Ribbon Plaques and Cameos
- Maxine Callow
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
I’ve written before about my Nana in my blogs, and even in an assignment. You may recall that she was a huge influence on me in so very many ways, but particularly in all things creative. She was as soft as a brush my Nana. She told the best stories, was very talented at sewing, and could turn her hand to most things, including playing the piano. She was incredibly vain and always had a French manicure, her hair done and her lipstick on. She would do anything for any of us, and I don’t remember her ever telling me no to anything. My brother and I were always at her house, or she was at our home, and she and my mum were very close. There has never been as much laughter since my lovely Nana passed (but there’s still loads!).
Thinking back, Nana collected ceramics. It was never acknowledged, but she had so many pieces; jugs, bowls, teacups, plates, coffee pots... All were ‘china’ as she referred to them, but this just meant porcelain or bone china clay. Nothing of great worth, usually chipped somewhere, but always dearly loved and on display.
Most notably, and relevant to me currently, was my Nana’s beautiful collection of ribbon plaques. She had around a dozen of these hung on walls around the house. Lots of them were in the style of seaside souvenirs, ‘A present from…’, but some contained pictures of flowers. All were ribboned up and hung with pride.
When Nana moved house after Grandad passed away, she gifted Mum her collection of ribbon plaques. Mum had them all re-ribboned to match her bedroom and hung the whole collection above her bed. They were beautiful and made quite a display.
Mum has since parted with the plaques herself, and now all we have left is the memory. Whilst this may seem sad, the memories are the best bit. Part of the way Nana collected her treasures was visiting ‘junk shops’ as she called them. Most notable was Mrs Donnelly’s shop on Orford Lane in Warrington. Nana made a friend of Mrs Donnelly, an Irish lady who was lovely. She would often take me there on our walk to town and stop by for a cup of tea. I could mooch around all the tranclements that Mrs Donnelly collected for sale in her shop whilst the grown-ups had a natter.
So, to the current day and my relevant line of research. I’m looking at ways in which the Victorians would use ceramics for fun and possibly for narratives. It reminded me of Nana’s ribbon plaques and so I’ve been doing a bit of research.
Ribbon plaques, or plates, became popular in the late Victorian to early Edwardian period. Often a souvenir, or commemorative in some way, they were ornamental pieces produced in the UK or Germany. Pretty by design, the edges would have characteristic lace detail that allowed silk ribbons to be threaded through, with the plate being hung by the bow. They were generally hand painted (sometimes transfers were used) and the plates often had gold lustre or gilding around the edges. Designed to be decorative souvenirs, they were generally made from fine porcelain, bone china clay, or occasionally stoneware. Today they are considered highly collectible.
My next idea to research is Victorian cameo brooches. This line of enquiry cannot be traced back to family members or memories, rather it follows my investigation into expressions of Scrawny which I made into trophy heads, hanging from shields. It made me think of other ways to use the faces of my protagonists and I recalled cameos.
Queen Victoria often wore cameo brooches to promote British craftsmanship. This made them an essential fashionable item for both men and women. They generally were made from shell or stone and contained the profile of a female complete with detailed hairstyles and ribbons.
My idea is to make a cameo style portrait of Lady Delores, Scrawny and Deaders and to imprint it onto the centre of a ribbon plaque, combining the two fun and fashionable Victorian era items. I can include narratives, both in the design and maybe in text on the plaque. Once I have reticulated the edge, I can add the ribbon, and they should hang beautifully from the bow, as per my Nana’s lovely ribbon plaques. Thanks Nana!
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