Homer Laughlin Vase

About Homer Laughlin China Company:

The Homer Laughlin firm was founded in 1871 in Newell, West Virginia by the two brothers, Shakespeare and Homer Laughlin. A long-lived pottery, it survived two world wars and continued until 2020, when it was sold to Steelite, a British tableware manufacturer. Though Homer Laughlin China produced art pottery in its earlier days, it is best known for its Fiesta line, a brightly-colored Art Deco-styled set of tableware that was designed by the noted ceramicist, Frederick Hurten Rhead. Rhead was Homer Laughlin's art director from 1927 until his death in 1942. Fiesta ware is still produced by Fiesta Tableware Company, a division of Steelite. The New York Times called Fiesta “the most collected brand of china in the United States” (Alexander 2002). Homer Laughlin China Company was known for many dinnerware designs and also produced commemorative plates and art pottery vases.

(Alexander, Kelly, 2002.“The Way We Live Now”. The New York Times, December 1.)

About the Object:

Tall and thin decorative vase with small diameter foot that gets wider at the top. Small opening for a mouth. The top third of the vase is cobalt blue. Bottom two-thirds is a golden yellow that is gradiated from light to dark towards the foot of the vase. A thin gilded line separates the blue from the yellow. On the front of the vase only is a painted flower that overlaps both the blue and gold colors.

Currently not on view