June, 1918 
41 
A fine specimen of a 
painted view tray with a 
hunting scene decoration 
and striped borders and 
edge 
T RAY S 
of YESTERDAY and TODAY 
An 
Old-time 
Household Article that is Enjoying Popular Revival 
as a Decoration and a Useful Article 
M. H. NORTHEND 
Trays by courtesy of Amos Laurence 
T RAY'S have come 
back again—not only 
for practical use but for 
decorations as well. They 
are not a new invention, 
for have they not been 
used for centuries? They 
take their place with old- 
time furniture, china and 
glass, bringing back mem¬ 
ories of the past. Scarcely 
an old household along 
the coast that does not 
treasure one or more of 
them, brought over genera¬ 
tions ago. Battered and 
The foundation of this tray is 
pulp. It is heavily lacquered and 
, , bears an Oriental scene in white 
worn with hard usage, 
they are being re-burnished 
and ornamented to renew their life among mod¬ 
ern surroundings. 
Trays, salvers, or waiters as they have been 
designated at different periods of their exist¬ 
ence, were not all made of the same material, 
although we have come to think of them as 
homely iron or shabby lacquer, not realizing 
that many other materials were used. After 
wood came pulp and papier mache, followed by 
silver and Sheffield plate. There were iron trays, 
many of them decorated in fine inlay in centers 
and borders, particularly fine specimens of this 
work having come to us from Italy. Among 
the many antique trays, those that originated 
in the Orient are the most beautiful. They An °‘ d ir ° n ^ wit . h 
a,r6 generally done in lacquer with brilliant emly executed by 
s;old decorations and come in a nest of three; Robert S. Chase 
Another lacquered pulp tray has 
a country scene executed in moth¬ 
er - of - pearl — a favorite style 
The table below shows 
a modern use for an 
old tray, at once deco¬ 
rative and useful 
the largest rarely exceed¬ 
ing lyf in length. 
Many of the best ex¬ 
amples found in this coun¬ 
try were made in China, 
finding their way to Eu¬ 
ropean countries through 
interchange of commerce. 
An example of this type is 
painted on iron with a 
black background and very 
brilliant coloring showing 
inserts of mother-of-pearl. 
Trays of this description 
are being used by interior 
decorators for overmantel 
decoration, and as pictures 
on the walls of the room. 
These are typically Oriental in their character. 
The coloring is principally black and white 
with bright tones worked out in the border. 
Very few pulp trays are to be found. One 
of them, finished in lacquer, shows exquisite 
decoration worked out in artistic branches with 
hanging moss and finished with a landscape 
center. It has mother-of-pearl inserts, the cen¬ 
ter feature being a castellated scene in black 
and white. 
Papier mache is also used for this purpose; 
trays of this kind being occasionally found. 
They are very old and rare. Plain in back¬ 
ground, they usually show a small painting, 
as a central feature. 
Early in the 18th Century, particularly in 
(Continued on page 54) 
In the middle of this tray is an insert, un¬ 
der glass, of a nude modestly draped in a 
veil. This is believed to be the work of 
an amateur. Painting trays was an indoor 
amusement in old times 
This example is an antique iron tray 
painted with a floral center and leaf design 
border. The ground is black and the col¬ 
ors brilliant. Details of painting are ex¬ 
cellently executed 
