Homer Laughlin Sugar Bowl
date: label: Date made
content: 1953
name: label: maker
content: Homer Laughlin China Co.
notes: label: Description
content: About Homer Laughlin China Company: The Homer Laughlin firm was founded in 1871 in Newell, West Virginia by the two brothers, Shakespeare and Homer Laughlin. A long-lived pottery, it survived two world wars and continued until 2020, when it was sold to Steelite, a British tableware manufacturer. Though Homer Laughlin China produced art pottery in its earlier days, it is best known for its Fiesta line, a brightly-colored Art Deco-styled set of tableware that was designed by the noted ceramicist, Frederick Hurten Rhead. Rhead was Homer Laughlin's art director from 1927 until his death in 1942. Fiesta ware is still produced by Fiesta Tableware Company, a division of Steelite. The New York Times called Fiesta “the most collected brand of china in the United States” (Alexander 2002). Homer Laughlin China Company was known for many dinnerware designs and also produced commemorative plates and art pottery vases.
label: Description
content: (Alexander, Kelly, 2002.“The Way We Live Now”. The New York Times, December 1.)
label: Description
content: About the Object:
label: Description
content: White-bodied molded earthenware sugar bowl and cover. Sugar bowl has round opening at top (with lip inside to hold lid.) High sides flare out from opening then curve under, ending at small, round pedestal base. Opposing lug-type handles. Piece is covered from top to approximately 2/3 down the sides with clear, shiny glaze. Bottom 1/3 of exterior is covered with shiny, grey glaze. Decoration consists of overglaze floral decals on two sides, in whites, greys, pinks, greens, and purples. Narrow silver or platinum bands at rim divide white and grey areas on exterior and at base of pedestal. Silver or platinum lines with a dot at center decorate each handle tip. Inside of pedestal base is deeply indented, forming foot-ring. Lid is disc-shaped with a 1/4" vertical protrusion underneath which fits inside sugar bowl. Sides flare out slightly upward from rim to attached center knob which tapers up and out to slightly concave top. Lid is covered on underside, attached knob and part of tip side with clear, shiny glaze and with shiny grey glaze at outer approx. 1/2" of top of lid. Decoration consists of a small, overglaze floral decal atop knob in whites, greys, and greens, and narrow silver or platinum bands at either side of grey area. "Cavalier" shape. (See p. 181, Cunningham) with "Margaret Rose" pattern. (See p. 196, Cunningham.) OR "Cavalier" shape with "Crinoline" pattern (C&GJ cited in references.)
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: West Virginia, Newell
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Ceramics and Glass
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Salem China Company
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1989.0255.62.Aab
label: catalog number
content: 1989.0255.62.Aab
label: accession number
content: 1989.0255
objectType: label: Object Name
content: bowl, sugar
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: ceramic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: earthenware (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: refined (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: molded (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 10.465 cm x 12.217 cm x 10.16 cm; 4 1/8 in x 4 13/16 in x 4 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/8 in x 4 7/8 in; 10.4775 cm x 12.3825 cm