The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Chintz

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.

Chintzware is “cheap and cheerful” pottery that was produced in
large quantities from the turn of the century until approximately 1960.
It was incredibly popular during the 1950s, when it was widely available
to low- and middle-income housewives in England, America, New Zealand,
Australia, and Canada. Although chintzware was best-known in the area of
tableware (cups, teapots, bowls, plates, jam jars, etc.), toiletry sets,
vases, trays, cookie jars, and other large pottery pieces were also
decorated this way.

Chintz is characterized by an overall floral pattern suggestive of the
upholstery fabric from which it takes its name. Think of it as wallpaper
for dishes. Collectors are drawn to it because it is affordable and
colorful and because, although it is readily available, finding a lot of
one pattern is challenging.

This catalogue is the first extensive work on the subject and will be
welcomed by the growing number of chintzware collectors. The work
includes a fairly detailed summary of the history of chintz, with
sections on the main manufacturers. There is a short but very
interesting section on the working conditions in the factories, where
young girls were paid by piece-work to apply the transfer patterns to
the china products.

The bulk of the book is a price guide, with information on prices
currently paid for various pieces. These data are subdivided by
manufacturer, pattern, product type (cup, plate, vase, etc.), product
size, and where purchased (Canada, U.S., U.K.). The comprehensive tables
are further supplemented by a black-and-white photo of each pattern and
backstamp.

Color plates of the various chintz patterns, grouped by manufacturer,
and reproductions of advertisements from trade catalogues make the book
invaluable as a reference guide for collectors struggling to identify
patterns. An extensive section of black-and-white photos illustrating
product shapes will, again, help collectors classify their collections
and set goals for future acquisitions.

The catalogue is a must-have for public-library reference collections,
antiques dealers, and private collectors.