:: Midwinter Homage

Thrift finds-gasp!

 Now this is a going to be a long post, so go make yourself a cuppa and settle in!

Midwinter, popular for collectors due to the tireless designing of notable UK Designer Jessie Tait.

Spanish Garden and Country Garden 1960's

3rd edition of the Midwinter Pottery Book.

I have been hunting for this book for a while now, so when the 3rd edition became available, I swooped like a hungry falcon!

I have learnt from its glossy pages that the Midwinter Pottery was looking to boost sales after the post war gloom, they created the stylecraft shape (1953) inspired by a trip to the West Coast U.S where Roy Midwinter viewed the work of Eva Zeisel 

(psst linked to Mid2Mod, Dana did a great post here and this is where I first learnt of Eva)and Russell Wright.

These wares were rimless, organic in shape, no banding typical of traditional pre-war forms and the colour palette was brighter, cleaner!

The stylecraft shape was developed to have an "ease of cleaning and economic storage" for "smaller homes and tighter budgets" all to captured the younger generation.

This was the beginning of the "starter pack", 20 pieces- four tea cups & saucers, tea plates, dinner plates and cereal bowls.

Young couples could add to their collection and replace as necessary. 

Does this not sound familiar?

Do you remember buying your first set of crockery?

 Browsing through this lovely book I have selected the Midwinter ranges I will happily swoop on, if I found them in the wild!

Plant Life by Terence Conran.

The "Plant Life" design in the fashion shape 1956.

What a delightful design and still relevant to today's current market!

Vase-Caribbean

Caribbean.

 This design is in the fashion shape (1955)
again the colour combination and organic motif is timeless. I don't think I could handle the complete set, to use daily but a nice wee plate or vase or both would be nice!

Festival.

 "Festival" in the fashion shape was inspired by the Festival of Britain.

Savanna.

 "Savanna" in the fashion shape and the fancy shape (1940's-1960's).

Vase Collection-Tonga, Candlesticks, Bands & Dots.

  I fear another collection is going to start if I ever manage to get my hands on one of these beauties!

image via book.

These are the lovely showroom ladies  c:1960, look at those hairdo's, glasses and pins!
 If I was born in this era, I think this is where I would like to be, move over Jessie Tait!


 Thanks for reading!

:Pippa 

 In the book there are excellent images of the shape guides and pictures of the early design drawings for some of the popular designs, I haven't posted these because I strongly encourage you to buy the book...and I don't want to upset the copyright police either!

Images Via