Slide viewers

Marquis slide viewer, made in Sydney, Australia c.1950
Viscount slide viewer, made in England c.1960

How fantastic is this baby pink Marquis slide viewer? The pink section is plastic, whilst the black section is bakelite. This slide viewer comes in its original box and is in near mint condition.

The Viscount viewer is nearly a decade older, and it evidences the transition from the modernist forms of the 50s to the more funky shapes of the 60s. It too comes in its original box.

Both viewers are working well – and replacement bulbs for them are still available. Which means there is no excuse for having photographic slides around that are not being used. You can go automatic with a large format projection [see slide projector/s below]…or view your slides individually and more intimately with these hand held viewers.

I do have a few slide viewers in my collection…I love the way they work – large glass viewing lens, small bulb and battery. And they look great massed together as a group – they are both functional AND aesthetic.

The slide viewers are for sale: $AUD55 each.

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Shoe fetish

Pates clogs
made in Sydney, Australia 1950s

Yet more of drip-glazed Pates Pottery. This incantation is the clog- that beloved symbol of the 50s when cultural differences were represented by national costume. [Mexicans wear sombreros! Japanese wear kimonos! Those crazy Dutch wear clogs!] The clog also represented the allure of international travel- which from Australia in the 50s was no mean feat- it meant six weeks on a boat to anywhere. No respectable knick-knack shelf of the modernist house would be without one!

Like the Pates pieces posted below, the colour tones here are pinks and greens, with crimson. Each one hand glazed- each one different. Other tones I have come across are yellow/brown, and brown/green [these came later in the 60s.] The production of the iconic clog went on until the early 70s.

This set of six clogs is for sale: $AUD115

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Shalom! and Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Story, by Richard Burton, 1966
Shalom ceramic tile, c.1960s

Shalom and Merry Christmas! These two pieces have a lovely synchronicity, in shape, colour and form. The funky symbol of Shalom- Hebrew for peace- has a handwritten message on its timber back – ‘Jerusalem’ which I take to be its place of manufacture. The deep blue and orange of the ceramic tile are so very 60s. The tile is framed and has a hook for hanging on its back- this Shalom is meant for display.

Meanwhile Richard Burton- THE Richard Burton -has written a story about his [impoverished] Welsh childhood and subsequent Christmases. He also provided the illustrations. Apparently an acTOR and an author/illustrator. It’s a bit of a turgid read, but this book was continually republished until the late 80s. Must have been doing something right. I bought it mainly for the lovely graphics on the hardback cover.

Wishing all my readers Shalom, and Merry Christmas! And I am sure Richard Burton would want to add his wishes also.

This set is for sale: $AUD45

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Shaving mugs

Keel Street Pottery [KSP] shaving mugs, made in England c.1900-1930s
Koala shaving mug, made in Australia, c.1930-1940s.

Shaving mugs are highly collectible and becomingly increasingly hard to find.

The ceramic ‘woodgrain’ finish shaving mugs [woodgrain- presumably to render the pottery more ‘manly’?] by KSP predate the pastel colours of the 50s, and yet anticipate those very colours. Yes, now I am certain the woodgrain would help with the whole manly act of shaving. The pink, yellow, & green shaving mugs are all in perfect condition, and marked ‘KSP, made in England’ on the underside.

By contrast, the blue shaving mug is made in Australia by Koala. Koala pottery had a short run, and produced- as far as I can tell- only shaving mugs. I would love if the shaving mug had a koala’s face on it, but alas, it’s a purely perfunctory item, other than that cool blue colour.  It’s also in tip-top condition.

The four mugs are for sale: $AUD100

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Boomerang dish

MCP boomerang dish
made in Sydney, Australia 1950s

MCP [Modern Ceramic Products] started production in the 1940s, in Redfern, Sydney. The simple geometric forms of their vases have a very modernist styling and each has a highly textured exterior finish which contrasts with the smooth internal glaze. The two-toned aesthetic meant each vase could be made in a wide range of iterations- albeit along the 50s spectrum of baby blue, pale pink, pale yellow and pastel green.

This is a boomerang dish, with the usual MCP textured green exterior and smooth pink interior. Like most 50s pottery, the fine edge between the two glazes is described in white. So elegant. The boomerang shape was a 50s staple: not only was it ‘Australian’ but it had the added benefit of being ‘unusual’; not a pure geometric shape like most round or square dishes.

The dish was used to serve sweets; but here I have loaded it with bakelite teaspoons from the same era. I like the colours; the spoons are Tilley bakelite, also made in Sydney. Tilley specialised in cutlery, especially picnicware [and I have collected quite a bit.]

The MCP boomerang dish is in excellent vintage condition, and is for sale: $AU45

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Martin Boyd 50s #powder pink

Martin Boyd pottery
made in Sydney, Australia c.1950s

This collection of Martin Boyd showcases some of the pottery’s other well-known designs: to date on this blog I’ve only included the two-toned pottery pieces.

The two creamers that bookend the image illustrate the handpainted ‘Australiana’ themes that Boyd is famous for. The jug to the left sports a grass tree, and the jug on the extreme right shows a worker in a field of bamboo. Both jugs have the powder pink background which is so associated with Boyd pottery.

In the middle of the image is a crimson double cruet set with bamboo handle; the mustard pot is lidded. To the rear and front of the group are pieces with a ‘dot’ design – another classic popular in the 50s. The jug is the same pink colour as the other jugs, and the salt and pepper shakers are the same crimson as the cruet set.

All the pieces are in excellent condition, with the exception of the grass tree jug which has a small chip on the pouring lip. I debated whether to buy and show this piece, but the beautiful rendering of the grass tree won me over.

For sale: $AU150

Pates vases

Pates vases
made in Sydney, Australia 1940s

Pates Pottery operated out of Belmore, Sydney from 1946 -1990. As you may have noticed, given the tenor of the posts of this blog, being a Sydneyite I have an affinity for the potteries that were producing domestic ware in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Pates’ designs and colours were influenced by the 1950s furnishing and domestic colour trends; and like Diana pottery – another Sydney pottery operating between the wars [and examples of which are in a couple of posts below] produced vases in baby blue, powder pink and pastel yellow. Pates, however, also continued to use a dual- drip coloured glaze– as evidence in these four vases.

The quite deco-shaped vase in front is a wall vase: designed to be hung on the wall and filled with flowers. The swan and fish-shaped vases are very typical of the animal themed vases made in the 40s. And the last posy vase has restrained deco-shaping; it’s an attempt to transition from the 20s to the 50s.

Start your Pates collection today! The four vases are for sale: $AUD125

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Bakelite hairdryer [sold]

Pifco ‘Princess’ hairdryer
made in Manchester, England 1958

This ‘silent, electric’ hairdryer [model # 1060] is a fantastic pink bakelite [I might have mentioned I am fond of bakelite?] It comes in its original box, with a Guarantee & Instruction Card [it’s possible the guarantee has expired.] The hairdryer is in perfect working order, having been checked by an electrician.

Unfortunately, its previous owner, one E.S. decided to claim ownership by writing her/his initials on the box, scarring the beautiful pink embossed pattern. Other than that, it’s all good.

The Princess came in a powder blue, white, pastel purple, and this lovely pink colour. I can image a rockabilly enjoying perfecting their bouffant with this hairdryer…it’s so perfectly 50s!     For sale: $AUD70

50s Roses

Rose plates
made in England & Australia 1950s

My idea with the 50s Rose collection is this: collect in a theme [roses] and a date [1950s] – then mass together on a wall.

These ten plates are by Myott, England; Swinnertons, England, Wood & Sons, England and Sovereign pottery, Australia. I collected them all individually, then once a certain mass has been obtained- display them altogether. Some of the plates are paired, and there are four of the ‘squircle’ Sovereign Pottery plates: arrange them randomly or in groups to fit the space available.

Start you own Rose collection today; or add to an existing collection- the plates are for sale: $AUD100

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Pates swan vases [sold]

Pates swan & posy vases
made in Sydney, Australia c1950s

I told you I liked 50s swans! Following from my last Pates post, here are two small swan vases, and a posy vase.

The swan on the left is similar to the large swan planter of the previous post- drip- glazed in 50s pinks & crimsons. The swan vase on the right is identical in shape but has a pastel pink and textured over-glaze. I’m not sure which one I like best- but that textured swan is surely the kitschiest.

The posy vase came in a number of sizes; this being the smallest. It’s also pastel pink, with a clear glaze finish to both the exterior and interior: the interior showing the clay colouring to its best advantage. Meanwhile the two swans have the same internal colourings as their exterior.

And there you have it- the ABC of 50s glazed ware; the shape, the colour, the texture, and the contrast. The three vases are for sale: $AUD75