Every time I see mayonnaise sets like this Fostoria Chintz set I wonder how on earth people used enough mayo that they needed a separate serving piece. This mayo bowl is about 5 1/2 inches wide and holds a little under two cups. Although I have trouble imagining using this for mayo it would be great for sauces or gravy. You could put cheese sauce in here and let your guests and family ladle it out as they like.
Traditional mayo sets are a bowl, flat or pedestal style, a liner plate and a ladle. I’ve seen some spectacular etched and gold encrusted sets.
Glass makers made some pieces as stand alone accessories, not necessarily part of a pattern or dinnerware line, and fancy dishes like the stemmed mayo sets were perfect for that market. I’ve found that if you step back from glass as we collect it today and consider how it was used and how the manufacturers marketed it then it becomes easier. Figure the glass companies promoted these as gifts – Christmas or wedding, house warming – or bridge prizes. Then it’s easier to see why they made special pieces just for mayonnaise. Most likely no one used their sets only for mayo!
Fostoria Glass Chintz Etched Mayo Set
I mentioned bridge prizes. Bridge, which is a card game for four people, was wildly popular in the 1930s and for many years after. There is always one person at the table who is not playing their own hands and when you’re the dummy (the non-active player) it’s a perfect time to get up and get a snack or nibble the nuts. People talk between hands and it’s a lot of fun. Bridge is competitive too, and many groups that played together every week gave out prizes for high. low and booby. You can imagine how hard it got to find unique prizes after a club was active for a few years and pretty pieces of glass were always popular choices.
The Fostoria Chintz set shown is available in our store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass. Shopping with us is like antiquing with your best friend.