Hall China Company ~ Gallery 3
“Hall’s teapots are becoming as familiar as ‘Tetley Tea.’” (1927)
Find out more about Hall China and how the company became the Teapot King in our Docent Chatroom.
Museum example in Bouquet
TITLE: Tomorrow’s Classic
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1949
COLLECTION: Museum of Ceramics/Ohio History Connection and John and Peg Thompson
Thompson example in Frost Flowers
Thompson example in Pinecone
Noted ceramic designer Eva Zeisel designed the Tomorrow’s Classic style, exhibited here, for the Hallcraft line of merchandise in 1949. Tomorrow’s Classic was at one time the fastest growing dinnerware in America. In 1954 Zeisel created the Zeisel Kitchenware line that included the side-handle example exhibited below. Zeisel’s other Hall China line, the Century line would not prove to be as successful.
Eva Zeisel (nee Striker) was born in 1906 in Budapest, When she was 18 she enrolled in the Budapest Academy of Fine Art. During this time she discovered that she enjoyed painting and determined this to be her medium of choice. She therefore, did not complete her education. At first she apprenticed to a local potter and became the first woman in the Hungarian Guild of Chimney Sweeps, Oven Makers, Roof Tilers, Well Diggers and Potters. After unsuccessfully trying her hand at pottery she worked for the Schramberger Majolika Fabrik, a Black Forest pottery, where she created over 200 designs.
In 1936 she was arrested on charges that she was involved in a plot to assassinate Stalin and consequently she spent 16 months in detention, 12 months in solitary confinement. She was released to her family the next year but six months later Hitler annexed Austria and Eva fled to England. Efforts of family and friends managed to get her mother released from Gestapo detention but some of her family were sent to the concentration camps.
In 1938 she met and married Hans Zeisel and they moved to New York with only $64. After doing “odd-jobs” she gained employment at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Her career truly began when the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) told Castleton China that if they produced one of Eva’s designs in all white they would exhibit it. It was exhibited as the first all white china service in the United States.
In 1949 the Hall China Company commissioned Zeisel to manufacture the Tomorrow’s Classic line pressing her to provide 12 patterns within a two-year period. In an advertisement for the Midhurst China Company the Hallcraft Tomorrow’s Classic is available in, Holiday, Arizona, Lyric, Bouquet, Festive, Chantilly, Mulberry, Frost flower, Beaux Arts, Autumn, Buckingham, Dusty Rose, Burbank, Dawn and Plain White. In 1956, the Hall China Company again commissioned Zeisel to produce a line of ware called the Century Line. This line, however, was not as popular and did not sell as well as the Tomorrow’s Classic line.
Zeisel died in 2011 at the age of 105. She once said that her work was always, “a playful search for beauty.” She is considered one of the great 20th Century designers.
TITLE: Side Handle
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1954
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
The Zeisel Kitchenware line comprised a 20-piece dinnerware set and accessories that included a six cup teapot, a two cup size, side-handled teapot (seen here), and matching sugar and creamer. The image of the Side-Handle mark demonstrates the tri-color design on the teapot. (Barnebey, 2005).
TITLE: Danielle
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 2009
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
The example here of an “Art Deco” teapot was reproduced for the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association in 2009. The original Danielle in the Art Deco series of the Danielle, Damascus (seen below) and the Adele (not exhibited) were produced in the 1930s.
Tea Trivia:
C.S. Lewis has stated, ““You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” (Top, 2020).
TITLE: Damascus
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1930s
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
Tea Trivia:
Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland wrote, “Yes, that’s it! Said the Hatter with a sigh, it’s always tea time.” (Top, 2020).
Apple
It is believed that the Brilliant or Thorley series was introduced to replace the Victorian series of teapots. They were available through the 1960s. (Whitmyer, 1997).
J.(Joseph). Palin Thorley (1892-1987) was born in Stoke-on Trent, Staffordshire, England, into a pottery family. His father and grandfather both designed for the pottery industries there. Thorley would work and be apprenticed to the Wedgwood pottery art department where he was also allowed to study ceramic design. In 1927, after working as art director for several companies such as Simpsons, New Chelsea and Charles Allerton and Sons, he moved to the United States.
TITLE: Brilliant Series
MAKER: Hall China Company, J. Palin Thorley designer
DATE: 1946 - 1960s
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
Also known as the Thorley series there are 6 teapots in this series. 5 are shown here with the Grape teapot not available.
Starlight
Regal
Royal
Windcrest
On moving to the United States Thorley settled in East Liverpool Ohio, and, unlike at his previous companies, he found that he could work as an art director for one company and also find contract work for others. Thorley started designing for the Sebring potteries but also designed for other East Liverpool district potteries throughout his career, including but not exclusively for the Hall China Company. For Hall China, he produced the E-shape and the Brilliant Series, among others. In 1937, he began designing for Colonial Williamsburg, making reproductions of early American china for them. He remained in East Liverpool, however, until 1949, when he finally relocated to Williamsburg. He continued designing for the Hall China Company until 1959. While residing in East Liverpool, Thorley was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of West Virginia and served as chair of the Ceramics department at the University of Pittsburgh, helping to design the departmental classrooms, which were set us as a functioning pottery.
Don Schreckengost, has related that at one time, Thorley and Frederick Rhead, a ceramic designer in the East Liverpool pottery district, participated in a “drunken golf match brought on by a disagreement” at the East Liverpool Country Club. He reported that the “hilarious affair was the talk of the industry for months.” (Austin, 2005).
TITLE: Aladdin Autumn Leaf
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1942-1976
COLLECTION: Museum of Ceramics/Ohio History Connection H1988 and John and Peg Thompson
Thompson showing the infuser
Museum of Ceramics/Ohio History Connection
This Aladdin in Autumn Leaf is a “wide” body shape when compared to the narrower traditional Aladdin.
With a 7-cup capacity, the Aladdin teapot with Autumn Leaf (originally called Autumn) was distributed by the Jewel Tea Company, Barrington, Illinois, as a premium for customers. A premium was an incentive to purchase another item. There was a wide variety of ware produced in the Autumn Leaf pattern so that customers would return for additional purchases. Items were discontinued and new items added throughout its production until 1978. (Whitmyer, 1997, Barnebey, 2005).
Trivia: Autumn Leaf dinnerware is seen in the opening scene of the 2021, award-winning movie, Nomadland starring Frances McDormand. McDormand’s character, Fern, treasures the dishes that were collected by her father and given to her on her graduation day. Later, when a piece is broken, Fern is seen gluing it back together, symbolic of the shattered life that she is trying to mend as well. Nomadland may be seen on Hulu.
TITLE: Rhythm
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1939
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
The Rhythm design was introduced in 1939, our example is a later teapot as indicated by the back stamp on it’s underside. It was originally introduced as a gold decorated teapot with gold dots on the upper two drapes. Later, production of it as part of the Hall American line allowed vendors to select from over 100 different colors. (Barnebey, 2005).
TITLE: Rutherford
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1935
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
The Rutherford was introduced in 1939 and listed as part of the Buffet Service Set. (Barnebey, 2005).
TITLE: New York
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1916-1989
COLLECTION: Museum of Ceramics/Ohio History Connection
The New York teapot is one of the Hall China companies longest running styles. The New York was available from at least 1916 through 1989. It was originally and continually produced for the Hall Institutional line but was also added to the Gold Decorated line in 1920. It has been available in nine different sizes. This 12 cup example is decorated in the gold Trillium style. It features a stamped ring of pansies with a thick gold line above and additional gold decoration. (Barnebey, 2005, Whitmyer, 1997).
TITLE: Indiana
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1937-1941
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
Introduced as part of the Gold Decorated line the Indiana was not as popular as hoped. It was dropped from the line in 1941. (Barnebey, 2005).
TITLE: Melody
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: introduced in 1939
COLLECTION: John and Peg Thompson
Designed by J. Palin Thorley the Saf-Spout and it’s larger version, the Melody, seen here, were introduced in 1939. (Barnebey, 2005).
Tea Trivia:
Afternoon tea etiquette from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, “Afternoon tea should be provided, fresh supplies, with thin bread-and-butter, fancy pastries, cakes, etc., being brought in as other guests arrive.” – Isabella Beeton. (Top, 2020).
TITLE: London with Metal tip spout
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: early 1980s to 2000s
COLLECTION: William and Donna Gray
The metal tip London was only produced in white. The London without a metal tip was produced in a variety of colors and was part of the Hall Express Service. (Barnebey, 2005).
Tea Trivia:
Noel Coward is quoted as saying, “Wouldn’t it be dreadful to live in a country where they didn’t have tea?” (Top, 2020).
Produced for the Forman Family Inc. of Brooklyn, NY. The metal cozy was felt lined and fit over the tea pot to maintain the temperature of the beverage inside. The Forman Family Inc. purchased tea and coffee pots from the Hall China Company from 1932 to 1982. (Barnebey, 2005).
TITLE: Cozy Hot Pot
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: 1956
COLLECTION: William and Donna Gray
TITLE: International Silver Company
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: pre- 1984
COLLECTION: William and Donna Gray
These examples of an individual one cup teapot were produced for the International Silver Company of Meriden, Connecticut. They were primarily used as hotel service, either at restaurant table or for room service. The International Silver Company was in business from 1898 to 1984. (B. 2021).
TITLE: Iconic Hot Water Pot and Teapot
MAKER: Hall China Company
DATE: Hot water Pot: 1955-1980s, Teapot 1957-1990s
COLLECTION: Museum of Ceramics/Ohio History Connection
Although not introduced as a set, the pair became popular as an individual tea service. The hot water pot, the taller of the pair, holds two cups and the teapot holds one. (Barnebey, 2005).