can satisfy nearly any sensibility. Consider for a moment, however, just how artistic a full set of dinnerware really is. First, there is the obvious question of shape. I find it fascinating how dinnerware designers are able to create a cohesive whole of unlike forms of varied scale based on differing functional needs, successfully unified by subtle design cues. That the striking contrast of purpose presented by a coffee server, a dinner plate, and an egg cup are able to be enveloped in a unified statement of identifiable family appearance is a testament to the abilities of the designer. Additionally, the final design must be durable enough to hold up to actual use for its intended purpose over a period of years, or even centuries. ffffBeyond form is the issue of color and decoration. The potter must find the glazes which not only function practically, but compliment the details of his shapes and the style of the time, even pushing beyond the current sense of accepted design. It must be noted just how powerful the effect of glaze color really is. Collectors revel in the subtle differences of the various shades of green issued by Homer Laughlin over the years, but consider what the impact of the entire colorware palette since the 1930s has been on many design fields over the decades. The colorware of the 1930's was much more avant-garde than the more common formal china designs of the day, and the in the 1950's colorware's widening acceptance expressed a jubilance at the possibilities of the future which were now not clouded by the anguish of a war so fresh in collective memory, making a strong emotional statement in a very unlikely place. ffffDinnerware pushed the acceptance of bold vibrant color schemes we now see as commonplace far earlier than many other consumer goods. While the general automotive industry had by the 1950's moved into a more vivid color era than the dowdiness it expressed in the 1930's, it was far behind the curve of acceptance compared to that of dinnerware. This author can remember the looks of amazement onlookers in 1958 gave us as we drove down the street in a brighter than fire-engine red 1956 Pontiac my father had specially painted. Yet, many of those same folks who expressed astonishment at the idea of a bright red car went home to a dinner served on a riot of color from the kilns of Ohio and California. The blending of colors from within the various lines on the table made for color schemes difficult to find in other places at the time, and yet now those same combinations are commonplace in many consumer goods. While full attribution of this color movement cannot be given to dinnerware alone, its contribution to a world of more varied color possibilities cannot be overlooked. As well, consider how many people will recollect a vivid memory of "Grandma's dishes" when they see your colorware for the first time. ffffThe decorative arts are strongly reflected in the history of dinnerware. From formal to whimsical, there has been and continues to be a dinnerware pattern to suit most any fancy. Be it as divergent as cubist or impressionistic; classical or deco; Mediterranean or Oriental, dinnerware has weighed in with examples of each major artistic movement at one time or another. Decaled or hand decorated, there has always been as wide a variety of dinnerware decoration as there are people to use it. This has made for a universe of selection for the collector to choose from which is unrivaled in many other fields of collecting. Diversity is a major force for the collection urge, and dinnerware scratches that itch in an affordable and easily stored item, enhancing its wide appeal as a collectable. ffffOne might ponder the history of man by viewing his dinnerware. While I don't pretend to have trained insight into the defining moments of civilization, I feel it pretty safe to say that when man went from eating with his hands only to using dinnerware, however crude, a huge step forward into a civilized world was taken. What other common item do you use every day which was also used every day by people around the world thousands of years ago? There aren't many. ffffRecall the time of the late 1960's and early 1970's when silicon based computational power was just starting to become an everyday reality. Commentators of the day were amused by the notion of time traveling with a simple calculator, and how one could change the course of all history by its presence. While perhaps not as dramatic, imagine for a moment if you will just what it would be like be to be able to time travel back to the days of the ancient pharaohs or the tables of early European royalty with a full service of all forms of Fiesta or Lu-Ray. If the fear of the unknown could be overcome, you would surely be exalted for being in possession of such a great treasure of known use and value. What king would not delight in serving his honored guests from a full set of Chartreuse colorware, unknown in his time? Today, if you were to have even the most middling of examples of dinnerware from those periods, it would likely be your greatest treasure of antiquity, and you too could establish a reputation based upon it. At the same time, even in time out of place, the use and need for the items is understood and appreciated. Name another collectable which has such universal appeal as to be known to all of civilized man. There aren't many. ffffThe unimaginative might wrinkle their noses at the notion of dinnerware being a product of heavy industry. After all, one man, a wheel, and a kiln is pretty much all it takes. But, consider if you will what it takes to successfully produce hundreds of thousands of anything, let alone something as fragile as a cup or platter. It would, and does, take a major industrial effort to launch such a product on a mass scale. Think of the effort involved just in assembling the work force and materials to do so. But still, part of the mystery of dinnerware lies in the fact that even though there are thousands upon thousands of seemingly identical pieces to choose from, each and every one you find is easily identifiable as somehow intrinsically different from the twin sitting next to it, be it a flea bite or a sand bump, and especially when taking into account the ravages of time. That's why there is such joy in finding a perfect example of an unusual piece. Scarcity and serendipity cross through your hands at the same time. It is a combination of time and place that drives all collectors of all goods, but, just the slightest slip of the hand anywhere through the decades and centuries and a dinnerware treasure is history in a way it was never meant to be, never to be found again, no matter your effort. ffffHopefully these thoughts have given you some new answers to those who say "Why dishes?" While I didn't appreciate it when I started, as time has progressed each new piece I find has new meaning when I look at them in this light. Have fun in your collecting, and remember what a service you are doing for the history of man as you scour the flea markets and thrift stores looking for your next treasure.