Setting the Table

No summer picnic would be complete without a colorful tablecloth to throw over the picnic table. Cloth table coverings not only covered outdoor picnic tables for sanitary reasons, but added a homey touch with their brightly colored fruit or flower motiffs.

In the early part of the last century printed tablecloths reflected the Victorian and Art Noveau eras with their flower patterns and colors, but radically changed to vivid coloring and geometric designs during the Art Deco period which followed. Unfortunately the Depression Era and World War II took its toll on kitchen linens. Printed cloth was purchased off-the-bolt and finished off on the edges, but the materials were not of the best quality and haven’t weathered the test of time very well. In the 1950s, kitchen textiles reflected renewed prosperity and were manufactured of better quality cloth and dyes. Designers like Charles and Ray Eames, and Dervan, produced printed tablecloths depicting the contemporary patterns and furnishings of the modern home, designing them with abstract free-form shapes and bold geometric patterns. These artists' signatures will be in the corner of their tablecloths bearing their designs. In the 1960s, Vera became the dominant textile designer, leaving her mark on kitchen textiles which included tablecloths, placemats, towels, and napkins, in addition to fashion scarves. Read more about the history of the printed tablecloth by Joan Kiplinger at www.fabrics.net/joan703.asp

These cotton tablecloths were made in high volume and are plentiful in antique shops and the other secondary markets, but not always in the best condition. Those with wear sell for around $10, but in good condition, the value can be two to three times the amount depending on the print. Tablecloths with a wide variety of colors are more popular than muted or 1 and 2-color cloths. Holiday cloths are always popular as that’s when the table is usually set for company. Christmas patterns are more common than Thanksgiving, followed by Easter, and Halloween, in that order. Cloths with unique prints like patriotic or western scenes, interesting border treatments, or ethnic themes, are among the most desirable and the hardest to locate, and the more rare or unique the pattern, the higher the price. A search of virtual Internet antique stores and eBay found that the Internet shops were higher than eBay’s “Buy It Now” prices, and bargains can be had if you wish to sweat out the auction. The eBay prices were averaging $25-35, whereas in Internet shops prices were $45-65. Check your local antique shops as pricing is typically somewhere in between, $25-45, and you save shipping costs!

Just some observations…the prices on state souvenir tablecloths were all over the place, starting as low as $9.99 and going as high as $235! Texas tablecloths were among some of the highest priced. Alaska was the most prevalent, probably because people don’t usually go on picnics in freezing weather.

One of the most For more information about these beautiful, retro 1950’s tablecloths, reference “Colorful Tablecloths 1930s-1960s: Threads of the Past” by Yvone Barineau & Erin Henderson, “Terrific Tablecloths from the '40s & '50s,” Revised 2nd Edition, by Loretta Smith Fehling, and “Collectors Guide to Vintage Tablecloths” by Pamela Glasell. (Pam Glasell is the president of the Vintage Tablecloth Lover's Club with more than 100 members in the United States and Canada. She has a personal collection of more than 550 vintage tablecloths.)

For tablecloths showing evidence of 'foxing’ (age-related, small brown spots), look for the vintage linen soak product at area antique malls, to remove the spots and most stains. To clean your vintage tablecloths, due so on a gentle cycle, after all they’re over a half-century old. But machine agitation and drying in a hot dryer can be damaging, just as hanging them outdoors to dry can cause them to fade too. It’s best to hang them in the shade to dry.

Also see the article on vintage picnic accessories titled “In the Good Old Summertime.”

Internet photos & sources