Manufacturer: Warwick China
User: Pell's Oyster House – Denver, Colorado
Date of examples: circa 1912 – 1920
Notes: From an article by Katie Rudolph in the Denver Public Library's Western History Collection: "Pell's Oyster House spent the 1880s and 1890s moving from place to place along 16th Street [in Denver] before settling at 520 16th Street from the late 1890s until around 1921. An article appearing in the January 1, 1909, Denver Republican noted that the restaurant served oysters, fresh and saltwater fish, lobsters, crabs, and clams sourced from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, northern lakes, and inland streams.
"A well-known proprietor in Denver, George Pell was considered eccentric and independent. He closed his restaurant every summer (perhaps heeding the popular notion of the time that oysters should only be eaten in months with an "R" in them) and never adhered to strict hours of operation. Pell detested smoking and did not allow it in the café section of his restaurant. He is said to have thrown a wealthy customer out by his coat collar after the gentleman lit a post-meal cigar. Pell died at St. Luke's Hospital from a bout of 'nervousness' on December 24, 1911, at the age of 60. His granite headstone at Fairmount Cemetery is fashioned with carvings of fish.
"Pell's Oyster House continued to operate, managed by Pell's wife and son, George, Jr. In the early 1920s, the restaurant moved to 1514 Welton Street, where it was enlarged to seat over 200 customers. In 1923, George, Jr. died of a stroke at the age of 36. Mrs. Mary Sharp Pell died in an automobile accident in 1926. Pell's Oyster House continued to operate under Sbarbaro & Williams, Inc. until Jesse Washburn of the RKO Hotel took it over in 1933. Washburn closed the restaurant in October 1937, citing high overhead costs and a marked loss of profitability."
White body plate with a narrow black band on the outside rim followed by a rust pinstripe. There is another rust pinstripe at the verge. At the top of the plate is a drawing in rust of a chef and a waiter holding a rectangular sign. On the sign are the stacked words "Pell's" and "Est 1881." The word "Pell's" is formed from drawings of tiny fish.
Source:
Denver Public Library's Western History Collection – 2013 article by Katie Rudolph
For additional info:
Pell's Oyster House by Buffalo China
Contributors:
Plate photos: Ebay Seller MeowAntiques
ID: Kathleen Lathom
Author: Ed Phillips