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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 19 2007, 2:23 PM EDT | kjacobso | 246 words added |
| Jun 19 2007, 2:23 PM EDT | kjacobso |
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Collectors are paying amazing prices for pieces that once were considered ordinary, utilitarian kitchenware. Yellow ware (which can vary in color from buff to orange) was introduced in the United States in the early 1800s. Until it was supplanted in the early 20th century by ironstone, yellow ware was the workhorse of the kitchen. Bowls, ranging from 4 to 18 inches in diameter, are the most common form of yellow ware. Many of the bowls you will find today were made near the end of yellow ware production, about 1915 to 1935. Bowls made after 1935 (and some made during the teens and twenties) have very little yellow clay in their bodies. They’re actually stoneware, a dense, high-firing clay that was mixed with yellow clay in varying proportions beginning in 1869 to increase its durability. Vessels made of pure or nearly pure yellow clay can be easy to recognize: They will likely be chipped and cracked. Pure yellow ware is easily damaged. Yellow ware bowls are commonly decorated with straight bands of various colors. The bands are liquid clay, or slip, with colorant added. Everyone loves bowls, but serious yellow ware collectors are most interested in more unusual forms. They have a wide variety from which to choose: pitchers in more than 200 different sizes, shapes, and decorations; more than 100 molds; and hundreds of teapots and mugs. Rarer forms include plain and banded colanders; miniatures, such as chamber pots and tea services; and foot warmers.
