China connection
English Staffordshire Transferware was the topic of a talk given by Phyllis Gaul of Gaul’s Antiques, Searsport, to members of the Woman’s Literary Union Antiques Study Group, Nov. 19.
Several members brought pieces of Staffordshire china that the lecturer described in the show-and-tell program. She examined each piece and we all learned from her explanations.
On a sheet passed out to members were interesting facts about Transferware, from 1775 to the present. These are a few of the paragraphs:
“Prior to the year 1775 any decorating of pottery and porcelain was done entirely by hand painting, rendering it extremely costly to produce and certainly not available to the average English or American household. Most tableware in those days was made of undecorated earthenware or tin, unless you were wealthy enough to afford hand-painted china.
“Transfer printing on pottery began in England in 1775. A copper was engraved with a design. The copper was then heated and covered with the color paint to be used. Tissue paper was then dampened and pressed over the copper plate. The paper would next be removed from the copper plate and placed very carefully on the pottery piece to be decorated. The dish would next be placed in water, the tissue would float away, leaving the design on the dish, which would be set aside to dry. The final step consisted of dipping the piece into a glaze and firing the article at a very high temperature. The earliest transferware pieces were always done in blue because it was the only color that could withstand the high temperatures of the glazing process. The decoration was applied to heavy clay pottery and was sold to British commoners or shipped to America, as the British upper class considered it to be an inferior product and certainly not worthy of gracing their tables.
“By the end of the 18th century, the methods of producing transferware had been much improved. Several colors were now in use and thus began the ‘Romantic’ period of Staffordshire pottery. The artists were very creative in their pattern designs. The Oriental influence brought about by the china trade was very prevalent, as were the many floral patterns and themes from nature.
“The British potters quickly found a willing market for their wares in America. The American economy was flourishing and many families could now afford to improve their surroundings. British artists began designing specifically for the American market and these are the patterns most sought after by today’s collectors.”
The information given us on these sheets also included lists of books about Staffordshire.
The next antiques group meeting will be March 10 with furniture maker “par excellence,” Chris Becksvoort.
Falling down
When John and D. Lee Rich visited us last week, Dee noticed how pretty the leaves were as they dropped from our maple and oak trees in our back yard. Every few minutes another bright red or gold leaf would drop.
I recently read a mother’s account of her 4-year old daughter’s pleasure in picking up the dropped leaves this fall. She was searching for a yellow one.
I’ve been doing the same thing, too, picking up the small leaves, red and yellow, to enclose one in letters to my Maine friends now living in Florida. Most of them don’t get back here in the late fall.
This all reminds me of the song about leaves that we used to sing in elementary school, long years ago:
“Come, little leaves, said the wind one day.
Come over the meadows with me and play.
Put on your colors of red and gold,
For summer is gone, and the days grow cold.”
I don’t recall the second verse, but there was one. I wish I had a copy of the music book we sang from, when I was at Roosevelt School on Stevens Avenue, at the corner of Brighton. The tunes, I think, were from European folk songs.
I wonder where those books are now, 70 or 80 years later. Gone, but not forgotten.
Chicken run
Beverly Keith, Fifie Brown’s daughter, got this recipe for me. I told her how much we enjoyed it at the party she and her sisters gave for Fifi’s 90th birthday Nov. 11. It is from the Arundel Community Cookbook, and was made by Gary Frankland. Bev said that he makes it for several dinners the Living Waters Christian Church have, and it is always popular.
CHICKEN-BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
2 packages of frozen broccoli, cooked
3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked
3 cans of cream of chicken soup
1-1/2 cups of mayonnaise
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1-1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Place broccoli in a 2-quart casserole dish. Cut chicken in small pieces
Mix the other ingredients except cheese and pour over the broccoli and chicken. Place the shredded cheese on the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 3/4 hour, or until it’s heated through.
I know you’ll enjoy it.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
