Sauceboat and underplate ("American Modern" Dinnerware)

An ardent promoter of modern design, Russel Wright developed his American Modern line of dinnerware in 1937, which included serving pieces such as this sauceboat. Wright claimed that the organic shapes of the pattern reflected each piece’s function, and that muted colors such as seafoam blue were used in order to “dramatize” the service of food. Although Wright designed the line in 1937, American Modern was not produced until 1939, because of the skepticism of potential manufacturers during the Great Depression. Nonetheless, it has proved to be one of the most popular ceramic patterns ever created.