Mississippi Souvenir Metal Serving Tray

THE SOUTH. 
Home Decor / Kitchen Decor, Decorative Tray, Souvenir, c. 1950s. 

A black metal serving / bar tray with decorative gold trim frames a map of Mississippi, central to the theme. As part of the design, these trays also included miniature site illustrations, Mississippi’s having chosen to showcase its outdoor (mostly water-based) recreation, state parks, and the draw of its Gulf coast. There is a Mississippi River steamboat and the majestic Illinois monument at the Vicksburg Nat’l Military Park, the latter being an interesting choice considering it honors northern state soldiers who served and died in reducing this Civil War river bastion. The detailed place name map is ringed by a colored decorative magnolia. This is one of the more beautiful examples of any of the trays that have come into our possession, it taking up the entire right-third of the tray. The tray itself is in as good a condition as we have yet seen, with a single minute scratch on the left interior. Even the back, notorious for heavy scratching, is close to pristine. The tray also holds its original “Hornes” department store price tag, another interesting trait in that Hornes was based in Pittsburgh and not known in the South … 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 black, white, and even 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 hand-painted series was produced in the 1950s by Nash Co. of New York, with the most notable line sporting a sharp speckled gold finish (this tray a great example). However, there were other manufacturers such as Meldrums Manufacturing of St. Paul, Minnesota. All stuck close to the same design. These trays and bowls 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, like Hornes. 

Condition: Used Very Good. 
Local / Regional Areas. 
Dimensions: 11" diameter x 0.5" deep / 8 oz