The American Beauty shape was introduced by the Homer Laughlin China Company in 1898. The line had and extensive assortment of items, complete with pieces usually not found in other lines such as a toast rack, comportier, and a large fruit bowl. Like other shapes at the time, American Beauty was ornately designed with embossing along the rim.
It was made alongside Golden Gate and Colonial for many years. When Seneca and King Charles were introduced between 1902 and 1903, American Beauty's status did not diminish. In fact, it was in 1903 when its popularity peaked as over 230 different treatments were offered on American Beauty. However, this changed when HLC began producing The Angeuls shape in 1905. The Angeuls quickly became HLC's best seller which had a direct impact on the other five shapes. The number of treatments offered on American Beauty began to drop during this time. By 1909, there were only thirty-seven available patterns on the American Beauty shape and by 1910, the line had been discontinued.
American Beauty is almost always marked with either the eagle over lion backstamp or a simple "Homer Laughlin - American Beauty" marking.
Available treatments on American Beauty in 1909. |
Five pages of the American Beauty shape from an 1899 HLC catalog. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 1900 advert with American Beauty examples
|
American Beauty spoon holder and pickle dish |
Celery trays with decals |
Celery trays - gold stamps and an undecorated blank |
Four of the seven sizes of American Beauty jugs, left to right: patterns 704, 331, 601 and 331. |
Covered butter, pattern 331 |
Covered butter, top view |
Sugar, creamer, and jug, pattern 331 |
Sugar with two bone dishes |
Teacup and saucer with individual butters |
Covered sauce dish and creamer |
Covered dish with pattern 714. (Same as 704, but with gold.) |
Covered dish with pattern H-42 |
Melan Arch Bridge, Waterloo, Iowa on an American Beauty platter |
Sauceboat with pattern 325. This was also used on Golden Gate. |
American Beauty cake plate with Fort Pitt decoration. |
American Beauty shapes from a 1907 Homer Laughlin catalog |
|
- Sauce Boat
- Toast Rack
- Egg Cup
- 30s Sugar
- Teapot
- Cream
- Custard
- Spooner
- 12s Jug
- A.D Coffee
- Tea Cup
- Coffee Cup
- Pickle
- Celery Tray
- Olive
- Fruit
- Ind. Butter
- Bone Dish
- Covered Butter
- 36s Bowl
- Oyster Bowl
- Oatmeal Bowl
- Comportier
- Coupe Soup
- Nappie
- Baker
- Covered Dish
- Chop Plate
- Plate
- Cake Plate
- Deep Plate
- Dish (platter)
- Oyster tureen
- Casserole
- Sauce Tureen
- Fruit Bowl
- Soup Tureen
|
"Wood Violet" on American Beauty, 1909. |
American Beauty, pattern 331 "Oak Leaves" |
American Beauty plate, "Passion Flower and Scroll" |
American Beauty casserole with pattern number 361. |
American Beauty sauce boat. |
Four views of an American Beauty fruit bowl. |
|
|
|
|
American Beauty sugar and creamer. |
American Beauty covered dish with pattern 932, "Nadora" from the early 1900s. |
|