Russel Wright designed Casual China for everyday use – Dishwasher Safe, Chip and Stain Resistant with a replacement guarantee. In this way, Casual China represents a remarkable difference from American Modern.
American Modern addressed the reality of modern families. Most Americans did not have household help, many women worked outside the home and fancy wares were beyond the family budget. In that vein, his designs were innovative, affordable and “mass produced.” Yet, American Modern had issues as noted by buyers such as crazing, chipping and fading. It was not unusual for a buyer to stop him on the street to register their complaints!
That said, Wright listened and then began work on a new line that would not have the same issues. Iroquois produced high fired ceramics to avoid the issues. Yet, still, he wanted to produce ceramics that exhibited color gradients and differences more akin to pottery. The first glazes referred to as foamy or raindrop were the result of hours spent experimenting.
Another change, open stock was not included in marketing and store displays of Iroquois China. Most buyers most buyers preferred a matched set. Initially, sales of Casual China were lackluster compared to the wild success of American Modern. By the mid fifties, consumers preferred the light pastels of Casual China.
Before there was Martha Stewart, there was Russel Wright, the great mid-century modern American designer who pioneered the concept of “easier living” for the middle class, a uniquely American lifestyle that was gracious but contemporary and informal.
Design Matters. We are captivated with the look of an object. No matter what particular style we are drawn to emulate in our lives. From the spare lines of Modernism back to Victorian Romanticism, their appeal speaks a language that reflects our needs and values at a particular moment. A busy family, for example, requires lots of dishes. Many of us would choose dishes that are safe in a dishwasher and a microwave. Those qualities become more important than design alone.
Certainly, Russel Wright argued for dinnerware that would fit in with the “new” modern lifestyle. Versatility was important. Ease was critical. Electric appliances promised a new age of ease and leisure. A very young Bette Davis demonstrated the ease of use in a television commercial. Wright assured prospective customers about this benefit of American Modern. He left the art of design to those setting the table. Indeed, the “mix” of color became a signature of American Modern.
On the other hand, homemakers became critical of their beautiful dinnerware. They chipped. Crazing developed in certain glazes. In short, they were not durable over time.
The benefit of electricity was evident in the kitchen. Ladies Home Journal, 1932.
Durability Matters. Wright soon turned to makers of Restaurant Ware. By 1946, Iroquois China in Syracuse, New York was shipping the new line to stores. The new line was produced from vitrified ironstone – chip resistant, stain resistant, and bacteria resistant. The process of vitrification bonded the glaze to the body much like glass.
Initially, Wright wanted to produce Casual China with variation in the glaze – the quality present in American Modern similar to that found in handmade pottery. Produced only for a few years, these early mottled pieces are difficult to find; they are referred to as “Raindrop” by collectors.
Beyond the color of the glaze, the shape of the pieces reflect a modern sensibility. Plates have a coupe shape, the handles on the teapot are comfortable – and large enough for any hand. The stacking salt and pepper and the stacking sugar and creamer save space in the modern kitchen.
Color Magic. I really don’t know what else to call Wright’s sense of color. Always the perfect shade and tone of color, even the colors that are often a bit off. Pink, green, blue, yellow, and cantaloupe are fresh and clean. Nutmeg, Ripe Apricot, Charcoal and Oyster Gray are earthy shades, but, they have lots of life. And still, there is white. Elegant on the table in modern shapes – and of course, perfect for any one who loves to cook.
Russel Wright, Cantaloupe, Casual China, Iroquois China, circa 1950s.
The design, durability and color of Iroquois Casual reflect the post-war Suburban Age. The color palette fits right in with the streamlined age. And the durability works with a busy family with a dishwasher. Even if one of the children help with after dinner clean-up. As every one should!
Russel Wright dedicated long hours to mixing glazes to achieve the depth of soft color of American Modern Dinnerware. The first glaze colors – Chartreuse, Seafoam, Granite Gray, Coral, and Bean Brown – were envisaged as a complementary palette. The glazes bring out the best in each other – a reflection of color in the natural world. In that vein, American Modern was introduced as “open stock” dinnerware.
American Modern designed by Russel Wright, produced by Steubenville Pottery, 1937. Chop Plate in Seafoam (13.5 X 13.5 inches)
Seafoam has an earthiness unexpected in blue . . . it is not a blue-gray. A stormy sea at sundown?
The seafoam glaze grounds chartreuse while the shape of the square platter cradles the salad plate. A platter without a distinct rim or a deep well was distinctly different in 1937. Russel Wright stripped the typical elements of a platter. His minimalist design would shape modern dinnerware while his glaze colors were imitated but never duplicated.
American Modern Glass by Russel Wright and Morgantown Glass Guild, 1951. Cocktail Glasses, Chartreuse (3 X 3 inches)
American Modern Chop Plate serves as a Cocktail Tray.
Good design does not dictate. The chop plate is a large square. Designed for the service of a meat course like chops. But, the shape and size works very well as a serving tray. Or, make a statement on the console. In the living room on the coffee table as a shared coaster. It is the perfect size for a twelve inch pizza. The ordinary looks extraordinary.
. . . the art of life is centered on the dinner table.
The Victorian etiquette books were heavy with standards that were unattainable for most consumers. There were bone plates, fish plates, under plates on the long list in proper etiquette books. And, of course, the time needed to set the table. That lifestyle was dictated by the past that was no longer practical in the every day of life.
American Modern set a new standard. He designed multi-functional pieces lacking decoration. Russel and Mary Wright wrote in their book that each table setting would be a unique design. It would be a work of art created by the homemaker. The art of the table.
American Modern by Russel Wright. Steubenville Pottery, 1939.Celery Tray, Seafoam (13 X 3 inches).
Not a true statement. In my mind, there are bowls – and then there are bowls. Sometimes, bowls take on very interesting shapes. Even production pieces like those made at Steubenville Pottery for the American Modern line of dinnerware designed by Russel Wright. This bowl is a vessel that seems to cradle all that it holds. Sometimes it looks like an open hand …it is a curve that does not stop…
In the early twentieth century, Mr. Wells the president of Homer Laughlin China Company appeared before a Congressional Committee on tariffs to plead the case of American Potteries. He argued that foreign wares, particularly German and Japanese imports, were given an unfair advantage in the current laws governing tariffs. One of the committee members questioned whether or not quality china was…
All that is needed to understand the beauty of ergonomics is to hold the salt and pepper shakers designed by Russel Wright for Steubenville in your hands … to hold them is to love them. They fit the hand so perfectly. And we would like to give you that opportunity. We are giving away this set of chartreuse Russel Wright Salt and Pepper Shakers. Our Give Away: Chartreuse Salt and Pepper…
All that is needed to understand the beauty of ergonomics is to hold the salt and pepper shakers designed by Russel Wright for Steubenville in your hands . . . to hold them is to love them. They fit the hand so perfectly.
And we would like to give you that opportunity. We are giving away this set of chartreuse Russel Wright Salt and Pepper Shakers.
The dinnerware designed by Russel Wright is included in the rather broad [and vague] category, Mid Century Modern. Russel Wright designed the new line of American Modern Dinnerware in the 1930s. His designs were, in part, a reaction to the formality of the late Victorian dinner table. Many courses served with service changes that required “help” in the kitchen. A way of living, that was…
The dinnerware designed by Russel Wright is included in the rather broad [and vague] category, Mid Century Modern. Russel Wright designed the new line of American Modern Dinnerware in the 1930s. His designs were, in part, a reaction to the formality of the late Victorian dinner table. Many courses served with service changes that required “help” in the kitchen. A way of living, that was certainly at odds in the 1930s when many could no longer afford imported fancy serve ware or a household staff to serve. His stated intent was to bring design to everyone – American Modern would become the best selling dinnerware in American history.
His design took another turn; the post modernist turn. He looked to the form and function of each piece, first, and then applied glazes that reflected the natural world. You might even say, he used organic shapes and colors that soothed a generation in an era of unsettling news – economic downturns, political unease and total war on a global scale. As much as his design fascinates, his later avocation to restore land that included abandoned quarries near the Hudson River inspires me. I plan to visit . .
The first piece of Russel Wright that I found was in a box in an abandoned trailer. Although I didn’t know who made the piece, I was captivated by the color and shape. I soon discovered the pitcher was manufactured by Iroquois China and designed by Russel Wright. The pitcher is definitive of Wright’s design – curves that do not end. There are no hard edges. Truly wonderful to hold and behold. And the color . . . drawn from the forest at sunset.
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