Information on Flow Blue Plates

History

• Flow blue plates were made in Great Britain from the 1830s and in the United States from the second half of the 19th century until the 1940s.

Patterns

• The Willow Pattern (with a bridge and birds flying overhead) is common, along with floral designs and various marbled effects such as Swansea's Lazuli pattern.

Size and Function

• Examples can range from small, delicate sandwich plates with scalloped edges for use in afternoon tea to large platters for the display of roast joints.

Makers

• Flow blue plates were made in Germany and Holland, but in the first half of the 19th century the vast bulk came from Britain's Staffordshire potteries and firms such as Wedgwood, Davenport and Copeland.

Flow Blue in the United States

• A great deal of flow blue plates were imported into the United States in the early years of the country's history, where they were displayed on sideboards and used in formal dinners. But from the 1850s, homegrown firms such as Wheeling, Wharwick and Mercer entered the market.

Collecting Flow Blue

• As of 2010, interest in collecting flow blue is centered in the United States, where there is a Flow Blue International Collectors' Club. It is less popular elsewhere.