Not Pyrex: Keep An Eye Out For This Autumnal Pattern For Your Thanksgiving Tablescape

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With the immediate transition from spooky season to the holiday season, Thanksgiving often gets lost in the shuffle. To give the hearty meal the attention it deserves, lean into the themes of warmth and tradition by creating an inviting tablescape with cozy vintage accents like Franciscan's Autumn line. The mid-century dinnerware marvel features delicate foliage motifs in muted tones along each piece's perimeter, and it's just as notable as another iconic favorite, the fall-themed Pyrex Golden Acorn pattern. Start mapping out your annual setup, and leave room for this collectible gem you can find on secondhand marketplaces online and, if you're lucky, your local thrift store. 

A product of Gladding, McBean & Co., a California-based company from 1875 that originally specialized in clay sewer pipes, the ceramics line began as an experiment in the 1930s. In the mid to late '30s, the line shuffled between brand names, changing from Franciscan Ware to Franciscan Pottery, but was still instantly recognizable due to its patented high-talc earthenware and Art Deco styles. The company released countless hand-painted patterns in ensuing decades, ranging from the abstract mid-century Spice design to the best-selling Desert Rose, each appearing in multi-piece dinnerware sets and assorted mixing bowls and casserole dishes. Unlike well-known patterns like the Franciscan Ceramics Starburst line, an aesthetic evoking The Jetson's that can fetch into the thousands for a set, pieces of the Autumn line remain fairly accessible with an average of $20 to $30 per item on eBay, though a full set is difficult to come by on secondhand retailers. Still, one savvy thrifter showed Reddit that they managed to do the unthinkable: Coming across the set in California — serving dishes, bowls, tea cups and saucers, etc. — for just $45. 

Released in 1955 alongside classic MCM patterns like Oasis and Silver Pine, Franciscan's Autumn pattern was in production until 1969. The white ceramic background was accentuated with soft-colored leaves in blue, yellow, brown, and green. When attempting to spot authentic vintage pottery, you'll want to take a look at the trademark on the bottom. 

The earliest versions of the pottery had the words "Franciscan" and "Oven-Safe" forming a circle, with "Made in California U.S.A" and "Gladding, McBean & Co." written in the center of it. The back stamps changed throughout the '50s and '60s, but you'll typically come across trademarks with similar features from the majority of the Autumn line's run: "Franciscan" surrounded by a circular pattern, followed by a "Made in the U.S.A." and/or "Oven Safe." The words "Gladding, McBean" dropped in the early '60s (with the new logo including the word "Interspace"), so keep the timeframe in mind when scouring for pieces.

Whether you've decided to curate your Autumn collection piece-by-piece over time or were fortunate enough to grab the entire set all at once, you'll certainly enjoy creating Thanksgiving table settings around the retro find. The ceramics feature fall colors, but this is an opportunity to deviate from the typical red-and-orange combo by leaning into the soft sage and a gray-blue through textiles like napkins, placemats, and tablecloths. They also make beautiful display foundations to arrange fall-themed decor like candles, pinecones, and small plant pots or to hold gravy boats and other serveware for a tidy, elevated layout.