Turkey Transferware Plates

When it comes to setting our table for Thanksgiving, we tend to shy away from anything too traditional. We like it to have a modern flare that reflects our more eclectic sense of style. On our table, you'll find colorful bright orange and brown table linens, clear votives and hurricane lanterns, and low bowls filled with seasonal gourds, fruits and nuts. But we also like to include pieces that have age, like vintage (tag sale found) glassware and a transferware platter that we found years ago at a barn sale in Maine. We find that at this time of year, the pieces we have gathered in our travels have a chance to stand out. These treasures have a special resonance at the holidays.

One of those special treasures are turkey transferware plates. During our most recent trip to the Brimfield Antique Fair this fall, where it rained cats and dogs for the entire weekend, we ducked our heads under a large tent to get out of the rain. As we shook out our damp hair and regrouped, we looked up and found ourselves surrounded by an amazing collection of transferware turkey plates. While you'll often see one or two transferware pieces at antique fairs, tag sales and even in your grandmother's attic, it's rare to see so many in one place at one time--particularly when they're all decorated with turkeys! With only a few days before the festivities begin, it seems like a wonderful time to bring them out and show you what we've learned about this beautiful collectible.


First, a little background on transfer printing. The transfer print process was first mastered in the middle of the 18th century in England as a less expensive way for potters to decorate large quantities of pottery and porcelain (it required less skill than hand-painting). The process went something like this: first, a copper printing plate was engraved with a design. When the plate was finished, it was "inked" with an oily ceramic pigment. Then, a piece of paper was pressed into the surface of the plate and the design was "transferred" to the paper. At this point, the paper was then trimmed and the print was applied to the surface of the item to be decorated. Later, the paper was soaked off, and the ceramic item was fired to burn out the oil in the pigment. Lastly, the piece was glazed and given a final firing. It is believed that English china manufacturers started making uniquely American transfer-printed dinnerware patterns with beautiful illustrations of turkeys and hens at exactly the same time when Americans started celebrating Thanksgiving.

Blue is the most common color of transferware; it was the only hue produced for the first fifty years that the decorative porcelain was made. Apparently cobalt blue ink was inexpensive and could survive the high temperatures of the firing process best. Later, transferware was made in shades of red, green, black, brown (our personal favorite), purple and even yellow. The rarest pieces were made with more than one color.

Large numbers of platters, plates, tea cups and the like were produced, so turkey plates are not really considered rare. Flat pieces like plates were more common and are more likely to have survived intact, so they're less expensive than sugar bowls, tureens or large serving platters. When considering purchasing a piece of transferware, you should hold it up to a bright light and look for lines or cracks to see if it has been repaired--this will impact its value. Another test to identify a transfer print is to look at it with a magnifying glass; if tiny little dots are part of the design, it's a transfer print. Whenever you look at a collectible piece of porcelain, always look at the marking to see if you can identify the date yourself. Dealers will always be able to tell you the exact date of the piece given the marking, but make sure you are not misled by a modern replication. So, if you see a turkey plate in your travels, maybe you'll take a closer look. You might even purchase one and bring it out every year to celebrate Thanksgiving day. IF YOU LIKE THIS STORY, YOU'LL LOVE THESE
Fire-King Glassware
A Second Chance for Furniture
Name That Chair!