The Thrift Shop Romantic: vase

My first piece of Hull Pottery was a thrift store find that had some structural issues. I loved the style of it-- the matte finish, the soft pastels, the art deco/art nouveau styling-- but chips kept it from being drooled over by serious collectors.

It was a little number in the Wildflower pattern, from about 1946...

And in spite of its chips, its cheerful palette and overall look encouraged me to bring it home.

This last weekend I uncovered two more Hull Pottery pieces, and now the trio stands proudly on top of my china cabinet...

The haul of Hull inspired me to do a little digging in my Collectors Encyclopedia of Hull Pottery, by Brenda Roberts...

...And I thought I'd share with you what I learned.

While Hull Pottery began in 1905 as the A.E. Hull Pottery Company of China Street, Crooksville, Ohio, it had a convoluted history involving acquisitions-- like the Acme Pottery Company-- tiling manufacturing throughout the 20s, and even the management of the Shawnee Pottery Company in the 1937, before it evolved into the company we think of today.

It was the late 1930s and into the 1940s, where Hull began vases in the Iris, Potty, Tulip and Wildflower shapes, in the soft colors and gentle detailing so recognizable as Hull. (They're also known for those Red Ridinghood Cookie Jars and other novelty pieces you may see at antique malls and yard sales!).

The pottery continued through a flood in the 50s which caused a kiln to explode and the factory to catch fire. Then with rebuilding and restructuring, the company continued in various iterations during the 1950s, with serving ware and florist ware well into the 1970s. According to Wikipedia, it was in March, 1986 the Hull Pottery company ceased operations and closed the plant.

This is the small Iris patterned vase I picked up this weekend.

This was my particular favorite, a 1940s Tulip patterned Hull vase

The mark below, on the small vase says it's "Hull Fine Pottery" but I didn't find that mark in my book. Could it be knock-off Hull?...

I don't know the answer. I know there are supposed to be many Hull imitators out there-- particularly in the Red Riding Hood theme. But, honestly, even if it isn't original Hull, I still like the shape of the vase.
And if you like the look of Hull pieces, I suggest you be sure to shop around. Many pieces I see in my travels are in the $40 and up range (mostly UP), but it is possible to find nice pieces under $20-- though it takes time and patience. Unlike McCoy, Hull typically can't be found for thrifty prices!

All hail Hull! (And I'll see you Wednesday, for this coming week's Treasure Box post.)

Normally when you think of the area around Miami, you might think of big pastel-painted hotels in classic art deco or mid-century modern styling. But this year, my treasure-hunting in south Florida and its Keys led to some far-from-streamlined Victorian and Edwardian finds.

I'll start with this little Victorian hand-painted and transfer decorated vase. It has some issues...

A chip at the top and a crack extending from that. But it was cheap. Really cheap. Particularly for its quality. And when I first laid eyes on it-- prior to the damage assessment-- it actually made me gasp.

As a gal who enjoys "more is more," the raised decorations... the colors... the detail... This was for me!

The back had a different, complementary decoration to it...

Down in the Florida Keys, then, I went with my father on his weekly yard-saling activities. Expert garage saler that he is, he found a nice glass tabletop for $2. He's always finding interesting nautical items that make fun tables, so that will be handy for him.

And then I spied the most wonderful box of sheet music...

Oh, it was a big box. A Christmas storage tub, really. And it was filled with turn-of-the-1900 to the 30s sheet music.

My heart skipped a beat or two. To be themic, it possibly did a samba or a cha-cha. And I set about ruffling through it to pick out some favorites and see what they might cost...

As I was pulling out these paper gems of art-- ones that reminded me so much of my Victorian postcard collection-- I heard my dad talking to the owner.

"So how much is the sheet music?" Dad had spied, over my shoulder, a few pieces from World War I he had his eye on, and he was keen to know what they would set him back...

"For the whole box?" asked the owner.

"Well, I don't know," said Dad-- not quite expecting that question as part of the negotiation dance.

"$20 for all of it," said the owner. And, well, you can just bet Dad had his money out faster than you can say "Irving Berlin." As the money changed hands, that's when Dad became the proud owner of over 230 individual pieces of turn-of-the-century sheet music! We know because, later, still in awe, he counted.

Since then, I've been teasing him that certainly I hoped the owner knew Dad was with me, or else technically some random guy had just swept in and bought what I was looking at out from under me! :)

Anyway, that "random guy" allowed me to pick out the pieces I'd wanted from the giant stack, so I have the lovelies you see here today, and a few others.

This one below I was excited about because I know of this art by recently reading novelist Martha Grimes' Belle Ruin. There, the main character, young Emma, encounters an old magazine with art containing a "Fadeaway Girl"...

You can see in this closeup, how the girl's dress blends right into the background with no lines?...

That's a Fadeaway Girl! I just never imagined getting to see one for myself!

This lady looks like a Christmas card just waiting to happen. Look at that fir-trimmed hat!...