Question:
My 85 year old mother-in-law recently passed away, and I found a pitcher I’m curious about: 1. It’s marked RED WING POTTERIES, INC.,DESIGN PAT PENDING, USA on bottom. 2. Color is "mustard yellow". 3. It’s not a "ball" pitcher (shape is more oval), and not a tea pot (no lid).But most interestingly, handle is on top, not side, and stretches entirely over the opening where you would pour liquid into it. It has a separate "spout" for pouring . Apologize for no photo, I’m not very "tech" savvy, but may be able to get my young son to help me post one if needed. 4. Condition is "good" (no chips or cracks), but color is uneven (age?). P.S. She was originally from Georgia, and walked to Fla. with her entire family around 1930 searching for work. Thank you in advance for your time, Sincerely, C. Starling

Answer: In 1940 Red Wing introduced several items under the name "Streamlined" as part of the company’s rapidly expanding Gypsy Trail Hostess Ware line. Each piece in the Streamlined group had a design on each side that consisted of three raised ovals of decreasing size on top of each other. The items were a 64oz water jug, covered ice box jug, 8" and 9" covered casseroles, and 2 cup and 5 cup covered teapots. The water jug was the only item that did not have a cover and it had the over-the-top handle that you described. By June 1942 the water pitcher was the only remaining Streamlined item in the catalog and by 1944 it too had been discontinued. In later years the pitcher as listed as "Modern" rather than Streamlined. This pitcher was available several colors including yellow, blue, turquoise, orange, pink, green and cream ivory. Value for a yellow Streamlined pitcher in excellent condition is around $50. The uneven color you mentioned could be due to a poor glaze (Red Wing seemed to have trouble with yellow in the early 1940s) or perhaps stains that have been absorbed by the pitcher over the years. Blotchy glaze or stains would reduce the value by 25 to 50%.

Larry