Pine, Pickard and pretty impressive

An impromptu eBay search the other day resulted in my delving into the history of a china manufacturer I didn't know existed. I'm not sure I even know how to look up one thing on the computer anymore without branching off onto a different path altogether. One thing always leads to another...and another.

I hadn't planned to do any shopping, but the little voice in my head that sometimes gets me in trouble said, "You haven't looked for any Russel Wright pieces in a while." The little voice was right, so to eBay I went.  Once I was there, the little voice said, "Fostoria Pine." Never one to ignore a little voice, I entered f-o-s-t-o-r-i-a p-i-n-e into the search box. After all, I had to admit that after starting that glassware collection almost two years ago, I lost my momentum and allowed the so-called "collection" to languish at a pitiful three water goblets.

Then, while reading what a seller had to say about her Fostoria Pine, I ran across an interesting tidbit of trivia. She said that during the 1950s and 1960s, Fostoria manufactured several patterns to accompany Pickard china...and that Pine was designed to be used with Pickard Gossamer.

I learned that Pickard opened in Edgerton, Wisconsin, in 1893 but relocated to Chicago, Illinois, at the turn of the century. Shortly before World War II began, the company moved into a new facility in Antioch, Illinois. Soon thereafter, the company obtained a contract with the U. S. Navy. Eben Morgan, the company's president, believes that without the fuel granted for the government contract, Pickard's kilns would have been shut down and the business forced to close.

Over the years, Pickard has been commissioned to create custom china for the King of Saudi Arabia, the Hilton, Sheraton, and Marriott hotels, General Motors, the U.S. Air Force and the Queen of England, as well as producing china for the U. S. embassies throughout the world, the Presidential Bicentennial, for Air Force One, Camp David and for Blair House, the presidential guest house across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House where visiting foreign heads of state are hosted.

While I have no doubt that Fostoria Pine and Pickard Gossamer complemented each other beautifully, the china's platinum rim makes it a little more formal than I need, so I doubt that I will start a collection, but I am definitely inspired to renew my search for the glassware.

While looking at the Pickard website, I happened upon the work of Kelly Wearstler, and a trip to her website let me know that she creates much more than beautiful china. She very well may be the subject of one of my Fifty Years from Now posts soon, as she is creating some remarkable designs that I think will endure.

Pickard china is sold in stores such as Neiman Marcus/Horchow and in upscale boutiques.

From pickardchina.com

Fostoria Pine
ebay.com - whatadish1

Pickard Gossamer
replacementslimited.com

Dots by Kelly Wearstler, part of her casual collection
pickardchina.com

Marquetry by Kelly Wearstler, another of her casual designs
pickardchina.com

Mulholland by Kelly Wearstler, part of her formal collection
pickardchina.com