Oyster Plates and
Other Oyster Memorabilia
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Apology: Sorry for the lack of additions the past few months but our time has been devoted to developing the online store. We invite you to visit and look over our oysters and clams. You can visit the store online to check out our farmed oysters and clams. For information on our products,etc. email our store at seafood@willapabay.org.
Information on Oyster Plates
We have had the pleasure over the past twenty- five
years of operating an oyster farm on Willapa Bay in southwest
Washington state. The farm is named Bay Center Mariculture and does
business as Bay Center Farms. During this time, and in addition to
the rigors of shellfish farming, we have enjoyed promoting the
mystique of the oyster through the collection of memorabilia
associated with the consumption of this mollusk. Our interest is
centered primarily around our oyster plate collection, numbering
around 200 different types, and the ties they have to the history of
particular regions of the world and the associated culinary
customs.
Oysters have been utilized as a food item for thousands
of years. They have been highly prized for their succulent flesh as
well as legendary for the supposed physical attributes imparted to
the consumer (usually males). It was during the Victorian era that
serving oysters reached the zenith of ostentatious elegance. This was
done, in part, by serving them with very special utensils and using
highly decorated plates designed only for serving oysters. Thus, the
period from the mid-nineteenth century until the early twentieth was
when hundreds of different oyster plate designs were manufactured.
They were made in many countries in Europe and Asia and also the
United States. The plates normally have wells (depressions) to hold
the slippery shucked oyster meats and special depressed areas for
such things as sauce, lemons or crackers. The number of wells usually
varied between three and six for individual servings. The overall
size and shape was highly variable with round, square, triangular,
fan, crescent, and animal shapes such as oyster, clam, fish, etc.
being common. Design of the plate interior and surface decoration was
only limited by the imagination of the many manufacturers and the
hundreds of artists (professional and amateur) who designed and
decorated them. The plates range from delicate to massive and were
manufactured from a wide range of materials including porcelain,
earthenware, glass, silver and pewter.
The long term intention of this home page is not only
to provide information to those who are interested in oyster related
collectibles but is also directed to those who have oyster plate or
oyster memorabilia collections. To begin the process, at this time we
would like to initiate a discussion among those interested in oyster
plates for the purpose of learning more about them. Examples of some
aspects we might consider are: individual manufacturers, the time
period in which they were produced, the uniqueness of the type of
plate to various countries, as well as, such characteristics as size,
symmetry and number of wells. Included along with this could be
various back marks, monograms, and other markings which often have
not been identified in various collections but perhaps could be by
pooling knowledge from other collectors. In short, our hope is to act
as a focal point to collect and disseminate information so that all
who are interested can more fully appreciate the uniqueness of oyster
collectibles which, of course, also includes us.
We hope to make changes and additions to this site
often, and will periodically put various plates, etc. from our
collection, or perhaps from others, up for informational viewing. If
you have special oyster plates or other memorabilia let us know.
Email us your ideas on what would be of interest regarding this
subject matter and what expertise you might have in this area. We are
sure there is much more knowledge out there than we could ever hope
to assimilate. We may try to present, for discussion and information,
the plates in various themes, such as shape, country of origin and
type of material, but would appreciate input from those interested
before undertaking any course of action. Also, we would be happy to
reference other sites which might deal with oyster plates or other
related oyster subjects on a similar informational basis. Please
note: Since we are not dealers or interested in selling these
collectibles for profit, monetary considerations and sales promotion
will not be a part of this site.