A total of six patterns were made in the Duo-Tone line. Because the actual name of the line was not known, early Red Wing books referred to this line as Cylinder due to the cylindrical shape of many pieces. No name for the line was mentioned with the four patterns that appeared in the January 1962 dealer price list or in brochures dated January 1962. But this price list did not include Tahitian Gold or Pepe, which were introduced a bit later. A July 1962 Tahitian Gold brochure included the statement “from the Duo-Tone Line by Red Wing”. This apparently was the introduction of an official name for the line, and was likely a reference to the two tone color scheme used on the hollowware for the five patterns available at the time. But with the introduction of Pepe the following year all patterns in this line no longer shared the two-tone color scheme and the Duotone name was apparently dropped. Internal shop documents referred to the line as “Deep Coupe”.
Colors of the Duo-Tone line were rather inconsistent. Five of the six Duo-Tone patterns followed a similar concept. For many pieces in these patterns the design appeared on either the top, interior or exterior surface (depending on the piece) while the opposing surface was a shade of brown that varied pattern to pattern. But the design did not appear at all on hollowware such as the butter dish, sugar, creamer, pitcher, teapot, beverage server, bean pot, casserole, individual ashtray or salt & pepper shakers. These pieces were a solid color, usually a shade of brown, that differed with the pattern. Covers were various shades of brown with a splash of bright color on top that varied pattern to pattern. Learning to differentiate the shades of brown used for Duo-Tone hollowware is a challenge, as color photos are not found in Red Wing reference books. Pepe is the exception to all of this; all pieces were decorated with the handpainted design.
Shapes in the Duo-Tone line have interesting contrasts. Pieces generally had straight sides with no bulges or curves. Shapes were mostly round or oval and tended to be tall and narrow or short and squat. Duo-Tone also included several hard to find items. All brochures and price lists included AD cups and saucers (demitasse) but today they are rare for all patterns. Individual ashtrays, pitchers, teapots and beverage servers are difficult to find in all Duo-Tone patterns. No items were added or dropped from this line over the years of production.
Desert Sun Years: January 1962-1963 or 1964 Place settings only 1964-1965
The Desert Sun pattern represented the “glowing browns, beige and rust of a desert sunburst”. The background color was white. Desert Sun was unique in that plates had a broad flat rim rather than the sharply upturned rim found on other Duo-Tone plates. This was likely done to provide a place for the sunburst design. The interior/exterior color for Desert Sun was a light orange-brown color described by Red Wing as “soft tan”. Hollowware exteriors were also soft tan. Covers were dark brown with bittersweet (rust) tops. These same colors were used for Flight hollowware. This means Desert Sun and Flight pieces that were not decorated with the pattern’s design were identical. For example, a soft tan Duo-Tone teapot with a brown/bittersweet cover would go with either Desert Sun or Flight.
Flight Years: January 1962-1963 or 1964 Place settings only 1964-1965
The Flight design featured ducks flying over tall weeds or reeds. They were described in the brochure as “Wild birds on the wing – captured in muted red, brown and beige”. The background color was white. The number of ducks present varied from one to four depending on the piece. Like Desert Sun, soft tan was the interior/exterior color on patterned pieces, and as described above the hollowware was identical to Desert Sun. Flight was believed to be a very rare pattern in the early years of Red Wing collecting. A rumor spread that only a single set had been made to fill the custom order of a game warden. As time passed more and more Flight came out of storage, but the supply still remains below demand from collectors.
Turtle Dove Years: January 1962-1963 or 1964 Place settings only 1964-1965
This pattern had two turtle dove birds posed on a flower with stems and leaves in medium brown and mustard yellow against a beige fleck background. The colors were described as “butternut brown and golden yellow” in the brochure. The same butternut brown served as the interior/exterior color on patterned pieces. Hollowware exteriors were beige fleck. Covers were butternut brown with golden yellow tops. Turtle Dove is not easy to find today but doesn’t seem to attract much interest from collectors.
Pompeii Years: January 1962-1967
The design was reminiscent of pottery used in ancient Pompeii. The abstract shapes of urns, bottles and bowls were colored in “A blend of brown, beige and soft blue” against a white background. Red Wing named the color found on the interiors/exteriors of patterned pieces and on the exteriors of hollow ware “deep gray”. This color could best be described as the color of chocolate milk. Covers were the same milky brown with soft blue tops.
Tahitian Gold Years: July 1962-1963 or 1964 Place settings only 1964-1965
Tahitian Gold represented another inconsistency as all pieces were entirely solid colored. The color used for flatware was described as “deep gold with a light touch of brown fleck”. Exterior color for hollow ware was “rich brown”, which could best be described as the color of black coffee. Covers were deep gold like the flatware. Tahitian Gold did not sell well and is very difficult to find today. It is primarily of interest to collectors who seek one of a particular item from every Red Wing pattern.
Pepe Years: April 1963-1967
Pepe is the only Duo-Tone pattern that had decorated hollowware rather than a solid color. In some respects the design for Pepe was similar to the earlier Crocus pattern. Both have a band of colored ovals separated by a thin line. But the colors and appearance were very different. Pepe had alternating pink and rust colored ovals separated by a brownish green line set against a beige fleck background. As described in the brochure, Pepe had “A dramatic Spanish motif of the modern school. Flecked beige undertones are highlighted with a sunburst of bittersweet and deep mauve – clearly accented with strokes of verdant green.” Basic place setting pieces are readily available, but larger hollowware pieces are quite difficult to find. This is likely because smaller pieces of Pepe were available as a grocery store premium. After making the required purchases, the homemaker received Pepe dishes as a reward.
