Charleton Inkstand (Double Inkwell)

Charleton Inkstand (Double Inkwell)

• Overall Form: This is a rectangular, ceramic inkstand with two inkwells. The base features a long pen channel in the front.
• Inkwells: It has two square wells designed to hold ink, with the lids which are designed to simply lift off.
• Decoration: The decoration is characterized by:
  • Small, repeated floral sprays (pink roses and blue accent flowers) that run along the sides and pen rest.
  • A distinct, delicate gold and blue geometric pattern (likely hand-traced over a pattern) creating a border around the lids and the pen rest.
• Technique: The label, “Charleton Hand Decorated,” explicitly states the decoration technique. This confirms the floral and geometric patterns were applied by hand, likely over a commercially-produced blank ceramic piece.

Information on Charleton

The mark “Charleton Hand Decorated” refers to a decorating company, not a ceramics manufacturer.

• Company Name: The Charleton line was the decorative trade name for Abels, Wasserberg & Company (AWCO), which was based in New York City.
• What they did: AWCO did not make the porcelain or glass itself. They purchased “blanks” (undecorated pieces) from various high-quality American and European manufacturers and then hand-decorated them in their studio with their own designs.
• Blanks Used: Charleton decorated blanks from many sources, including famous American glass companies like Fenton, Cambridge, Westmoreland, and Heisey, as well as European porcelain.
• Age/Vintage: The period of prolific Charleton decoration on glass and porcelain was primarily the 1940s and 1950s.

Age Estimate: Circa 1940s – 1950s

This Charleton inkstand represents a post-war era trend where imported or domestically produced undecorated ceramics were customized and finished with decorative patterns to appeal to the American market.