Contents:
Why?
As a collector (and even worse, as a completist), I was frustrated with the lack of any reference material that described what was "out there". As more and more shapes and glazes (i.e., colors) were introduced and retired, it became increasingly difficult to keep track of exactly what was produced. Add to that the various limited editions, numbered pieces, and "unofficial" pieces, and it becomes a nightmare. Not even the Homer Laughlin China Company (the makers of Fiesta® dinnerware) had such a list. So I created the Post-1986 Dishography. That was in 2004 - now there are multiple Dishographies, with likely a few more coming in the future.
Dishography Scope
- Each Dishography includes all items and colors that were in regular or limited production.
- Some items appear in multiple Dishographies, usually due to a shape being "borrowed" for another line. For example, the Vintage Fiesta Water Tumbler in Chartreuse is listed in the Vintage Fiesta Dishography (because it's a Fiesta shape in a Fiesta color), but also in the Rhythm Dishography (because it was created for the Rhythm Beverage Set).
- Some (but not all) experimental shapes and prototypes are included.
- Test glazes are generally excluded, unless that glaze is used on other lines.
- Bisque items are excluded.
Dishography Ground Rules
- Decals and other decorations are generally not mentioned, unless the piece is only available with the decal.
- Items initially exclusive to a retailer (but later made generally available) are not considered truly "exclusive", and thus are not noted.
- Many numbered items also have an unnumbered version in the HLC Museum (next to the Factory Outlet), while others are known or rumoured to exist in private collections. Neither are included here.
- Broken items are deducted from quantities only when the breakage occured prior to sale/release.
Saving the Dishography
The Dishography is actually several files, so if you save it to your computer as an HTML file, it will not look the same when you open that saved file. Different browsers use different terms, but saving it as a "web archive" should work.
Some people copy the table to Excel to transform it for their own needs. This can be done by selecting the contents of the table, copying it, then opening Excel and pasting it. Because Excel has a limited color palette, the colors will probably look different. For some people only the text is copied, not the background colors; the cause of this is not clear, but it may be related to which browser is used.
Printing the Dishography
If you have problems printing the Dishography in color, it is probably because your browser is set to not print background colors. (For many web pages this is a good thing, since you usually don't need or want to print background images or shading.) In Internet Explorer 8, go to "File / Page Setup...", and check "Print Background Colors and Images". In Chrome, select the controls icon at the top right, select "Print..." and check "Background colors and images". Other browsers will have a similar option somewhere in their setup. Keep in mind that you may want to undo this change when you are finished printing.
If you want to use the Dishography as a checklist, consider using the "printable checklist" option at the bottom of each Dishography page. This transforms the table such that all existing pieces are shaded a uniform gray, making it easier to see any handwritten notes (such as check marks or highlighting).
Future of the Dishography
Each Dishography continues to evolve, as more information comes to light. There may also be a few more new ones added. The goal is to update them yearly. It's good to have goals.
Acknowledgements
The Dishography is the distillation of information from several sources,
including personal research, the HLCCA's "Fiesta
™, Harlequin, & Kitchen Kraft
Dinnerwares", Bob & Sharon Huxford's "Collector's Encyclopedia of
Fiesta", the
Medium Green Message Board, the
Collectible Medium Green Message Board,
the
Laurel Hollow Park website, Facebook groups, and numerous other websites and individuals.
