Words of wit and wisdom, a much prized commodity, are a popular design for products ranging from posters to plaques to mugs to the covers of journals to socks and more. Have these adages ever changed the direction of your little ship of life? Probably not. But the right words can be comforting, reassuring and even bolstering to the spirit. As a lover of words and lover of vintage, it was destiny for me to have a small collection of decorative plates bearing vintage wisdom for the ages.
Plates with adages are is harder to find than you would think. There are zillions of plates with treacly poems dedicated to Grandmother or Mother, but ones with simple vintage wisdom are rarer. I’ve only found a dozen over the past 5 years, and I do plenty of looking. The ones I like best are not finely made, they’re novelty or souvenir quality. There are fancier ones from fine china makers. But my favorites have wonky decals, uneven spacing on words, occasional bubbles in the glaze and metallic gold on the edges.
It’s hard to date these plates as most lack maker’s marks. Based on the way they are made, the designs, the decals used and the sentiments, it seems likely that most are from the 1950s-1960s, although some could be from the 1940s.
The new year is a time of reflection and/or renewal so I’m sharing a few plates with sentiments that resonate with me. Who knows, maybe some of this vintage wisdom will be just what you need to launch a successful new year.
Being happy with what you have and where you call home instead of envying the homes of others isn’t always easy. But you know what, you don’t have to apologize for your home, no matter its size. It’s your home and it fits all the love and friends you need. It’s a nice reminder that a house is a house and a home is a home but a house is not necessarily a home. The illustration of a little dream cottage in a field, surrounded by bowers of roses makes this one extra charming.
This is one of the more popular and hence more common bits of vintage wisdom that turns up on decorative items. I’ve seen variations on several plates with different designs as well as on wooden pieces like trivets and cedar plaques.
True, right? We’re always trying to figure out the people in our lives, first trying to understand (and outwit) our parents. And when we’re older, we try to understand (and outwit) our children. And while we’re trying to figure out them, they’re trying to figure us out. As it has been, so it continues to be. It’s the circle of life.
This plate is unusual because it’s a souvenir. Most Florida plates feature attractions and alligators, but this one features vintage wisdom for the ages.
This two line poem about true and false friends is a little cynical. True friends are precious and are rare, but I wouldn’t say false friends are as common as leaves. But it does stink like five day old sardines when someone you invested your heart in to build a friendship turns around and does you dirt. When you’re feeling let down, it helps to remember who the diamonds in your life are.
The last plate was helpful when someone did you dirt. But what about when you feel the burning urge to dish dirt? Maybe sit down and clam up until that urge passes. This is my second favorite plate in the collection, and not just because it uses the word “behooves.” It’s true that even the best people have unlovely attributes and the worst people in your life have at least one redeeming attribute, and yes, we too have our plusses and minuses. So who are we to dish dirt on anyone else?
In addition to the vintage wisdom it imparts, I love the design of this plate. It’s slightly religious with the illuminated T that looks like a cathedral window. And it’s slightly lunch-with-the-ladies with the roses. Both motifs are nice, but having both on the same plate is a delightful mixed motif metaphor.
This is the gem of my collection. It’s what I want for myself and what I want for you too. It’s what I want for everyone. One of my resolutions is to invest at least as much time into learning and listening to humans who are older than me as I spend learning from the vintage things that cross my path.
Did any of the sentiments on these plates resonate with you? Maybe one will help shape a resolution. Maybe you’ll try to be a better friend to more people. And maybe the next time someone offers to spill the tea, you’ll take a pass. Maybe you’ll have more patience and understanding with your children or your parents. Or maybe you’re the kind of person who likes to make their own resolution instead of finding one on a plate from a thrift store…
Whatever kind of resolver you are, we hope you resolve to check in with us at Vintage Unscripted regularly in the upcoming year. We’ve resolved to make bigger and better content for all our readers and we sure would appreciate it if you’d stop by to see it. And for sure, as you head into the new year, remember our motto: friends don’t let friends buy fake vintage.
1 comment
I adore that last one, and smoke every time I read it!