Tube-Lined Stitched Edged Tableware Designs

Pattern 3049 is the most easily found of the Crown Ducal “Stitched Edge” tableware designs. The February 1934 edition of the Pottery Gazette reported that:  

"Another new pattern that is sure to please, and which seems bound to result in solid business, is the "Stitch", a pattern which, though characterised by simplicity, has a strong power of appeal. This pattern, which is also depicted in the group photograph here reproduced, is offered in three different colourings, and at a very moderate price. It consists of a rather intriguing manipulation in tube-lining under the glaze, and is applied to the new "Cotswold" shape, which conveys the impression of pottery that is produced on the wheel by means of throwing and turning." 

The photograph from this article is shown below.

Stitched Edge (3049) Cotswold tableware on the right. Also shown are either Rialto (3140) or Belfast (3154) on the left and Daffodil (3234) in the centre.

Below are a few newspaper advertisements from around the world which would support the idea that the tube-lined stitched edge tableware was a commercial success.

Stitched Edge Cotswold tableware advert in a USA newspaper, The Binghamton Press of 27 March 1934.

Stitched Edge Cotswold tableware advert in a Canadian newspaper, The Montreal Gazette of 25 January 1934.

Stitched Edge Cotswold tableware advert in an Australian newspaper, The Adelaide Advertiser of 18 October 1935

Pattern 2864 is is believed to be the earliest recorded tube-lined tableware design for Crown Ducal by Charlotte Rhead. No examples have a pattern number on them, nor does a pattern book exist with this number. However, the evidence comes from the entry for pattern 3168 where the design for the large, black stitched edged trays and salad bowls is recorded. The number 3168 is crossed out and a note “Use 2864” written beside it. A similar note is beside entry 3167 which is the alternating black and orange large stitched edge design which says “Use 3049”. Pattern 3049 is present in the pattern book as the equivalent black and orange stitched edge Cotswold tableware, therefore it is reasonable to assign 2864 to the black slip version.

This suggests that the Cotswold tableware range were the original stitched edged designs. A little later, the much larger stitches on the "USA" salad bowls and trays were given different pattern numbers but by the time production had begun all shapes with the same colour stitches had the same original pattern numbers.

The third stitched edge slip colour often found is matt blue for which the pattern number is unrecorded. But 3171 is the number for blue stitch on the large salad bowls and trays, so that is the number I use based on the principle used in the pattern book for the other colour versions.

Pattern 2864 stitched edge design in black slip on Cotswold shape coffee duo

Pattern 3049 stitched edge design in orange and black slip on Cotswold shape trio

Pattern 3049 stitched edge design in orange and black slip on Cotswold tray or 17" charger and its base markings

Pattern 3171 stitched edge design in matt blue slip on Cotswold shape coffee duo

One interesting discovery from this research is that the orange and black, 3049, pattern is clearly given a name in the pattern book, but is difficult to read. Bernard Bumpus must have had the same problem because he scoured the books for pattern names but never put this one in his books. Below is an image of the name. My interpretation of it is "Niva" For a while I struggled to make sense of this until an internet search found out it is a girls name that may have been more popular in the early 20th century than today.

The pattern name for 3049 is Niva?

Examples of pattern 3049, Niva, tableware have been seen with an extra backstamp "EXCLUSIVE TO HARRODS KNIGHTSBRIDGE LONDON, S.W.1." which would have been a useful endorsement of the design. Another observation is that some items have the AGR3 backstamp style indicating they were produced in the mid 1950s after the WWII restrictions of decorated pottery were lifted and indeed after Charlottes death.

Before leaving the plain stitched edge Cotswold tableware of 1933, the other colourways should be recorded. None of which have been seen to date.
3048 Orange slip (Not yet seen)
3050 Crimson slip (Not yet seen)
3051 Alternating black and crimson slips (Not yet seen)

Pattern 3122 is a development of the plain black stitched edge Cotswold tableware (2864). In the pattern book there are three possible colour schemes for the enamelled printed centre, but two have been crossed out, possibly at different times. The floral design is printed in black and then enamelled either in yellow, orange and two greens which is the surviving version in the book, or yellow, fawn, crimson, peach and blue. The third version is similar to the first in greens, yellow and brown but with higher contrasting colours

Two colour variations of pattern 3122

One has to speculate as to whether or not this is Charlotte's first foray into print design. Crown Ducal was enjoying the success of the print and enamel Sunburst design and perhaps this is Charlotte's attempt at combining the current fashion for simple colourful floral prints with her trademark tube-lining. Certainly it is a  pleasing design and was quite successful since examples appear for sale quite frequently, especially in the USA.

Charlotte was busy in the summer of 1933 with her tableware designs. Again, using the black stitched edge format she created her nurseryware series.

Nurseryware series 3130-3135

The patterns are:
3130 The maid was in the garden
3131 Who said dinner?
3132 Is it carrots?
3133 Little Boy Blue
3134 Tom the pipers son
3135 Red Riding Hood

Several other nursery ware designs were made that do not have pattern numbers, these may have been samples or commissions. But "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" and "Polly put the kettle on" appear occasionally and so these designs probably went into production too.

A study of the backstamp styles suggests that patterns 3131, 3133 and 3135 continued to be produced while Charlotte remained at Richardsons and for patterns 3131 and 3133 continued after she had left. Little Boy Blue has been seen with the AGR4 backstamp style which probably means they were still being made in the 1960’s. This makes Little Boy Blue her longest running pattern in production, almost thirty years.

It is interesting to note that the number of  Little Boy Blue and Who said dinner? items made during the the WWII restrictions period of 1942-1952 greatly exceeds the total nurseryware production  made outwith this period. Perhaps about a quarter of these have been found outside the UK in the usual Crown Ducal export markets. But even so, is it possible that the nurseryware was exempt from the restrictions on the public being able to buy decorated pottery? Or just the result of a consumer requirement caused by the post war 1946 baby boom!?

The next group of pattern numbers are those that introduce the "USA salad bowl and tray" designs. The trays are usually displayed as large wall chargers because the base rim is pierced for a hanging wire. They were clearly designed for the USA market, where most examples have been recorded, and quite possibly at the request of Richardson's agents in New York, Maddock & Miller. Bernard Bumpus quotes in his book from an advertisement for the company that mentions that there are twelve decorations stocked and the advertisement included a picture of the Blossom pattern. I have not been able to track down the reference yet and without any further information it is difficult to identify the twelve specific designs. Also it is not clear if all the designs were tube-lined, and if one includes the enamelled designs produced on these shapes and the tube-lined trailing laurel leaf border designs as well, then it is easy to exceed 12 decorations.

The designs with large stitched edges are:
3167 Alternating black and orange slips (Use 3049)
3168 Black slip (Use 2864)
3169 Alternating black and orange slips with fruit tree centre
3170 Alternating black and orange slips with dragon centre
3171 Matt blue slip
3172 Alternating matt blue and Danube blue slips with fruit tree centre. Tree trunks are Danube blue, leaves and pebbles are matt blue and the apples are in salmon slip.

Pattern 3172

3173 Cotswold shape matt blue slip stitch on top of plate instead of over edge. (Not yet seen)
3221 Alternating matt blue and Danube blue slips with bird centre. (Not yet seen)
3257 Alternating matt blue and Danube blue slips with Blossom centre.
3258 Alternating black and orange slips with Blossom centre
3259 Alternating black and orange slips with  fruit tree centre (Use 3169)

Up to this point most of the tube-lined tableware designs will be familiar to collectors, either from examples seen or from reading "Collecting Rhead Pottery" by Bernard Bumpus. But we have hardly started. Charlotte continued to design more and more tube-lined tableware designs. Mostly for the Cotswold tableware shape, but also a lot for the Queen Anne shape that was popular in the USA, and to a much lesser extent patterns were made for the No 3, Florentine, Avon, Windsor and Regent ranges. Almost all of these are as yet unseen and I would be surprised if many went into proper production.

I will limit these notes to designs with either the simple or large tube-lined stitched edge. The first is a beautiful piece of tube-lining design on a tableware plate, although it is impossible to imagine it being used as tableware, it must have lived in the china cabinet.

3260 named "Florentine" (not to be confused with the Florentine tableware shape range!), which is also the name of the centre design which is similar to the Blossom centre design. There is a trailing twin stem border in the verge. The shape range is not specified, but the sketch of the rim is not perfectly round so it will be one of the moulded tableware ranges with gently scalloped plate rims. I am quite sure it is the No3 shape range as it has moulded dentilled edges which can accommodate the modified shape slip stitches. There is also a design detail for covered dish handles so it has to be a tableware shape range and not fancies or salad bowls and trays. The stitches are tube-lined slip covering the dentilled moulding of the plate.

Pattern 3260 Florentine, the stitches overlay the dentilled moulding of the No3 shaped plate.

3261 Alternating matt blue and Danube blue stitched edge "Grindley Hotel". A rather ambiguous description but since Grindley Hotel Ware was made by another pottery company, was this perhaps to be a joint venture with Richardsons applying  tube-lining to Grindleys hard wearing vitreous china for the hotel and restaurant market. (Not yet seen)

3262 Shape range No3 which is the heavily embossed tableware range with fruit trees and various fruiting and flowering plants on the plate shoulders. (See picture above of pattern 3260 which is on No3 shape). Trailing twin stem border in the verge and alternate stitched edge decorated in alternating black and orange slip and Blossom centre.This pattern is not properly illustrated but my best guess is that this is the same as 3260 except in different colours and with Blossom centre rather than Florentine centre. (Not yet seen)

3288 Alternating matt blue and Danube blue large stitched edge and dark, (Danube?), blue edge line, Blossom centre on the "New Large Punch Bowl" This is another ambiguous description that appears to be the same as 3257 but with a blue edge line. However the "New Large Punch Bowl" reference implies a different shape and I wonder if this is a reference to the giant 17" diameter bowls which are known to exist from an example of pattern 3191, the sailing ship design. (Not yet seen)

3347 Trailing twin stem border in the verge and alternate stitched edge decorated in alternating black and scarlet slip. Shape range not specified but the sketch it for the square plate with scalloped edges which may be the Regent range. (Not yet seen)

3370 A drawing but no description! Essentially as 3260, alternating matt blue and Danube blue stitched edge, trailing twin stem border in the verge, and Florentine centre. But, tableware shape looks to be round with scalloped edges, (Regent?), and is adjacent to other tableware designs with yellow glaze instead of the usual ivory and the sketch is shaded yellow like those. (Not yet seen)

3375 Essentially as 3260, alternating matt blue and Danube blue stitched edge, trailing twin stem border in the verge, but with Blossom centre. Round tableware shape shape with scalloped edges, but explicitly noted as No3 shape. (Not yet seen)

3376 Trailing twin stem border in the verge and alternate stitched edge decorated in alternating matt blue and Danube blue slips, no centre design. Cotswold shape range. (Not yet seen)

A mysterious group of four patterns, two colours and the words "Big Stitch". No drawings or other description or the ware to apply it to, but I presume them to be tube-lined  because Danube and Matt Blue are slip colours.
3407 Brown & Orange Big Stitch. (Not yet seen)
3408 Black & Orange Big Stitch. (Not yet seen)
3409 Brown & Green Big Stitch. (Not yet seen)
3410 Danube & Matt Blue Big Stitch. (Not yet seen)

3432 Simple green stitched edge on Cotswold. The description does not specify tube-lining, so I use pattern 4108 instead which appears to be exactly the same but does specify tube-lining.

3473 As 3376 only under yellow glaze. (Not yet seen)

3536 An extraordinarily complex tube-lined design on Cotswold shape. Imagine pattern 3376 with the addition of stitched spokes radiating across the plate shoulder from the trailing twin stem border in the verge. Within each segment, (bounded on three sides by stitched lines and one side by the stem border), there is a stem of laurel leaves. They have the same shape as those in the post Rhead era designs for patterns 6568, 6570 & 6571 but are tube-lined in the two blue colours of slip. (Not yet seen)

3537 The same as 3536 but tube-lined in orange and black slips. I have tried to draw the layout of patterns 3536 and 3537 below. (Not yet seen)

A sketch of the coloured slip design for patterns 3536 and 3537 on Cotswold tableware

The next design does not explicitly state tube-lining, but appears so similar to a previous pattern that it may be tube-lined.

3635 as 3376, trailing twin stem border in the verge and alternate stitched edge decorated in alternating green and black, no centre design. Cotswold shape range. (Not yet seen)

3853 as 3049 stitched edge decorated in alternating orange and black on Florentine shaped tableware and with tube-lined decorated handles. (Not yet seen)

4108 Back to the simplest and earliest stitched edge designs. Here we have green slip on Cotswold shape.

Pattern 4108 stitched edge design in green slip on Cotswold shaped sugar bowl

5027 Blue slip sponged solid face with tube-lined white slip stitched edge. (Not yet seen)

5485 Tube-lined blue stitched edge, two blue stitches alternating with one gold painted stitch.Tube-lining under white glaze. Probably Avon and Windsor shaped tableware. Also gold and blue slip decoration on handles and gold line work. (Not yet seen)

5694 Green slip stitched edge on Cotswold shape with yellow glaze. A fairly popular recycling of the design especially for export, with most examples seen in New Zealand.

Patter 5694 stitched edge design in green slip with yellow glaze

5950 Blue slip stitched edge on Cotswold shape with pink glaze. (Not yet seen)

More patterns will no doubt come to light, but collectors should be aware that there are a very large number of stitched edge Crown Ducal designs and many of them are applied with lustres or enamels. If you find an unusual stitched edge design do not assume it is tube-lined. Touch is the best way to determine if slip was used because the decoration will feel raised.

Print & enamel decoration in the 1930s

The print and enamel method was one of Crown Ducal's most popular decorating styles. The examples shown here are mostly of tableware from the 1930’s, but the company used the technique throughout its history for decorative items in addition to tableware.

Print and enamel decoration was a cost effective way of decorating pottery. The basic pattern was printed on to the unglazed earthenware, and the enamels applied to fill in as much or as little of the pattern that was required. This was much quicker that freehand painting of the entire design and obviously much cheaper to produce. The print would have to be under-glaze, but the enamels could be under-glaze, on-glaze, or both.

Below are some pictures showing the detail from a Crocus 5649 charger. The brown coloured outlines, petal and leaf infill details are printed, while the orange, scarlet and green are hand painted enamels.



Detail from Crocus 5649 charger



 Detail from Crocus 5649 charger

The process first requires the design to be engraved onto a copper plate. The copper plate is inked and overlain with sized paper, the sizing keeps most of the ink on the surface of the paper rather than it being absorbed. The paper print is peeled from the copper and then pressed onto the pottery. The inked design transfers onto the surface of the pot and the paper is removed by washing.

Picture from G Forsyth's book "Art and Craft of the Potter"

What gave me the notion to write about printed decoration at Crown Ducal was the discovery of a factory “sampler” with a print design in several print colours on a 10 inch diameter Windsor shaped plate. On the shoulder of the plate are segments of the same print in different colours. Each colour is labelled with an abbreviation of its name in the verge of the plate.

I hoped that I might be able to trawl through the pattern books to try and identify all the print colours used. Occasionally the Crown Ducal documents record specific colours by manufacturer and catalogue number so the idea is not as daft as it seems. The designers tended to use a small range of colours for printing and therefore if names could be matched to well known patterns then finding an example of each might be possible. Sadly I have only been partially successful, but it has been an interesting exercise and there is still scope to discover more information.

The list of colour names on the plate are:
H. Days
2693
P. Grey
Black
Grey
P. Willow
H, Blue
A. Green
G. Brown
S. 4769
Pink

So starting with with the first half of the plate from the left, clockwise:

H. Days

Happy Days 2545 printed in Happy Days Brown

A mid–brown colour, one of the easiest to identify as it must refer to Happy Days, 2545, one of Crown Ducals most successful patterns of the early 1930s. I do not have an example of the pattern myself, but I received this image via correspondence through the www.rhead-crownducal.info website.

Charlotte Rheads interpretation of Happy Days printed and enamelled in the same colours, Pattern 4820

It is interesting to note that Charlotte Rhead used exactly the same colours for one of her own print and enamel patterns, 4820. The pattern book describes the design as “Breedon pattern but colouring as Happy Days and finished as Happy Days”, implying the same print and enamel colours

2693

Another mid-brown colour. There are tableware patterns that are printed with “Cottons Vellum Brown 2693”, so I am sure that is the link. The few references I have found are for prints of complex floral designs with some flowers and leaves enamelled. They have Cotswold or Florentine shape and most have yellow glaze which is unusual. I have not recorded an actual example yet.

P. Grey

Pattern 5180 printed in pastel grey

Orchard 5287 printed in pastel grey

Bouquet 5413 printed in pastel grey

Almost certainly P. Grey stands for Pastel Grey which is one of the more common print colours and is believed to have been made by Meyer & Swann, (I may have the spelling wrong I cannot find any mention of the company on the internet or in what Pottery Gazettes I have of the period). I have three examples that use this colour, A tea plate in pattern 5180 and a demitasse duo in the Orchard pattern, number 5287 and a demitasse duo in Bouquet, 5413.

Black

Black was a more popular printing colour in the 1920s and was used for most of the Norman Keats designs like Red Tree, 1211. Crown Ducal did not use it much in the 1930s, the only example I have is for the smokers set in gold and yellow colour, 4099A.

Pattern 4099A printed in black

Grey

Sunburst 2649 printed in Baines 5753

Pattern 2913 printed in Baines 5753

Crocus 4722 printed in Baines 5753

Bewdley 5646 printed in Baines 5753

Grey seems too ambiguous to define, but is actually quite easy. Probably the most popular print colour, it is referred to as either Sunburst grey, after the popular design, or Baines 5753. Fortunately some designs refer to both names and examples side by side appear to be the same. It is easy to find several examples; Sunburst, 2649; 2913, Crocus, 4722 and Bewdley, 5646,

P.Willow

Pussy Willow 3750 printed in Pussy Willow brown

Pussy Willow 3792 printed in Pussy Willow brown

Pattern 5178 printed in Pussy Willow  brown

 Pattern 5182 printed in Pussy Willow  brown

Like Happy Days brown here is a print colour named after the pattern it is originally associated with, Pussy Willow Brown. It became quite a popular print colour but I can find no reference to the manufacturers name or colour code, perhaps it is a Crown Ducal blend of two colours to make their own shade. Shown here are the two tableware versions of Pussy Willow, 3750 & 3792 , together with two decorative tea plate designs, 5178 & 5182.

The second half of the plate:

H. Blue

H. Blue is probably Harrisons Blue. Which is not very helpful as there were two used, Royal Blue 3299 and Cobalt Blue 1297. I am tempted to say it is Royal Blue, but cannot be sure and I have yet to see examples of either.

A. Green

Best guess is that this is Hancocks Apple Green. Another uncommon printing colour and one I do not have an example to show.

G. Brown

There is a good chance the G. Brown represents Hancocks Golden Brown. It was used quite a lot but not on common patterns or any example I have to show. The most likely examples to be seen are the plain pictorial prints, (without enamels), particularly those of Winston Churchill and the Bombed Buildings of London scenes produced in 1941-1942.

S. 4769

Another disappointment, I have not been able to find any reference to this colour number or any pattern printed in this type of blue. Also, not sure what the S stands for but could possibly be the ink manufacturing company such as Sneyd or Swann.

Pink

Dell 5636 printed in Blythe pink 8004

There are not many patterns printed in pink, but the few that are recorded appear to use the colour Blythe Pink 8004. One of these is Dell, 5636, designed and etched by Charlotte Rhead. There were other pink printing colours used by Crown Ducal from the Sneyd company but these only seem to be mentioned very early in the 1930s, for example when the pink version of the Bristol pattern was introduced.

Those are the print colours from the sampler plate.  But to show more print and enamel designs, here are pictures of Charlotte Rheads trio of print and enamel designs Ellesmere 4009, Wenlock 4010 and Breedon 4011.

Ellesmere was printed in Hancocks grey, whilst Wenlock and Breedon were printed in E544 Brown.

Ellesmere, 4009 printed in Hancocks grey

Wenlock 4010, printed in E544 brown

Breedon 4011, printed in E544 brown

And for those not fussed with tableware , but prefer their ceramics on the wall, here are some print and enamel chargers.

Pussy Willow 5302, printed in Pussy Willow brown

Pussy Willow 5383, printed in Pussy Willow brown

Crocus 5649 printed in Pussy Willow brown

Floretta 5981, printed in Sunburst grey, ( Baines 5753)

To close, I think there may be more to be documented on the print colours used by the company. It would be good to see if the majority of generic annotations of grey, brown, green etc, could be attributed to specific ceramic printing inks. The biggest problem would be to lay hands on physical examples of all the printed patterns so they could be compared side by side. That is unlikely ever to happen!