China sign

I've been going through my vintage collection with the aim of selling it to create some space in the house. But I'm failing in the task and this week I managed to add to the collection instead. I couldn't resist buying another of these 1950s Manhattan plates. The mark on the back shows the inspiration for the pattern - skyscraper windows. Sometimes the sign on the back of a plate is as gorgeous as the pattern on the front.

Oh for the South Seas

This is one of my favourite plates. I love it for the sign alone. It’s gloriously joyful and brings a little bit of sunshine into the 1950s.

James Meakin set up his Staffordshire pottery in 1845 and his sons, J&G (James and George) took over in 1851. By the 1950s, it was producing new American-inspired shapes, and this Studio Ware style was in production from 1957-69. 

For once, my shaky hand isn’t to blame for the blurry photo – the mark is actually like that on the plate. The colour is hard to reproduce -  it’s really a sharp, fresh, bright lime green, which means not all food looks appetising on it. But it’s more fun to turn it upside down and enjoy its palm tree mark.