Vintage 1920s Homer Laughlin Yellow and Orange Floral Platter - Newell Shape by Frederick H. Rhead circa 1928-mid 1930s

{HISTORY}

There's one detail about dish patterns from the 1920s that make them stand out in comparison to other serving pieces from other eras. These 1920s beauties often contain the color black as a prominent part of the color palette when it comes to florals and stripes, shading, and details. Not a typical color choice often seen again until the 1970s and beyond, black in the 1920s was stylish and modern, sophisticated and sleek, an artistic choice that represented changing times in culture and decor. 

In the case of this Homer Laughlin platter, black is both a highlight detail and a full leaf color tucked in alongside shades of pumpkin, spring green, lemon yellow and butter. A lovely combination for the autumn months, these colors conjure up ideas of pumpkin parties, fall foliage festivities, and all the cidery, cinnamon, and spice-laden scents that make the kitchen so aromatic at this time of year. 

Designed in 1928 by Frederick H. Rhead (1880-1942), a noted British-American ceramics designer, this Homer Laughlin platter features the Newell shape, comprised of a rope-style embossed edge, an orange stripe, and floral bouquets containing shades of yellow, orange, green, and black against a cream-colored background.

Frederick came from a long line of ceramics designers hailing from the Staffordshire area of England. When he came to America in the early 1900s, he brought with him an intuitive design eye for artistic shapes and a love of warm, rich colors that would eventually produce his most recognized design - Fiestaware in the mid-1930s. 

Here in this platter, designed a decade before Fiestaware burst onto the market, you can see the beginnings of that color palette line emerge. There's that beautiful rusty tomato red, that light bright, celedon shade of green, and the warm, rich yellow akin to sunshine and the golden shades of autumn leaves.

A hard-to-find pattern these days, the name is unknown, and may have just been represented by a series of numbers, but it debuted in 1928 along with a variety of other similar floral combinations in slightly different patterns but on the same Newell shape that Frederick designed.

Measuring just 11" inches in length and featuring light staining, this platter is a great one if you are interested in creating an instant, autumn aesthetic either on the wall or on the table.  Not every vintage platter is easy to style, but when it comes to this one, it looks just as lovely paired with an autumn bouquet as it does with a homemade batch of cider doughnuts or a collection of pumpkins picked right from the patch.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Designed by Frederick H. Rhead
• Petite size and hard-to-find pattern
  
• Unmarked on back

{CONDITION}

In lovely, almost-antique condition, this platter contains no chips or cracks. There is light tea-colored staining in the center, the red stripe is wearing lightly in some spots, and there are two utensil marks on a green and orange leaf in the largest bouquet. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 11" inches (length) x 8.25" inches (width) and weighs 1.8 lbs