Willow!: Solving the Mystery of Our 200-Year Love Affair with the Willow Pattern

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

The Willow pattern is probably the most popular and most widely produced
graphic design in history. Its popularity has spread around the world,
and its application has been extended from china plates to paper, cloth,
metal, and plastic objects. For 200 years, it has been loved and hated,
modified, reinterpreted, analyzed, and the subject of myths. From the
White House to the humblest farm kitchen, it has been valued for its
links with the past and with the romantic, as well as for its hint of
mystery. So many of our grandmothers cherished “the willow” that in
some vague way we think of it as part of our heritage.

David Quintner strips away the myths that cling to this icon and with a
very readable style presents a thorough exploration of the pattern.

He covers the stories and legends, symbolism and conundrums associated
with it, along with

its origins, variations, related designs, and the social and economic
context of its development.

Willow collectors will be fascinated by Quintner’s extensive analysis
of the details of the pattern. How many arches in the bridge? Is the
bridge on the left or the right of the pattern? How many people are on
the bridge? Why do their feet look like fish tails? This examination
includes every element in the pattern: willow, bridge, islands, sampans,
fruit tree, pagoda, birds, rocks, the residence, people, fences, paths,
even the border around the design.

Although the text is a mass of details, the volume is not overwhelming,
because it is well organized and presented using a brisk, friendly
style. The illustrations are closely tied to the text, often clarifying
obscure or hard-to-visualize points.

Everyone with a willow-pattern plate, or whose grandmother had willow
plates, will find this book fascinating.