Good Morning! I apologize for being so absent here lately. I have had a great deal going on with life in general, work and recovery ministry and time has not been on my side! None the less, I recently added to my baby feeding collection. Ok, so only two of these are baby feeding devices and one is an invalid feeder, but you get what I am saying. I am guessing since I now have more than two items I can call it a collection! I don’t really know the rules on that!
My newest piece is a baby bottle with the traditional blue willow pattern on it. I typically see these with the Brosley pattern or Two Temples II but I don’t often see the traditional border, so I was super excited to pick this one up. It has a much different shape than the one I already had. This example is much thinner and flat, where the other one is very curved. You can kind of see the difference in the pictures below.
I would date both of these pieces to the early 1800’s. I think a great deal about how things have changed since that time. These days, you see a baby bottle that laid around the house, it isn’t uncommon to toss it out. To think these items may have survived over 200 years amazes me. Think about the fact that someone cherished these items that long and they had to have been passed amongst generations, some of which may not have even known what they were used for!
Lastly is the pap boat mainly used to feed older people who don’t have the ability to feed themselves in hopes of preventing choking. I would guess this is from the same era as the the baby bottles. I simply love the light blue patterns on some of the older English items. They are so gorgeous.
Anyhow, for now, Happy Willowing. I hope to post again soon.
Christine
Blue Willow Treasures - A collectors showcase 