MID-AMERICA + THE PLAINS. Home Decor / Kitchen Decor, Decorative Tray, Souvenir, c. 1960s.
A black metal serving / bar tray with decorative tan trim frames a map of Kansas, central to the theme. As part of the design, these trays also included miniature site illustrations, Kansas focused on both nature and the state’s agrarian nature: a buffalo, a meadowlark, a herd of cattle, and what appears to be a wheat harvest. There is also the abrupt Castle Rock, part of an ancient badlands formation in western Kansas amidst what is otherwise very flat terrain. A final historical detail traces the important western migration route of the Sante Fe Trail. The highly-detailed place name map is ringed by a colored decorative element: a Sunflower, the state flower of Kansas. In “Like New” condition, this tray came to us in a lot of near-pristine trays that we guess was once inventory for a long ago closed souvenir shop, the trays likely never sold considering their amazing condition despite the gummy evidence of past price-tags … The combination of detailed state map and regional decoration was the pattern for this popular home decor / barware souvenir. Produced for tourist shop shelves, the series covered all 50 states (if often combining a few of the smaller ones) and came in mostly black, but also white and the occasional cool green. The many series of these trays, with some also including low-depth snack bowls, is identifiable for the wave-like swirl detail decorating the rim. The original series was produced by Nash Co. of New York and was notable for its speckled gold finish. However, there were other manufacturers such as Meldrums of St. Paul, Minnesota. All stuck close to a similar design. These trays were found in popular roadside restaurant gift shops from the late 1950s into the 1970s, places such as Stuckey's (southern U.S., Midwest / Plains states), Howard Johnsons (starting in the Northeast, but having spread coast to coast by the 1960s), as well as in stand-alone souvenir shops, small local general stores, and even popular department stores all across America.
Condition: Like New. Local / Regional Areas. Dimensions: 11" diameter x 0.5" deep / 8 oz
