I’ve become pretty adept over the past few years at spotting English transferware in thrift stores. Sometimes I can spy the stack from afar… sometimes I’m right up on it and realize it’s buried in a pile of other plates. I recently approached a cluttered shelf at a local Goodwill and spotted these lovelies, and upon flipping one over it turned out I was right: they are Johnson Brothers in the Dorchester pattern.
The stack included about 9 dinner plates at 99 cents each, and a few bread and butter plates at 89 cents each. I picked through the stacks and only purchased those pieces that had little or no crazing. I ended up with 9 pieces total.
Of course, the Johnson Brothers pattern I’ve collected long-admired is the popular classic, Rose Chintz. And I’ve seen Dorchester pictured online. But I just might have a new JB favorite here – Dorchester is simply beautiful in person! A quick moment on Google revealed that Dorchester is ironstone china, and was produced from 1931-1965. That means these pieces are anywhere from 50-84 years old.
I don’t know about you… but as I age, I begin to really marvel at all the breakables that have survived over many decades. I’m delighted to add Johnson Brothers Dorchester to my own stack at home!
