Getting the Dish on Family Lore

I have been washing and packing—and washing and packing—my collection of vintage Fiestaware, the colorful mix-and-match ceramic dishes that debuted in the ’30s. With each piece, I’ve wondered about its history: Who used it before me? How long did they have it? Where did they get it? What moments of their lives are forever intertwined with it?

My current collection grew out of a set inherited from my mother and grandmother. When I left home after college, they gave me their dishes—which have moved with me from one apartment to another over the years. And now, as I prepare for yet another move, I want more details about the early history of the pottery. For instance, which color was my mother’s favorite? How many pieces of my grandmother’s Fiestaware came from promotional giveaways? Did either of them have any Fiestaware entertainment tales to share?

I called my mother, who laughed at my questions.

“I never liked those dishes,” she said. She couldn’t explain why, nor could she recall using them—though she must have for a while, she ceded. “They were a bridal shower gift and came from your great-aunt’s hardware store.”

Ah. Humble origins. From family to family. I like that.

“And those weren’t your grandmother’s dishes.”

“What do you mean? She gave them to me.”

“Yes, but she never used them. She found them out at the farm.” My grandfather had what today is known as a hobby farm. My grandmother found all sorts of treasures there—none with a verifiable provenance.

This wasn’t, of course, the history I’d expected. And certainly not the one I’d imagined.

Sometimes the better story is the one in our heads.

[For more pics of Fiestaware and its history, visit collector Heidi Kellner’s Web site.]