| Since the time of the Civil War, Trenton, New Jersey has been one of the major pottery centers of the United States. Close to sources of clay and fuel and linked by transportation lines to major ports, Trenton became known as "the Staffordshire of America," home to producers of dinnerware, hotel china, fine china, and sanitary ware. This reputation remains today largely because of the presence of Lenox, Inc. Its fine, cream-colored ware has been used by presidents and kings, and many interesting pieces are regularly found in antique stores around the country. |
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| Take almost any piece of Lenox and hold it up to the light. You should be able to see your hand through the translucent porcelain, based on the Irish Belleek style. It owes its heritage to porcelain artist Walter Scott Lenox, a Trenton native who trained with early manufacturer Ott and Brewer. Lenox headed manufacturing operations at Willets Manufacturing Co., and then in 1889 formed his own company. The Ceramic Art Company was organized as an art studio offering one-of-a-kind wares. Beginning with vases, pitchers and tea sets, by 1897 the company's wares were already in the Smithsonian Institution. |
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| Around 1902, Lenox began offering custom-designed and elaborately decorated dinner services for discriminating customers, and in 1906 the company's name was changed to Lenox, Inc. to better represent this new direction. In 1910 the company began experimenting with full-color lithographic details; the first patterns were Ming and Mandarin, both of which can often be found in antique shops. The decals ensured both uniform decoration and a recognizable pattern. |
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In 1918, a 1,700 piece service was commissioned for the White House, beginning a tradition which has continued since then, as the only American porcelain in continuous use on the President's table. Ivory plates featured a large presidential seal in raised gold, either in the center or on the border. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Truman, Reagan, and Clinton each ordered new Lenox services. Truman's was purchased in 1951 through B. Altman and Co. in New York, and bears their mark on the back as well as the Lenox mark. |
| Lenox patterns have followed decorating trends, from the Art Deco style of the Fountain pattern (1926) through the conservative rose and wheat patterns of the depression (Rhodora and Harvest). Simple patterns like Olympia (with a thin border of gold or platinum) characterized the 1950s, while in the '60s more exuberant patterns were introduced. Lenox often manufactured pieces directly for retailers such as Tiffany, Shreve and Company, and Bailey, Banks and Biddle. Plain ware was also manufactured for amateur and professional china decorators, including Pope and Lee, Poole and Stockton, DeLan and McGill, Tatler, W.C. Hendrickson, Jesse Dean, Stouffer and Pickard. All added their individual mark to the Lenox mark on the bottom of the piece. |
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| Pieces may also contain shape numbers and/or pattern numbers. Shape numbers can be impressed or handwritten; when a shape number is handwritten, it is generally followed by a slash and a letter of the alphabet, then 2 or more digits. I have a unusual blue dish with raised sides with the following stamp on the back: 1096/B-391-142. In this case the shape number is 1096 and the following numbers represent the pattern numbers for the particular piece. Lenox's markings can help you identify the period when a piece was made. The earliest common marking is the letter L in a circle attached to a palette, with the word Belleek under it. This mark, which can be either in green or black, identifies pieces made after Walter Scott Lenox changed the name of his company to Lenox Inc. in 1906, and the mark remained in use until 1926. |
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Colored Lenox is among the most collectible. Pink is probably the most popular, particularly in china from the 1940s and 1950s; other colors include a pale yellow and a dark green. My own dinner service, in the Olympia pattern with a platinum border, is a dark gray, and I've also seen some beautiful pieces in a deep blue. My mother has a set of demitasse cups in a rich chocolate brown, but that's a color I've never seen elsewhere. Also beginning in 1906, Lenox began using a mark which consists of the letter L inside an open-topped wreath tied with a bow at the bottom. Under the wreath is the word Lenox. This mark, usually green but occasionally in other colors such as blue or black, was used until 1930. |
| In 1930, the words Made in U.S.A. in a flat line or shallow semi-circle were added. This mark, in green, is the most common one seen on antique Lenox, and was used from 1930-1953. In 1953 the color of the mark was changed to gold, and that mark remained in use until 1988. Any other mark, particularly if it is more contemporary in style, dates to post 1988. The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion houses a collection of ceramic and porcelain created in the city, focusing on works by Lenox, considered the city's most successful manufacturer. "When you really look back on it," says Brian Hill, the museum's director, "It was Walter Lenox who set the standard of pottery in the late 19th century. He had this quest for perfection and his firm allowed him to do the things he wanted with quality. At that time, everybody was going to Japan or France for fine china and it wasn't until Wilson incorporated Lenox as his service that American porcelain became as accepted." Ellarslie has examples of the White House services, including Nancy Reagan's infamous red pattern, which was cited at the time for its extravagance. |
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| According to antique dealer Gail McPhaden, whose merchandise can be found online at http://www.rubylane.com/en/shops/startreasures/, Lenox is very collectible, particularly the older pieces with the green mark. "People are very interested in tea items," she says, "particularly the tea sets with silver overlay. There aren't very many of them out there, but they were done beautifully." She suggests that a beginning collector look for one of Lenox's signature pieces, like the swans or the leaf dish, which comes in many colors and color combinations. "I know a woman who collects the bracelet vase," she says, "and she has a series of them in different colors. It's a very attractive way to begin or augment a collection." |
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