Willow China, and Enamel Ware

[reb48]

Pards,
Is willow pattern china period, and what colors? What enamelware is period?

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Willow China, and Enamel Ware

The quick answer is, yes to ''Willow''. It can be found in blue, red, manganese, green and black. Look for a DAVENPORT (w/anchor) impressed seal on the back and you will be guaranteed an original period piece.

Willow is the popular modern name for Canton*, an inexpensive Chinese pattern that appeared in huge numbers around 1800 in England and America.

It was originally tin glaze finished earthenware with hand painted cobalt blue decorations. Some folks call this Flow Blue. Earthenware clay gave way to harder stoneware as the pattern became more popular in the 1820s. The overall glaze had very light blue cast to it and is sometimes called or confused with an earlier glaze called pearl ware. In the late 20's and 30's much of the decoration was still hand painted.

Later, and a bit closer to the war, the decoration was applied to a salt glaze dip finished stoneware. This prodced a stark white background for the vived colored designs to follow. The raw or green clay body of the plate (or bowl, etc) was allowed to dry, bisque fired to harden and then had the glaze and decoration added. This more modern decoration process used a transfer print, a mechanically printed decal made with porous inks that contained the blue cobalt glaze (or other colors) that transferred the design when positioned on wet saltglaze on vessel body. This was allowed to dry and then fired again.**

The transfer print glaze decorations worked much the same way temporary tattoos do today. This assured the buyer a uniform design.

Again, the back mark Blue Willow is a modern term.

Good original ware is still readily available and at reasonable prices.

...and this is the short, simplified answer.

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Do you mean enameled metal? If so, in a military setting ''no'' is the best answer, in a civilian setting then ''yes'' but restricted to a few simple patterns and frequently in cast iron.

It was not in widespread use in America until the 1870's and reached its peak fifty years later.

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*Popularly accepted china and pottery names can vary from region to region. This is due to the large number of potters who made the popular patterns and their desire to have a product a bit different from the competition. This direct competition for the American market drove prices and quality down on many very silmilar patterns all claiming to be "Willow". English Davenport Canton is the benchmark for a quality period piece.

**This TWO firing process is actually the sequence for all decorated stoneware.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Willow China, and Enamel Ware

I have made a correction, shown here in bold type. Additions are in italics.

(...) is a deleted word.

Willow is the popular ... name for Mandarin*, an inexpensive Chinese pattern that appeared in huge numbers around 1800 in England and America.

It was produced in enormous quantities in the Minton and Staffordshire district potteries.

It can have dozens of makers backmarks in addition to the stamp ''MASONS Patent Ironstone China'' due to the fact that the clay was enriched with a paste made from mining and stonecutting slurry.

Spode, Minton and Wedgewood produced the earlist wares and their work is all blue decoration on a ''white'' body. Other colors came later by other potters making knock-offs.


I have a sheet contaning infromation on several dozen potters of the style. If you want to know if you have a period piece(s) send me a private message or post your backmark here.

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: Willow China, and Enamel Ware

There is a really good article written by Mr. Nicky Hughes titled "Tableware in Civil War Living History Settings: Beyond the Tin Plate and Cup" published in the August/September 2004 The Citizens' Companion edited by Susan Lyons Hughes. It has photographs and history of the correct tableware for this era.

Mr. Hughes is extremely knowledgeable about material culture of the 19th century and he could be reached definitely through his wife's e-mail CitizComp@aol.com. I do not have his specific e-mail. His talk on material culture is a must do.