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FAQs

  • What country manufactured willow known for its “fat birds?”
    Japan, which exported great amounts of willow to the U.S. from the late 1930s to the 1970s.
  • What year did the “Willow Legend” first appear in print?
    1849, in an article titled “The Story of the Common Willow-Pattern Plate,” which appeared in a magazine called “The Family Friend.”
  • What company produced the first willow ware made in America?
    Buffalo Pottery, of Buffalo, New York, in 1905.
  • Who created the willow pattern we know today?
    Josiah Spode I’s pottery is given credit for creating the standard willow pattern in 1790, although it is believed that Thomas Minton was the actual engraver of the pattern, while serving an independent engraver in London for Spode and other manufactureres.
  • What popular 1960’s TV show featured willow china in Aunt Bee’s kitchen?
    The Andy Griffith Show.
  • What popular American “five-and-dime” store sold willow dishes throughout the middle of the 20th century?
    Woolworth’s
  • What year did IWC hold its first convention?
    1986 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
  • What design elements do you find in the standard willow pattern?
    A willow tree, an orange or apple tree, two birds, people on a bridge, a fence, a boat and a tea house, which some collectors call a pagoda. The apple or orange tree is now known to be a Chinese pine tree, but the apple/orange reference is still the most popular/well-known reference.
  • In the standard willow pattern, how many figures appear on the bridge?
    Three.
  • True of False - The use of blue willow divided grill plates in diners and cafes inspired the use of the phrase “Blue Plate Special,” meaning a dish of meat and vegetables at a budget price.
    True.
  • In what famous author’s book, “Tailor of Gloucester,” first published in 1902, did willow appear in its illustrations?
    Beatrix Potter.
  • The willow pattern has been produced most in what color?
    Blue is the most popular and well-recognized color. Other colors include red/pink, green, mulberry, yellow/gold, orange, brown, black and multicolor.
  • What American press magnate specified willow china for his vast home at San Simeon in the 1920s?
    William Randolph Hearst. It was trimmed in gold so that no one would mistake it for an inferior version.
  • Did George Washington dine on willow plates?
    Although the dishes were blue and white, they were not the willow pattern. Washington was very fond of the early Chinese handpainted blue and white porcelains and ordered it on at least nine occasions while at Mount Vernon. His first order arrived in April 1763. In the early 1790s, one of Washington’s orders was a 302-piece set.
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