Birch Bark “Bar.B.Q” dishes
November 22nd, 2007
Design: Unknown
Manufacturer: Sunburst Ceramics Ltd., Medicine Hat, AB.
Date: 1960 – 63 (?)
Collection of Bob Burgess
“I had pushed for what was going to be a barbecue deal. We created a birch bark set – all patterned in birch bark with a cup like a chopped log and a twig of a branch for a handle. I had a chance to put that with Dairy Queens all across the United States. The fire smashed it all. It was a heart breaker.”
- Malcolm McArthur, New Medalta Ceramics*
According to owner/manager Malcolm McArthur, New Medalta Ceramics was on the verge of real profitability when a fire on Christmas Eve day 1958, left much of the factory in ruins. The fire marked the end for New Medalta and presumably for the deal with Dairy Queen, but not for McArthur. By 1960 he convinced the Thrall family from Lethbridge Alberta to launch Sunburst Ceramics under his management.
Which brings us to the dishes shown here. Unfortunately there is no mug with a twig handle, but the glaze certainly appears to mimic birch bark and the plate with its hand-painted details, looks as though it has been sliced from a large log. I haven’t been able to find any specific mention of these pieces from Sunburst, but I can’t help thinking that just maybe they were an attempt to revive the earlier design and perhaps even the deal with Dairy Queen. Sunburst moved to Lethbridge, AB. in 1966 (these are clearly marked Medecine Hat) and this line doesn’t appear in the catalogues from ’64 – ’66, so they likely date from between 1960 and 1963. However, if my (totally unsubstantiated) theory is correct, these may be some of the first things produced by Sunburst before McArthur left the company only a few months later.
-Michael Erdmann
*Quoted in Marylu Antonelli and Jack Forbes, Pottery in Alberta: The Long Tradition (Edmonton: The UofA Press, 1978), 155.
Anne Hayward, The Alberta Pottery Industry, 1912-1990: A Social and Economic History. Hull: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2001.
Entry Filed under: Ceramics
4 Comments Add your own
1. bob burgess | May 21st, 2008 at 20:34
Hi,I was so surprised to see the photos of my birch bark pieces.They really came out clear.If anyone ever comes across a cup they want to sell let me know.I love pottery and have many different makers in my collection.
2. R Reimer | March 12th, 2009 at 09:03
If anybody has any doubles or wants to sell any of these pieces,,,please contact me.
3. Jim Reid | October 12th, 2009 at 13:02
Great write up and photos. We are about to list 5 complete place settings of this pattern on a popular online auction site. Come and have a look.
Jim
4. roger gannon | February 21st, 2010 at 08:29
Re the birch bark design and Michael Erdman’s comments, I have in my possession a set of four birch bark pieces that look identical to those in the Bob Burgess collection, PLUS a cup. These five pieces came from Malcom McArthur’s collection and were purchased via his estate. They are however stamped Alberta Potteries and come from the second incarnation of that company (1941-1966). MacArthur worked for Alberta Potteries during his career as well as for Hycroft, Medicine Hat Potteries and New Medalta.
I also have in my possession a birch bark canoe (unstamped) and a birch bark mug/tankard (incised Made in Canada in a lettering that seems to be that employed on other pieces by New Medalta). These also came from McArthur’s collection.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed