Tag Archives: I love lucy salad set

Ivy Cruet on eBay – not exact but close

ivy-cruet

This is similar to a Walter Starnes ivy cruet we looked at in an earlier post, It is similar to the Olde Thomson cruet seen on I Love Lucy except the ivy is on the sides and not on the front.
See it on eBay HERE

  • Reference page on Starnes California.
  • Dulling of Props on I Love Lucy

    Dulling substance is more obvious on the cruet on in picture on the left
    Dulling substance is more obvious on the cruet on in picture on the left

    Previously we looked at evidence of a dulling substance in use on on one of the mantel statues  on I Love lucy.  An anti-reflective coating is used when needed to reduce glare for the cameras. Above on the left is a instance from Little Ricky Learns to Play Drums where the cream colored Olde Thompson  ivy cruet has been darkened sufficiently to appear gray in tone.  The picture to the right is from an earlier episode where the same cruet appears lighter.
    Here is an example of the same make Olde Thompson cruet in its original state.

    Vintage Cruet Set Finds

    The complete cruet set seen at an early date in the I love Lucy kitchen
    The  cruet set seen on the wall in the I love Lucy kitchen

    In the I Love Lucy kitchen you may have noticed a wall mounted salad set ( see previous post) Today I see these two sets -pictured below – that are not an exact match for Lucy’s set but will create a similar look on a kitchen wall.

    cruet
    Cruet Set on Etsy

    See it on Etsy (US)

    cruet2
    Cruet Set on Ebay

    See it on eBay

    Oil & Vinegar cruet set from “I Love Lucy”

    cruet set

    cruet (3)
    Cruet Set offered on eBay Credit: eBay

    Seen on eBay this week is a cruet set advertised as the set from I Love lucy CLICK HERE to view the listing. There is a cert from a prop house but I don’t know if there is any direct provenance to anyone who can verify the authenticity. I am curious that the funnel is present because I assumed it went missing as the funnel is not seen in several episodes of the show. It appears that ivy leaf pattern on the cruet offered on eBay is not an exact match for the cruet seen in the screen shot above when you compare the  placement of the ivy leaf shapes. The cruets were hand painted so no two are exactly alike.

    If you read the previous post about the Thompson ivy cruet set you will be aware that similar cruet sets from George S. Thompson of Pasadena, Ca. under the Olde Thompson label can still sometimes turn up on for sale, so you may be able to find an identical one for less if you are patient.

    cruet (2)
    Ivy Cruet set Offered on eBay recently. Photo: eBay

    Note: I am not an expert on original props and cannot verify the authenticity of any items claimed to be from the show. As always exercise caution and look for reliable provenance.

    Lucy’s Kitchen Cruet Set

    cruetset
    Another consistent element of the I Love Lucy kitchen decor is a wall mounted cruet set in a wooden stand. Many sets of this type were imported from Japan in the post WW2 years, examples of which can frequently be seen on eBay.

    The complete cruet set seen at an early date in the I love Lucy kitchen
    The complete cruet set seen at an early date in the I love Lucy kitchen

    The Cruet set on the show consists of a hand painted ceramic double neck oil and vinegar bottle with a matching ceramic handled wooden salad serving fork and spoon plus a funnel to decant the oil and vinegar into the separate compartments of the decorative bottle, all of which fit on a wall mounted wooden stand.

    Thompson Pottery Ivy Cruet in the same design as seen on I Love Lucy
    Thompson Pottery Ivy Cruet in the same design as seen on I Love Lucy with label ‘OLDE THOMPSON South Pasadena California’

    The set on I love Lucy has a hand painted Ivy design. An identical cruet was sold by George S. Thompson  of Pasadena with a label with label ‘OLDE THOMPSON South Pasadena California’. Their hand painted ivy range  named “Imperial Ivy”  used on  salt and pepper sets , salad sets and dining accessories, was marketed to co-ordinate with  popular ivy patterned dinnerware from other  manufacturers such as the Metlox California Ivy range.

    cruetsetonwall
    In a later episode you can see that the original funnel is missing and the ceramic handled wooden serving fork and spoon have been replaced with metal ones.

    As time went on we see the cruet set on the I Love Lucy  has signs that pieces of the salad set went missing, the funnel was lost and the wood serving fork and spoon were replaced by metal ones.

     

    cruet-set
    Mid century wall mounted cruet set made in Japan as seen on eBay

    Seen above is a similar salad cruet set that was listed on ebay recently although with a difference painted design.

    Vintage cruet set Japan
    Vintage cruet set Japan

    Here is another set – missing the funnel- currently listed on eBay as I write this.

    George C. Thompson Co Imperial Ivy Design
    Other items from  George S. Thompson Co  in the Imperial Ivy Design
    "Olde Thompson" Imperial Ivy Pepper Mill and Salt Shaker set promotional photo with Mexlox Califormia Ivy dishes.
    “Olde Thompson” Imperial Ivy Pepper Mill and Salt Shaker set – 1949 promotional photo with Mexlox Califormia Ivy dishes.