Historic Treasure of the Week - July 14, 1991
By Tim Weir and Cindy Weir
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - July 14, 1991
By Tim Weir and Cindy Weir
Vigo County Historical Society
Bread trays commemorate bygone days
"Please pass the bread."
Does this sound familiar? Do you pass just one slice or the whole loaf?
In days gone by you probably would have passed the whole loaf on a special dish called a bread tray.
The bread tray may have been round, oval or rectangular. It may have matched your patterned glass table set, which included sugar and creamer, butter dish and spooner, or it may have been completely different.
Many bread trays commemorated historic events or places, other had whimsical subjects like the Three Fates or a shock of wheat. Bread plates came in many colors including electric blue, amber, and more commonly, plain clear glass. Most were of American manufacture.
The historical treasure this week is a glass bread tray commemorating the Continental Hall in Philadelphia. The center of the oval plate features a good replica of one of the most famous buildings in early America.
There are many types of windows on the detailed structure: single panes, rounded windows, and four panes in square windows. A low brick wall encloses the hall. Horses, carts and men on horseback follow the wide road in front. Above the dome in plain letters is the word "Continental" and below the road the dates "1776-1876."
Quartered diamond squares alternate with circles filled with tiny diamonds around the rim of the bread plate. Also on the rim in large block letters are the words "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread," a familiar and often used quote from The Lord’s Prayer.
This beautiful example of a late 19th century bread plate may be found in the General Store in the basement of the museum.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.