Fine dinnerware featuring images of campus are featured in the exhibit "Yale Scenes on China 1830s-1930s," now on display in the Memorabilia Room of the Sterling Memorial Library, 120 High St.
Organized by Bill Massa, public services archivist, the exhibit showcases some of the commemorative and souvenir chinaware in the collection of Sterling's Manuscripts and Archives Department.
The three earliest pieces on view were made in the Staffordshire region of England and show images based on Alexander Jackson Davis' 1831 drawing "Yale College & State House, Newhaven, Connecticut." Later pieces include two brightly colored images of Osborn Hall, which stood on Old Campus where Bingham Hall is located today.
The major portion of the exhibit focuses on the popular and collectible set of china produced for Yale graduates by Wedgwood beginning in 1931. The dinner plates include 12 different scenes and buildings of Yale, beginning with "Yale College," the first building constructed in New Haven in 1716, through Sterling Memorial Library, which was completed in 1930. Also part of this series is a platter using a variation of Davis' drawing and the Elihu Yale toby (a small jug in the shape of a man). The latter is considered by historians of Wedgwood souvenir and commemorative ware to be one of the most unusual pieces ever produced by the company, notes Massa.
Also on display are historical photographs, the Davis drawing and advertisements sent to Yale graduates about the Wedgwood series.
"Yale Scenes on China 1830s-1930s" will be on display through mid-June. The Memorabilia Room is open 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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