Flattening the Curve, Day 10

Hello everyone. First off, I have a question for you. Now that most of us here in the United States are becoming fully ensconced in the coronavirus (COVID-19) Stay Home, Stay Safe 'lifestyle', have you brushed your teeth, washed your face, gotten dressed, and eaten breakfast today? I hope you are able to eat something. I only ask because I have to remind myself to do those things.

Getting lost in all the confusion of this COVID-19 problem can take your spirit away, rob you of your senses, and make you forget to brush your teeth. Everything feels like a ball of confusion. And yet, we have to sit with it, don't we?

So today on the blog I'm taking a break from all the news, data and anxiety and sharing what I would normally call in the title 'Vintage Finds'.

Since I started my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures I have become enamored with vintage English pottery and bone china. And through that activity I discovered the chinoiseries, or Chinese style midcentury home decor items. The quality of the items I find varies but the decorative theme is always a take on a classic idealized form.

For example this 9-1/2 inch Wedgwood plate, in the 'Eastern Flowers' pattern features three chrysanthemum floral bouquets around the perimeter of the plate and an open fenced area with another chrysanthemum in the center of the plate. The center flower has moss entwined around it, as does the smaller blue flower to the left of it.

Another of my favorite items to collect are the asian or Chinese style figurines. Traditionally they came in pairs but most of the ones I've found have long since lost their mate, like this one shown.

What I enjoy most about this figurine (and I find it to be true in all of the ones I've found thus far) is the dynamic pose and the interesting gestures.

The shape of the base indicates that perhaps this figurine is meant to be a bookend, however it is very lightweight so maybe this one and its' mate could have held up a few books (maybe three?) as pure decoration.

And who can resist the makeup? A 1930s 'Betty Boop' heart-shaped lip treatment and an oh so dramatic eye liner! Love that!

Well, I hope this peek into my obsession with chinoiserie style collectables diverted your mind, if only for a moment...

Stay well family and friends!

Design Spotlight: Vintage Haeger Pottery

In 1871, the same year of the great Chicago fire, German immigrant David H. Haeger became a part owner in the Dundee Brickyard. The brickyard was located along the clay-rich banks of the Fox River, 45 miles northwest of Chicago, in Dundee, Illinois.

Although just a small town volume brickmaker, Dundee Brickyard contributed significantly to the rebuilding of Chicago by firing the first of millions of bricks needed to help rebuild the city.

In their desire to transition the company from brick making to the production of artisan wares, David Haeger and his son Edmund H. Haeger began planning their future development. Over the next thirty years David Haeger expanded the business by adding two more brick and tile factories to his holdings.

When David Haeger passed away in 1900 the company was already producing simple red clay flower pots for the florist trade. With David's passing Edmund took over the management of the business and transformed Haeger Bricks into Haeger Potteries.

By 1912 Edmund introduced a more sophisticated line of glazed art ware incorporating fine design and craftsmanship. When a shipment of the new pottery arrived at Chicago's premiere department store, Marshall Field and Company, it was widely accepted. 

In 1919 Edmund doubled the factory output by purchasing the Dundee pottery business from the family holdings and adding another kiln.

By the 1920's production included tea ware, luncheon ware, crystal and glassware.

In 1939 Haeger Potteries, Inc. took over another pottery factory located in Macomb, Illinois, about 200 miles southwest of Dundee, and converted the output to art ware. A second kiln was added to the Dundee plant in 1941.

A pivotal moment in the history of Haeger Potteries occurred in 1934 when Edmund Haeger built a complete working ceramic factory on the grounds of the Chicago World's Fair 'Century of Progress' exhibition. Indeed, the fair was an historic event for a city that just 50 years earlier had burned to the ground. Furthermore, the city's reunion with the once volume brick maker turned art pottery business, which played an important role in helping to revitalize Chicago, is highly notable.

More than four million visitors attended the exhibit. There were demonstrations of both ancient and modern production techniques and the factory produced commemorative souvenirs.

Over the years there were several prominent designers that contributed to the legacy of the Haeger Potteries line of art wares. For example, J. Martin Stangl worked with Edmund Haeger to develop commercial florist ware. Royal Hickman introduced the 'Royal Haeger' line featuring intricate smooth flowing lines and highly original glazes. His signature piece was a sleek elongated black panther, introduced in 1941. Eric Olsen contributed a red bull figure to the Royal Haeger line in 1955.

The work of the designers played a pivotal role in the growth and evolution of Haeger Potteries for many decades. Their creations helped to broaden the Royal Haeger range into exquisite vases, figurines, miniature animals, birds, flowers and lamps.

Unfortunately, after 145 years of production, Haeger Potteries, Inc. succumbed to the economic pressures of our modern age and went out of business in 2016.

As an avid thrift shopper I have managed to find the few Haeger pieces shown here. I had fun arranging some 'urban foraged' spring blooms in them from my walk around downtown and in my neighborhood. I hope you agree that they do make lovely containers for all sorts of floral arrangements.

If you would like to see more containers similar to mine as well as vases, planters and even a few of their lamps, you may want to check out this Haeger Potteries Pinterest board I made just for you.

Do you have any vintage Haeger pottery? I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks for reading!

Vintage Finds: Berggren Kitchen Tile

Hi Friends! Of all the blog posts I've shared thus far, one of the more popular ones is about the home wares made by the Berggren Shelton Trayner company.

Design Spotlight: Vintage Berggren Ceramic Wall Hangings outlines the history of the company and talks about how Audrey and Arthur Berggren specialized in designing their gift and home ware products in the traditional Swedish folk style known as 'Dalmalningar'. I also featured three of my own vintage Berggren decorative wall hangings as examples of that style, and shared a Pinterest board of their unique and lovely products.

On a recent stroll through one of my favorite charity shops I found yet another vintage Berggren ceramic tile, pictured above, and it reminded me of how fond collectors are of the rich bright colors and whimsical floral motifs found in Dalmalningar art.

So in honor of all the Berggren fans, as well as those who appreciate Swedish folk styles in general, not only am I sharing this tile (which, by the way, says "Flowers leave part of their fragrance on the hands which bestow them"), but I've also updated my Pinterest board with even more images of Berggren home wares.

Enjoy!

Design Spotlight: Vintage Berggren Ceramic Wall Hangings

Artists Audrey and Arthur Berggren founded a gift products and home wares company in 1948 located in Libertyville, Illinois. That company, eventually known as the Berggren Shelton Trayner Corporation, produced decorative hand screened ceramic tiles, and enamelware decorated with decals in the Swedish folk tradition style known as 'Dalmalningar'. The Berggrens proudly specialized in developing reproduction techniques in which patterns and colors of a uniquely Scandinavian folk art style were faithfully recreated on a variety of home products such as cookware, cutting boards, porcelain, china, and of course ceramic tiles.

The Berggrens' products were sold in many specialty and gift shops, as well as large department stores such as Carson, Pirie, Scott, and Marshall Field's. In 1953, the Chicago Tribune announced that Berggren Trayner was commissioned to reproduce the works of the famous painter Grandma Moses, and at least one of those pieces resides today in the collection of the New York Historical Society. 

In 1986 Bergquist Imports Incorporated bought Berggren Trayner and moved operations and manufacturing to Cloquet, Minnesota the following year. It is still in operation today, and continues to sell Swedish style wares under the Berggren Trayner brand name. 

Although my collection of vintage Berggren Trayner ceramics is just the three pieces shown above, it is clear, when placed together, that the consistency and vibrancy of the colors used are of craftsmanship quality. For me, these are decorative items, but they have had prior use and constant exposure to light - even so, those vibrant colors and the ceramics and porcelain have stood the test of time rather well.  

Common among the three pieces are whimsical floral patterns, white backgrounds, and the use of black outlines which adds detail; as well, they all have dual functions, as either decorative wall hangings or as trivets and plates. The two square tiles, both measuring 6 inches, have very similar stylistic themes and each has a folk saying written in Swedish. Here's a closer look:

The translation for the saying on the above tile is "The road to a good friend is short", and you can see the Berggren signature on the right edge, next to the green building. 

'Welcome to our home' is the translation for this second tile, which also has the trademark signature on the right. It's interesting how the simple, straightforward colors of red, yellow, blue, and green provide a striking color burst against the white tiles. Furthermore, the array of many tiny details in the patterned borders give the eye plenty of detail to look at, and the fanciful treatment of the large floral sprays are what really spark a warm, whimsical feeling.  

In contrast to the above square tiles is this circular porcelain or china plate, where the absence of blue in no way diminishes from the interest of colors used (the same red, yellow and green as in the tiles above), and its ornate, dynamic motif lends an energetic, organic impression:

The Berggren name appears on this piece as well, albeit in very tiny letters on the bottom left.  

Do you enjoy collecting any vintage home wares?  Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me about it! And if you are interested in seeing more vintage Berggren home wares, you may like to visit my Pinterest page here.

Thank you for reading!