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Click on the image below to see the full post on the tablescape
The vintage Fiesta® is easily identified in the image, with the flatware and chafing dish playing only a minor role in the overall image. And then there is the tablecloth. Since the discovery of the image in the Delineator article, there has been a great deal of speculation about this particular tablecloth among both collectors of vintage table linens and vintage Fiesta®. Locating an example of this tablecloth has taken me 15 years. Information about its maker and origin remains undocumented.
The tablecloth in my collection could be a knock-off or perhaps it is the original design that was adapted by another maker. Just as Fiesta® was created using the colorware of other potteries for inspiration, tablecloth makers commonly created their own versions of designs popularized by competing manufacturers. The design is not an exact match for the one in the Delineator. The main difference is the width of the outline border on the white blocks, which are narrow on the printed image, wider on the example in my collection. The tablecloth inDelineator appears to be 6 blocks in length by 4 blocks in width. Mine is 5 blocks long by 4 blocks wide. There are also minor variations in the configuration of the stylized leaves and flowers in the design. As far as the shade of blue, I always envisioned the cloth to be a darker blue than the one I have. Perhaps the blues are different or it may just be the lighting Margaret Bourke-White used for her photograph and/or the effects of time on the paper and inks in Delineator. My tablecloth is a high quality medium weight cotton blended with either silk or rayon. It drapes beautifully and the light catches its wonderful sheen.
I've added an additional colorway to my collection in this close, but not quite the original pattern as seen in the photograph by Margaret Bourke White.
