09-030.

Found on October 17, 2009 in Arthur, IL.

Russel Wright

Casual China open vegetable bowl
Iroquois China Company
USA, 1946
8 x 8 x 2.25"
Glazed ceramic
Manufacturer's mark and facsimile signature

When my parents come to visit, we always enjoy showing them around the area since neither of them have spent much time in central Illinois. So when they were planning their trip to town this weekend, Kate and I decided it might be fun to take them down south to the Amish communities. We've been antiquing in some of the larger little towns down that way in the past, and though both my mom and dad would enjoy seeing a slice of small-town America.

After a fantastic Pennsylvania Dutch lunch in Arcola we decided on a whim to drive to Arthur, Illinois, which is the heart of the Amish communities in the area. It has a quaint little downtown, with horse and buggies zipping back and forth in almost equal proportion to automobiles, several shops selling handmade quilts and furniture, and the obligatory handful of antique shops.

My first surprise was getting my dad, who isn't an antiques guy by any means, to run into this little store with us. The instant we walked in, I told my parents and Kate that it felt like the kind of place that might have Russel Wright dinnerware. This was strange, since everything in sight was country crafts and antique tools ... but after less than a minute of being inside my "Russel Radar" went off and I spotted this open veggie bowl hidden in the back of a lower shelf in a booth down the aisle (which I think really surprised my father). And best of all was the small town price: five dollars. Where I come from, that's a bargain in a thrift shop!

I think I have found a new favorite antiquing spot in central Illinois!