Not on display

Galaxy

Plate
ca. 1957- ca. 1960 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

White earthenware tea plate with black centre and broad yellow band around rim decorated with eight black stars.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleGalaxy (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Earthenware with enamel painted decoration
Brief description
'Galaxy' pattern plate, earthenware with enamel painted decoration, made by Wade pottery, England, ca. 1957-1960.
Physical description
White earthenware tea plate with black centre and broad yellow band around rim decorated with eight black stars.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 16.3cm
  • Height: 1.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
‘Wade / England / “Galaxy”’ (Printed (Ref: Godden 3964, used from C.1957 onwards))
Object history
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
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]
Bibliographic reference
Walker, Susannah. Contemporary/Moderne: British Mass-produced Tableware of the 1950s. Thesis (M.A.) - V&A/RCA Course in the History of Design, 1990.
Collection
Accession number
C.149-1992

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Record createdFebruary 4, 2000
Record URL
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