A faded English Garden

Anybody who knows me knows how much I love transferware--particularly Homer Laughlin's English Garden pattern. (which technically is decalware, not transferware) So I was thrilled last week when I won this little creamer on eBay. I was the only bidder and I wondered why, until it arrived today and I saw it up close and personal.

The transfer is badly faded, and I think I know why, but I'll get to that. I went back to the original eBay listing to see if I should have been able to tell just how faded it was. The picture was dark and the transfer looked pretty normal. I'll leave it to others to decide whether the seller was trying to put one over on us.


I should know better than to trust a dark or fuzzy picture--especially if there is only one. But that's not the point of this post.

I wanted to show this because I think what happened to this lovely little creamer is that it was "dishwashered". So let me take a moment out of my sad day to say, as loudly and as forcefully as I can: DO NOT PUT OLD CHINA IN THE DISHWASHER!

The processes used on old china can't stand up to the fury of the machine or the harsh chemicals used in the detergents. I've seen so many pieces ruined that way. Also, it goes without saying that scrapers and scrubbers should be far, far away from these delicate pieces. I know some of them don't LOOK delicate, but they're old and they're often painted or decaled and they don't LIKE chemical baths or rub-a-dub-dubbings.

I didn't pay much for my little creamer, so I'll keep it until another one comes along. I love the creamy matte glaze and the Riviera design. I even love the picture, though I feel as though I'm looking at it through a fine mist. . .

That's my sad story for the day, along with the moral. If I've saved even one person from. . .

Oh, boo hoo. . .

Mona