“Penny Woodens” Tea Set 1913 - 1917

This “Penny Woodens” Tea Set was created by S. Fielding and Company, and it's an adorable exercise in art for use. The shapes are basic, but the mark making is where it really shines - the hand-painted figures and trees look like they were sketched directly onto the porcelain. I love how the palette is so tight, just a few colors. The ochre skin tones and brick-red dresses of the figures are brought to life by those hits of dark green trees. The shapes are simple, and the lines are clear, almost cartoonish. Look closely and you can see the hand of the decorator in the variations. They aren’t trying to trick you into thinking it's mechanically reproduced, it embraces its crafted quality. The tea set reminds me of work by outsider artist Henry Darger, who used similarly stylized figures and limited colors to create fantastical scenes. Both artists leave room for the imagination, inviting viewers to bring their own stories and interpretations to the work. There's so much pleasure to be had in work like this, where the openness allows for many stories to brew.