Harkerware Heaven

I am feeling a little spoiled right now. I just received one of the nicest gifts ever! Diamonds, you ask? Pearls? No, no, no, don't be silly now, you know me better than that. (Not that I would protest a shiny bauble or two...) But truly, this gift is amazing--a whole box of various patterns of china from the Harker Pottery Company!

As is the case with most of my collections, my modest cache of Harker pottery began with a single sentimental piece. My maternal grandmother was a great lover of china, and my mother inherited a number of miscellaneous bowls, plates, salt and pepper shakers and other pieces over the years. One of these pieces was a blue Cameoware mixing bowl by the Harker Pottery Company. For a time during my childhood, it held fruit on our dining room table. After my mother died, I ended up with it. Since it reminds me of both my mother and grandmother, I have always treasured this bowl. The blue color is beautiful, and the cheerful floral pattern is very representative of one of my favorite time periods in American history, the 1930s.

Even so, I didn't set out to start a collection of Harker Cameoware. It just happened. One day, I saw a shallow serving bowl in an antique store and I had to have it. But I stopped there, not adding anything to my collection for years. Harkerware in antique stores can be pricey, and back in those days I wasn't haunting thrifts the way I do now. So I pretty much forgot about the bowl, although I never would have dreamed of getting rid of it.

Then a couple of years ago, I found a Cameoware teapot in a thrift store. It has a teeny chip on the spout, but as I don't actually use it for serving tea, I don't mind. Then I found a sugar bowl. Then a creamer. Then a salt shaker. Then a pepper shaker. And that was it. Enough to display on a shelf and make me very happy. But then something wonderful happened. A friend learned of my love of Harkerware and told me that she had a box in her garage that she had inherited. It is not her style (she is way cooler than me and collects mid-century modern pieces) and she offered it to me. The other day, she brought it over.

And like the title of this post states, I was in Harkerware Heaven! I couldn't believe her generosity. There were these lovely little floral saucers with matching teacups:

And a unique sugar bowl (sadly the lid is cracked but I can fix that):

But that wasn't all! There were several luncheon plates in a similar pattern, in a more turquoisey shade of blue:

And then this teal green Cameoware bowl:

And last, but not least, this AMAZING pitcher. I thought it was my Cameoware pattern, but once I got it home, I learned it is the same color but a slightly different pattern called White Rose Carv-Kraft. I love it so much!

What an amazing collection I have now! Many, many thanks to my friend Lynn for this wonderful and generous gift. I will truly cherish it!