Fantasy

Physical description

White earthenware tea plate, rimless, with stencilled decoration of grid of diamonds in mauve.

Place of Origin

Longton, England (made)

Date

ca. 1960 (made)

Artist/maker

John Tams Ltd. (manufacturer)

Materials and Techniques

Earthenware with with stencilled decoration

Marks and inscriptions

'"Fantasy" / Tams / England / 64'

Dimensions

Diameter: 16.5 cm, Height: 1.8 cm

Object history note

Nos. C.131 to 155-1992 form a group of ware selected from Susannah Walker’s own collection to show a variety of popular “contemporary” designs in mass-produced tableware. She had collected these from car-boot sales, charity and bric-a-brac shops etc, rarely paying more than a few pence for each.

Historical context note

Plate is representative of the consumer demand for Contemporary tableware and consequent boom in the production of these goods in post-war Britiain. Bright simple decoration is a predictable reaction to the austerity of the wares enforced by government regulations until 1948. In order to speed up production, manufacturers used stencil patterns and air-brushing techniques. This decoration would most likely have only been used for tea sets: the loud colours and patterns would have been considered too strong for formal dining.
[Susan McCormack, 'British Design at Home', p.143]

Descriptive line

'Fantasy' pattern tea plate, earthenware with with stencilled decoration, manufactured by John Tams Ltd., England, ca. 1960.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Walker, Susannah. Contemporary/Moderne: British Mass-produced Tableware of the 1950s. Thesis (M.A.) - V&A/RCA Course in the History of Design, 1990.

Exhibition History

British Design at Home (Japan 01/04/1994-30/09/1994)

Materials

Earthenware

Techniques

Glazed; Stencilled

Categories

Ceramics; Earthenware

Collection code

CER