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Pictured is one of the most beautiful pieces of souvenir china that I have yet found. I picked this up at an Antique Souvenir China Show held in Taunton, Mass. This large early decorative bowl, one of the largest that I have seen, features a lovely image of Cape Cod’s Highland Light Station in full color with a floral decoration around the rim. This stunning piece measures a full 10 ½ inches in diameter. The bottom is marked “Wheelock Vienna, Made in Austria for I. Morton Small, North Truro, Mass.
As you may remember, Isaac Morton Small was born in a farm house in North Truro in 1845. A few years later his father was appointed keeper of Highland Light Station and the family moved into the lighthouse quarters. In 1861 Small began the work as Marine Reporting Agent at Highland Light, where he would remain for more than 60 years. By 1863 he was placed in full charge of the telegraph office which now was firmly established there. In his pamphlet Shipwrecks on Cape Cod, Small describes his duties: “This station was equipped with signal flags, books and a powerful telescope, and an operator placed in charge, whose duty it was to watch the sea from daybreak until sunset, and so far as possible obtain the name of or description of every passing ship. This information was immediately transmitted over the wires to the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce (in Boston), where it was at once spread upon their books for the information of subscribers.”
Small also maintained a small gift shop for the throngs of visitors that once visited the well known Truro light station. In the shop he offered his many pamphlets on the history of the station, area shipwrecks and more. He also offered a wide variety of souvenirs such as this bowl.
In the 1890’s pictorial souvenir china was introduced to the United States from Europe for the enjoyment of vacationers throughout the country, much the same as you might take home a tee shirt or pamphlet on your summer getaway. Because of their beauty, and the fact that cameras were not readily available to capture the scenes, such pictorial pieces were in great demand. Soon a wide variety of shops and merchants began offering such items with local views.
Whatever your area of interest there is bound to be a segment of souvenir china collecting that will capture your imagination. While some collect pieces from their hometown, others concentrate on particular views such as lighthouses, life-saving stations, railroads, steamships, mills, and more.
One of the most interesting features of china collecting is the wide variety of styles and scenes depicted. Souvenir china was made in countless designs and most bore beautiful gold leaf borders and trim. Some forms commonly seen include cup with saucer, plate, mug, folded edge dish, dresser tray, butter pat, creamer, sugar (shown is Block Island’s Southeast Light), salt & pepper, pin tray, hot plate, vase, stamp or match box, desk items, ink well, powder jar, shoe, touring car, candlestick, urn, pitcher, cheese keeper, basket, fish, and many more.
The majority of these souvenir pieces were manufactured in Germany and Austria and some in England and imported for area shops by such companies as C.E. Wheelock & Company of Peoria, Ill.; Clark, Adams & Clark of Boston, and many more. In 1891 the McKinley Tariff Act required that the country of origin be shown on all imported items. As an added marketing incentive, importers began offering merchants the opportunity to have their shop’s name imprinted on the bottom of the piece. Therefore, pieces without such markings on the bottom probably date prior to 1891.
The value of souvenir china generally depends on two considerations: condition and rarity. Though these pieces are quite delicate, most seemed to have survived the 100 years since their manufacture in remarkably good condition. While hometown scenes may range in price from $24-74, lighthouse scenes may fetch from $45 up to $200 or more depending on the location. Life-saving stations, shipwrecks, Revenue Cutters and other similar scenes may bring still more. Generally speaking, pieces in the higher ranges should be in near fine condition and of an unusual design and/or of a rare light or station. One of the best locations to find these pieces seems still to be local flea markets and antique shops. It is uncommon to find an antique shop without at least a few styles and scenes, hopefully including one for which you are searching. Many pieces are now finding their way onto Internet auctions as well.
Oh, and the value for this stunning piece – in the $700 range, so keep your eyes open at your local shops.
This story appeared in the
Jul/Aug 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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