This week I read Table Settings, published in 2002 by the Editors of Victoria Magazine, but largely written by Mary Forsell, a Victoria editor who wrote other books about entertaining, flower arranging and berries, topics near and dear to my heart.
The back cover of the book summarizes the contents well. This book is about collecting, selecting and presenting tableware including china, silver, glassware, and linens.
The book is divided into chapters which inconsistently focus on dining occasions, dining locations, or tableware themes. The first chapter covers breakfast time, which is often overlooked as a separate entertaining occasion but is often a part of weekend visits and other overnight stays. I love the idea of this chapter, and often look for excuses to use my toast rack, but this chapter, like much of the book and the previous Victoria books is a great illustration of their issues with picture captions and sources. The picture below (poorly photographed by me) features this great set of teacups with leaves - maidenhair fern, or maybe parsley leaves, or something like that. I love those cups. I would love to have them, or at least take a closer look at them. But the book neglects to name their manufacturer (only the name of the photographer - at least that's something), and I can't find them on the web. I think the picture caption thing is about this book being a compilation of Victoria material. The pictures were likely take for long-ago articles, and who remembers what exactly was included in each image. I suppose it's for the best, given the over-crowded state of my china cabinet, but I would make room!!! If you have any ideas about who manufactured this pattern, let me know!
The next chapter focuses on dining alfresco. Apparently, according to Victoria, at least in 2002, you need the excuse of the great outdoors to shed the formality of entertaining. Outdoor table settings should be casual, colorful, and use everyday items in new ways. A blanket can be used as a tablecloth, a washtub as a champagne cooler, etc. I do love the idea of not worrying about finding a tablecloth that's long enough, but instead purchasing fabric right off the bolt and leaving the edges raw (it's outdoors, so raw edges are also allowed).
The next chapters focus on floral motifs and whiteware as a staple of entertaining, and later chapters cover using tablewares as art and display pieces, and various occasions or events for parties. The "history" chapter strikes a chord as it focuses on the nineteenth century fashion of table services with huge numbers of very specific pieces. This chapter articulated the idea that Victorian-era entertaining was more about showing off your stuff and the prowess of your kitchen staff rather than about actually eating very much. Your dinner may have had nine courses and umpteenth pieces of silverware, but you definitely needed teatime as an extra meal midday. Like those in the nineteenth century, I also need pickle forks, compotes, celery vases, tomato spoons, and on, and on.
In all, Table Settings is a pretty book, with fine content, flimsy picture captions, and not enough pictures that illustrate the content in the text. But now all I really want to do is catalogue, display and USE all of my tablewares!!!
Next Week: Something not published by Victoria!!!
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