MID-ATLANTIC. Home Decor / Kitchen Decor, Decorative Plate, Souvenir, c. 1950s.
Commemorating the 1951 completion of the New Jersey Turnpike, this plate was specially commissioned by Howard Johnson’s, a restaurant chain with gift shops located all along the route. It was produced by California’s Vernon Kilns, U.S.A., using illustrations designed by artist Paul L. Davidson, whose humble small signature can barely be seen at the bottom below the Pulaski Skyway Underpass. This version of the plate is rendered in blue tones, giving it a feel of Delft pottery. Included in the design are the aforementioned Pulaski Skyway Underpass, the Garden State Parkway Interchange, the Lincoln Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, cloverleaf interchanges at Swedesboro-Chester and at South Camden-Woodbury, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and the Tollbooth at that bridge, which of course is the illustration around which all the rest revolve. The entire 118 mile length of the route, with a complete absence of traffic lights, is laid out on the plate rim. A detailed description of how the New Jersey Turnpike System was conceived as a model of modern express highway engineering is on the back of the plate.
Condition: Used Very Good. Travel Related. Dimensions: 10.25" diameter
