ALL BUTTERED UP FOR COLLECTING!

                 Victorian butter pats, whether miniature replicas of the china
                         they accompanied or a whimsical design all their own, are infinitely collectible.
 

by Mary Dessoie

Butter pats, which were manufactured in a multitude of shapes and designs by the finest porcelain houses in the world, reached the height of fashion from approximately 1880 to 1910. (However, the diminutive plates, also known as butter chips, butters, butter pat plates, butter pads and individual butters, were first produced in the mid-1800's. Most collectors and antiques dealers seem to prefer the term butter pats.)

 

Collectors find butter pats interesting for the sheer variety of pieces that can be found including hand-painted examples. In her essay "Pretty and Practical: American Painted Porcelain Butter Pats," award-winning porcelain artist and author Dorothy Kamm wrote: "Within the realm of butter pat collecting falls a special category. The Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876 sparked a movement that was inspired by a modest exhibit of American hand-painted porcelains in the Woman’s Building. A mere 25 years later over 25,000 women across the United States, in urban areas as well as in the most isolated farmlands, were painting millions of pieces of porcelain, from tableware to toiletware and everything in between, including butter pats. It was considered a ladylike accomplishment to be cultured in the arts. China painting was one way a woman could display her talent and good taste. She painted household items for herself and her family, as well as gifts for friends. These porcelains were as pretty as they were practical. While a significant number made careers teaching this art and selling their wares, many more painted for their own pleasure. Hand-painted porcelain butter pats were but one of the numerous fine touches that greeted one’s day at the beautifully set breakfast table."

Dorothy Kamm adds that, "Since American porcelain artists relied on imported supplies, including china, the butter pats they decorated often are marked with a foreign factory back stamp, or the name of the country from which the porcelain originated. The way to differentiate between European and American decoration lies in the painting style. Delicate miniature roses, violets and forget-me-nots often adorn a variety of dinnerware, including pats. The quality of the artwork, not the manufacturer, the amount of gilding, or the fact that a piece of porcelain is hand painted, determines ultimate value."

Eventually the Victorian era gave way to less formal dining, creating a need for durable and practical everyday dishware. For the potteries, this meant streamlining production methods and destroying outdated molds for pieces such as gilt-encrusted cheese keepers, ornate compotes and delicate butter pats. Even those persons who could afford formal dinner sets that included a separate piece of china or silver for each category of food opted for the new informality. In her 1952 book of etiquette, America’s social arbiter, Amy Vanderbilt wrote, "The old idea of white cloth and white napkins, matching fine china, clear matching crystal kept solely for ‘company’, made for monotony. Hostesses who made a fetish of such things often had set company dinners, too, devoid of imagination and deadly dull." With the advent of the hurried modern lifestyles of the 20^th-century, butter pats, along with many other relics of Victoriana lost their appeal. Bread and butter plates, which average six inches in diameter, eventually replaced butter pats.

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