1941 was also the year Red Wing introduced the Concord shape. A total of 17 to 20 Concord patterns were introduced between 1941 and 1957; the number depends on whether color variations are considered distinct patterns. The patterns introduced in 1941, 1952 and 1955 had hollowware decorated to match the flatware; patterns introduced in other years were glazed in solid colors that were usually shared with other patterns.
A 1942 price list showed that covers were initially considered optional for the Provincial and Concord lines. Sugar bowls, cream soup bowls and casseroles could be purchased either with or without a cover. Also, new pieces not made for the 1941 introduction were added later to both lines. For example, the covered beverage server was added in 1949. By this time Orleans and Brittany were being phased out and Harvest had been discontinued, thus no beverage servers in those patterns were ever made. New items such as the celery, relish and butter dishes, spoon rest, divided vegetable, egg plate, supper trays and gravy boat were added to the Concord line in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These items can be difficult to find in the Lexington pattern because they were not made until near the end of Lexington production, and they were never made in the Harvest pattern.
SEE ALL 49 SPECIAL DESIGNS, TEST COLORS AND LIMITED PRODUCTION PHOTOS ►
Harvest Years: 1941 – Mid 1940s
The Harvest pattern was decorated with fruit and a yellow/gray border on a white background. Cherries, grapes, pear, and apple were included on all pieces in varying combinations, depending on the piece. The dinner plate and chop plate (platter) also featured a pineapple. Some items had the fruit in a compote bowl while others did not. Harvest did not sell well and was discontinued by 1946 or earlier. Harvest pieces are scarce today.
Lexington Years: 1941 – 1955
Lexington (often called Lexington Rose) was also introduced in 1941 and featured a large red rose on a white background on all pieces. A lighter shade of red was used on early pieces of Lexington; by the 1950s the color darkened considerably. Lexington was the only Concord pattern known to have chop plates (platters) made in two sizes. The original 1941 version was 14″ x 10.5″; the size changed to 13 x 10.5″ when new Concord patterns were introduced in the late 1940s. Lexington sold well and is readily available today.
SEE ALL 194 LEXINGTON PHOTOS ►
Lotus Years: 1949 – 1957
Magnolia Years: 1949 – 1956
Chrysanthemum Years: Mid 1949 – 1953
SEE ALL 144 CHRYSANTHEMUM PHOTOS ►
Morning Glory Pink Years: Mid 1949 – 1953]
SEE ALL 144 MORNING GLORY PINK PHOTOS ►
By the mid to late 1940s Gypsy Trail and the cookware lines were phased out. Soldiers returned home to start families, and Red Wing’s attention moved to providing them with new dinnerware patterns. The Concord line now expanded to add Lotus, Magnolia, Chrysanthemum, and Morning Glory Pink to the existing Lexington pattern. Flatware for these new patterns had white backgrounds hand decorated with their namesake flower. But the exteriors of the hollow ware for these new patterns were glazed in solid colors, not hand painted with the same decorations as the flatware as had been done with Harvest and Lexington. Only the covers featured a portion of the pattern’s hand painted decoration. A July 1949 price list showed Metallic Brown, Chartreuse and Gray as the three available exterior colors for Magnolia and Lotus and Metallic Brown and Gray for Chrysanthemum and Morning Glory. But some exterior colors had changed by October 1950, when Metallic Brown, Sunlight Yellow and Forest Green were listed for Chrysanthemum and Dark Gray and Forest Green for Morning Glory Pink. While not shown in the dinnerware brochures, a variety of vases and planters decorated to match Lotus, Magnolia, and Blossom Time dinnerware were introduced in 1952.
A January 1949 price list is believed to introduce the Lotus and Magnolia patterns. This list included the earlier 14″ x 10.5″ chop plate for Lexington, Lotus and Magnolia. No Lotus or Magnolia chop plate in this size has been found to our knowledge. We believe the entry on the price list was mistakenly carried over from previous lists. The entry is subsequently updated to the new 13″ x 10.5″ size on the July 1949 price list.
The covered beverage server, gravy boat, rim soup (8″ coupe soup) and 13 x 10.5″ chop plate were added to the Concord line in 1949.
Lotus and Magnolia are readily available today, and Lotus was the only Concord pattern still in production for 1957. Chrysanthemum and Morning Glory Pink are fairly easy to find.
Blossom Time Years: 1950 – 1955
SEE ALL 170 BLOSSOM TIME PHOTOS ►
Morning Glory Blue Years: 1950 – 1951
SEE ALL 77 MORNING GLORY BLUE PHOTOS ►
By October 1950 Blossom Time was added, and Morning Glory was now available in two versions (pink or blue flowers). Blossom Time featured red rose blooms along with green leaves, and it was the third Concord pattern for which matching vases and planters were made. Three new solid exterior colors (Sunlight Yellow, Dark Gray and Forest Green) were available in 1950. Red Wing brochures and catalogs recommended certain exterior colors for use with each pattern but the final decision was up to the customer. Blossom Time is readily available; Morning Glory Blue is scarce.
Iris Years: 1951 – 1956
Zinnia Years: 1951 – 1953
Quartette Years: 1951 – 1956
SEE ALL 190 QUARTETTE PHOTOS ►
Leaf Magic Years: 1951 – 1953
Iris, Zinnia, Quartette and Leaf Magic were introduced in 1951 and with them came three new exterior colors. Quartette was the only solid-colored Concord pattern, and all pieces were available in four colors: Chartreuse, Ming Green, Mulberry and Copper Glow. A set of Quartette could have been purchased all in a single color or the colors could have been mixed & matched as was done in the days of Gypsy Trail. Quartette and Iris are fairly common today, while Zinnia is more difficult to find.
Leaf Magic was not really a dinnerware pattern; the only item was a white dinner plate decorated with three leaves in the Quartette colors. Leaf Magic was intended to be an optional dinner plate for use with Quartette. Leaf Magic plates are scarce.
Besides being Quartette colors, pieces with Mulberry and Chartreuse exteriors were also made to go with Iris while Copper Glow and Ming Green go with Zinnia. Thus a Copper Glow base could become either Zinnia (add a white cover with Zinnia artwork) or Quartette (add a Copper Glow cover). Iris and Zinnia flatware had a white background with a hand painted Iris or Zinnia flower. Iris is considered by many collectors to be Red Wing’s prettiest dinnerware pattern.
Several new items were added to the Concord line in 1951. Two styles of supper tray were added; one the same squarish shape and 10.5″ size as the dinner plate, the other oblong and 12″ x 9.5″. These trays had raised ridges that served as dividers as well as a place to set a cup. The butter dish, celery dish, relish dish and spoon rest were also added in 1951.
Lanterns Years: 1952 – 1955
Fruit Years: 1952 – 1955
Fantasy Years: 1952 – 1955
Buds Years: 1952
A late 1951 internal company production document described the upcoming addition of four new Concord patterns: Lanterns, Fruit, Asters and Buds. Lanterns and Fruit went into production as planned while the name Fantasy replaced Asters prior to production. A 1952 magazine ad attributes all four patterns to Belle Kogan.
Buds was shown at a trade show, was not well received, and was subsequently scrapped before being put into production. The only examples of Buds likely to exist were those made as samples or for the trade show, thus any piece of Buds is rare.
All four new patterns featured hand painted hollowware, decorated to match the flatware as had been done with Lexington. Fruit was decorated with an apple, pear, grapes and flowers on a pink background. Fantasy featured “an impressionistic interpretation of the lovely aster” on a pink background. Lanterns was decorated with a branch of Chinese Lantern flowers on a light chartreuse background. Buds displayed budding branches on a white background. Today Buds is rare and Fantasy is scarce, while Fruit and Lanterns are fairly common.
The egg plate with center compartment cover and the divided vegetable dish were added to the Concord line in 1952.
Nassau Years: 1953
1953 saw the introduction and quick demise of the Nassau pattern. Nassau flatware was decorated with branches of fern-like leaves in shades of green, yellow and brown on a white background. The exterior of Nassau hollow ware was glazed with a solid dark brown color; it differed distinctly from the more common metallic brown found on many Concord pieces. This color was softer, more of a coffee or cocoa brown, and was used exclusively on Nassau hollow ware. An oddity is the positioning of the Nassau decoration on platters. Though made only briefly, there are several variations. Nassau did not sell and was promptly dropped. It is hard to find today today.
Spring Song Years: 1954 – 1955
SEE ALL 94 SPRING SONG PHOTOS ►
Spring Song flatware featured two birds sitting on multicolored branches on a white background. Hollow ware exteriors were solid colored and available in two new colors that were used only with the Spring Song pattern. A January 1954 lists Honey Beige as the only color option for Spring Song hollow ware. Subsequently a second color option resembling robin’s egg blue was added, but we have no documentation that reveals Red Wing’s official name for that color. Apparently Spring Song didn’t catch on with the public as it was not included on a January 1956 price list and thus was produced for only a brief period.
The deep-sided coffee cup was added to the Concord line in 1954.
Willow Wind Pink Years: 1955 – 1956
SEE ALL 93 WILLOW WIND PINK PHOTOS ►
Willow Wind Turquoise Years: 1955 – 1956
SEE ALL 83 WILLOW WIND TURQUOISE PHOTOS ►
Willow Wind, the last Concord pattern to be introduced, was available in two colors: Willow Wind Pink and Willow Wind Turquoise. The second version is commonly called Willow Wind Blue but company literature referred to it as Willow Wind Turquoise. Both flatware and hollow ware were hand painted with branches of willow leaves in either pink or turquoise (blue) on a white background. Like Spring Song, both versions of Willow Wind remained in production for only a brief period as the Concord line was being phased out in favor of newer designs.
