Alberta Potteries over the Years

 Alberta Potteries Ltd (Wyatt's Company): 1931-1938

Alberta Potteries was never really competition for Medalta even though they made very similar products.  They had a wide range of products even though they operated for such a short time.  Wyatt also competed with Medalta with advertising items like ashtrays, mixing bowls, pudding bowl or meat pan and a souvenir cup commemorating the 1935 Silver Jubilee of King George the V and Queen Mary. 

                                              

Alberta Potteries Limited (Yuill's Company): 1941-1966

                                                            

Yuill's plant was located in Redcliff and various people worked with them designing pottery pieces, Luke Lindoe and Malcolm McCarthur to name a couple.  The products produced were varied and included utilitarian as well as decorative pieces.  

Ron Getty's book The Kilns of South Eastern Alberta is loaded with information about the kilns that operated in Medicine Hat.  It is great resource book to have if you are collecting pottery made in Alberta.  Ron has several reference books and they are great resource books, ours are full of little notes to try and keep track of other little bits of information.

I always find that a piece can be described to me but until I actually see it I have have a hard visualizing what it looks like.  Experience is a great educator and makes it easier to pick out a piece from one of the potteries and be able to tell which pottery company may have made it.  Time is a great educator!

And the Search Continues...

Kitchen Things

I cannot imagine a world without Tupperware type dishes for food storage but in my grandparents time there was no such thing.  There were of course, pottery pieces that served the same purpose.  We have all seen the Pyrex fridge dishes and Medalta and Medicine Hat Potteries each made something to serve the same purpose.  Some of them I think are too pretty to actually use to store food stuff in but I am sure that is what they were used for many years go.  Earthenware itself would stay cool so it made sense that they made pieces to store food.  I remember my Grossmama having crocks of things in the cellar, some of which at the time I found to be very disgusting!  I can remember going to get a jar of pickles and peaking in some of the crocks which she used to preserve Hams, sausage and sauerkraut and other things.  There was always a crock full of drinking water from the well  with a "dipper" hanging on the side and I remember the coolness of the water from the crock even though there was no fridge to cool it.  Now we collect all these pieces and treat them like a prize and put them on a shelf to admire.

The photos today are Medalta and Medicine Hat Potteries (the blue fridge dishes).  All pieces are part of our collection.

Like most of you I am sure, we are ready to get out and start looking for some pieces of whatever it is that we collect.  In our province everything is starting to open slowly and in time we will all be back to a normal pace and able to explore again.  We did find a unique concept for a virtual Antique Show and it was delightful.  There were many amazing pieces for sale and we actually picked up a small jug to add to our collection. The next Virtual show is the first weekend in June and will have 30 vendors each posting 15 items for show and sale.  It has kept us entertained and allowed for many people to add to their collections without leaving their house.

Stay safe and healthy!

And the Search Continues....

Plates, plates and more plates.......

We picked up an entire collection last summer and it included many plates made by Hycroft.  What to do with so many plates???  Why use then of course!

These links will take you to some interesting history on Hycroft China:

https://hermis.alberta.ca/ARHP/Details.aspx?DeptID=1&ObjectID=4665-0490

https://albertaonrecord.ca/hycroft-china

So we did decide that the plates were very pretty, too pretty to stack away in storage so we put them into the cupboard and use them every day.  There is quite a mixture of patterns so we use different ones almost everyday.

  Custom made plates with names or initials in gold.

Plain colored ring around the edge of the plate and a bear with a forest scene and the plate s rimmed in gold trim.

Fifth Avenue Untied Church, Medicine Hat, Alberta and

Fort Garry Hotel, gold and blue rimmed plate.

FLAMINGO - No 506   Flamingo is found on the Balmorla or swirl edge style of dishes, and this is the main difference that separates it from its sister pattern Everglades. It was assigned pattern number 506 and Hycroft’s invoices indicate that sets were sold from 1955 to 1964. I have only seen it in one colour to date, that being a red hibiscus flower with leaves in several shades of green against                a  white background. The rim of the dishes is finished with a speckled gold band

Daizy: No Pattern Number The Daizy pattern is listed in
t h e  Hycroft Records  from 1964-1970, and on the invoices it is usually listed as Daisy not Daizy as on the Hycroft backstamp. Even though it was sold for some seven years, it apparently was not that popular a pattern judging by the number of times you find it listed in the Hycroft invoices; and, furthermore, you do not find it in the marketplace very often. (they are also handpainted)




Game Birds in Flight 
Holiday shape Commercial # ---, center spray, cut geese and partridge size for cups and saucers.  Hycroft China Backstamp. 1955-1979
(Copied from the original with the permission of the writer)
(All photos form our private collection)



Lots of photos of plates most of which are in our cupboard so each evening is a surprise which plate you get.  I must admit I do have a preference but I will never tell which one it is.  There are several photos that do not have the pattern name, I wonder if you have more information could you please name the plate on this page so I can put the names in a comment.


And the Search Continues....

Another Adventure is in the Memory Bank....

We are home from another adventure........

He had a "bucket list" adventure checked off the list and I am not sure who had more fun him or her!!!

We drove out to Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island in search of a mighty Chinook Salmon and we found them!  




We had a leisurely drive to get to Vancouver with frequent stops to treasure hunt along the way.  We saw mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, orchards, vineyards and a whole lot of very dry landscape along the way. 

We had a short visit with some friends in the Okanogan and a quick visit with a special auntie and uncle before heading to the ferry.  We had a visit with another friend on the island did a little treasure hunting and then we followed the windy road to Ucluelet to find the treasure at the end of the trail.
















The real treasure hunt on this road trip was found in the time spent together in the deep blue sea on a big boat with some sharp hooks and the gentle sway of the ocean.

 There will be another blog with photos of some of treasures we came home with but for now the long fast drive home has us sitting and relaxing for a few days before returning to real life.




The search continues......