I would like to talk about a little lady named Dodie Thayer. I (embarrassingly) only recently came upon her name when I was admiring a wonderful lettuce tureen that had come up for auction. Naturally, as an antique lover and flea market rummager, I have come across pieces of this so-called "lettuce ware" and have thought nothing of it (read: thought it was pretty hideous). HOWEVER, once I saw this magnificent tureen made by one Dodie Thayer "Pottery Queen of Palm Beach", my opinion changed…..forever.
The life-changing tureen…
Thayer's work was a design staple throughout the 70's and the 80's. Famous collectors included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Perry Como, the Duchess of Windsor, C.Z. Guest, Dina Merrill, Frank and Barbara Sinatra, and Brooke Martin Astor. When Queen Elizabeth visited a horse farm in Kentucky in 1986, her hosts served lunch on Lettuce Ware specially ordered for the occasion.
Autumnal Cabbage
Dodie Thayer Signature
Cabbage Candlesticks
Lettuceware in action...
Dodie Thayer Lettuce Ware collection at C.Z. Guest's country home.
Ms. Dodie Thayer….queen of lettuce ware (and bold print dresses…apparently)
