03 Nov
Elegant and Depression Glass Relish Trays - Traditional Beauties Part 2
Elegant and Depression Glass Relish Trays - Traditional Beauties Part 2
In the early 1900s glass companies made shallow oval bowls for celery or pickles that were beautifully decorated and elegantly shaped. As people began eating more salads and raw vegetables companies began producing beautiful trays with multiple shapes and with a myriad of designs. These are beautiful serving pieces that are fun to use today and a nice way to bring a touch of elegance and class to our families.
Over time the simple oval celery or pickle dish evolved into multi-compartment relish trays. Fostoria and Cambridge both made trays that were about 15 inches long and had 5 or more compartments. The Fostoria tray used their Mayfair blank, which is angular with a flat rim. Fostoria made their Mayfair glass in the depression and it was designed by George Sakier with art deco flair. It’s a very pretty design that works extremely well with many Fostoria etchings. The piece below is Fostoria’s Rambler etch with a trailing design of leaves and roses on the Mayfair blank. It’s interesting that even etchings like Chintz, which were not done on other pieces in the Mayfair line, were used on the Mayfair relish tray. It is another example where the relish tray was marketed almost as a separate gift item, not just as a piece in the overall table pattern line.
Smaller trays would be about 10-12 inches long with 2 to 4 compartments. The relish tray that is shown next is Fostoria’s Coronet crystal relish with one large compartment and two smaller ones. The long compartment was for celery allowing the pieces to be fairly long, which is a nice touch and a little more elegant than the short stumpy celery pieces you get at the supermarket in plastic bins. This piece is particularly pretty with the graceful curved lines. It is not etched and the design simplicity means you could use it with almost any dinnerware pattern.
The third tray shown is from New Martinsville and is etched with a wild rose design. It has 3 compartments and is the closest in shape to what you’ll see in contemporary stores. You’ll notice the edge has a piecrust like design to it. This is called a gadroon edge. Cambridge Glass also used the gadroon rims on pieces. This relish tray has a fancier look to it and would go well with more formal china patterns, especially those with roses.
Duncan Miller made the Tear Drop relish shown on the left during the same period as the New Martinsville produced the Wild Rose etch. The square divided dish on the right is Cambridge Glass Caprice, slightly more recent. These are both small, about 7 inches or so, so they are more for small meals or for condiments rather than serving carrot sticks for a large party. You could imagine both today holding chopped onions or shredded cheese.
The relish trays shown were made by elegant glass makers, which means better quality glass, quite a bit of hand work and more finished. Depression glass makers, who mass-produced glass in colored and clear glass, also made relish trays. These are a little more difficult to find. The example shown below is pink Old Colony by Hocking Glass and is even prettier in person.
In the 1950s the relish tray went wild. Young families moved to new suburbs in droves and began eating outside and enjoying time on their new patios. The new piece was the Lazy Susan. These circular trays with separate sections that are mounted so they can rotate – far easier and more casual than having your friends pass everything! These were made in glass, ceramic and plastic and are wonderful retro pieces.
People began eating outside more and barbeques and entertaining outside added a casual element that the brightly colored Lazy Susans fit perfectly. You can find an enormous variety of designs in glass and ceramic and take your pick whether you want country, classy, mid-century modern 1950s retro and between glass, ceramic and plastic.
The example to show is pure 1950s, made of china mounted on a metal platform. The pinky beige with black accents was one of the hit color combinations of the mid-1950s when decorators when wild for beige and pink became the color for kitchens. This one has four open compartments circling a center covered server. Wouldn’t this be great for vegetables and dip?
Once upon a time every wedding couple received at least one glass relish tray. And in the 1940s to 1960s Lazy Susans were fixtures on the gift list. It’s time to revive this charming custom and add a note of grace and style back to our family dining tables!
Article and photos copyright Kathy Eickholt, 2007.
