Blue Ridge Southern Pottery Found on Our Property in the Woods Arkansas

Description: This lovely platter along with many other pieces were recovered in the woods on our property in Desha, AR. The property we live on has been in our family for 100 plus years. When my husbands grandparents lived here they had no trash service. They burned most trash that was burnable but in the case of other items to be discarded they chose an area in the woods to deposit the unwanted items. Since the ground is continuously turning we often find treasures partially sticking up and we try to carefully remove them and investigate their history. We found this piece about 4 years ago. History of Blue Ridge Southern Pottery-From 1917 through 1938, patterns were primarily applied to the bisque (the fired clay-like blank shapes) by use of decals, may of which were commonly used by other china producers of the period. Beginning in 1938, most patterns were hand painted on the bisque prior to glazing. Trained by the pottery to produce the brush strokes and techniques to be used for each pattern, local women (and a few men) fashioned leaves, stems, flowers, scenes, and animals commonly seen in Blue Ridge patterns.Blue Ridge production methods seldom utilized embossed (raised) or incised (cut) methods to outline the pattern designs as did many of the period’s potteries. Often the patterns were painted on the unglazed bisque after an outline of the central object of the pattern had been hand stamped on the object. This helped as a point of reference and to provide some sense of consistency in production. For the most part, painters freehanded the details. Obviously, some variances in the same pattern among various painters and even the same painter occurred at different times. These differences make Blue Ridge China truly distinctive; in fact, each piece is an original work of art.Southern Potteries’ work force was completely unionized. Approximately half of the employees at any point in time were painters. According to surviving artisans, the starting wage for painters was 13 1/2 cents an hour in 1941.By maintaining eleven Blue Ridge showrooms throughout the country from New York’s Fifth Avenue to San Francisco, Southern Potteries introduced customers to the varied patterns of the largest hand painted china producer in the country. Additionally, Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward carried Blue Ridge china in their stores and mail-order catalogs. It was not unusual to see Blue Ridge china offered as premiums by retail stores and producers of consumer goods throughout the country.World War II brought Blue Ridge to its height of popularity, and its end sadly brought it gradually to its demise within twelve years after “VJ-Day.” After the war, imports gradually increased until, in the mid-1950’s, most American potteries were unable to remain competitive with the lower-priced imports, primarily from Japan. Increasing domestic labor costs and the introduction of plastic dishware added to the difficulties American potteries faced. By the end of 1956, Southern Potteries was down to around 600 employees, many of whom worked only part-time. Southern’s board of directors voted to close the pottery in January of 1957. Directors were able to close the doors without resorting to bankruptcy; in fact, stockholders received a final dividend. (Copied from Southernpotteries.com)

Price: 18.9 USD

Location: Desha, Arkansas

End Time: 2025-01-18T04:18:59.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5 USD