A souvenir, something that evokes a place or vacation experience, is purchased to remind the traveler of their trip or to be gifted to a friend or family. Such stuff is sold in shops near attractions. Now with the internet you can also order some items online. Souvenirs verify you trekked to Niagara, the Great Natural Bridge, or Vegas. That’s their intent at least.
On the back of some plates are descriptions of the dam. The reverse of the artist rendering in green of an African dam reads, “This Spode plate was made to commemorate the completion of the dam at Kariba Gorge on the Zambesi River, in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. 1960” It is imprinted “Spode England”. On the reverse of the 5 ½” plate of the powerhouse of Garrison Dam, N. D. is printed, “Hand painted ENCO N.Y.C. Made in Japan.” Collectors begin picking up plates with state, city, monuments, natural wonders, and church (and dam) iconography and guides were published. American kilns produced million of these souvenirs beginning in the 1920s. The fad has pretty well died out. (click on image to enlarge)
Ceramic plates with images of attractions or destinations became popular “I’ve been there” artifacts in the late nineteenth century and have persisted in one form or another since. Clay is cheap and can be shaped into many items. Advances in ceramic technology allowed complex patterns to be applied to the surface of a plate. By the 1870s decorations no longer had to be applied by an artisan with a brush but could be stenciled. This improved and lowered the cost of producing decorated wares. Numerous firms in England, Germany, Japan, and America competed to produce souvenir china and pottery.
Around the central view of Mt. LeConte, Great Smoky Mountain National Park are two historic buildings and two dams. One dam is a major government structure; the second is a small power source for an antique grist mill. Great or small dams are landmarks often visited and souvenired. (click on image to enlarge)
Glancing through these two collectors’ guides to souvenir plates we find imagery of natural wonders and built landmarks. Courthouses, tall steepled churches, or post offices were perhaps not tourist draws but prosaic souvenirs were probably the product of a special order by a local civic group. Souvenir plates were not dinnerware. They were for display. A fixture of middle-class households was the china cabinet where a ceramic record of the owner’s travels could be seen. By the 1920s, wire plate hangers became available allowing plates to be hung on the wall like pictures.
In state or regional montages, dams pop up among bridges and historic monuments. Plates solely dedicated to major water resource projects are not unknown. Some may have been manufactured to mark a dam’s dedication or a ceremonial anniversary.
Serious examinations of any given water resource project would be enhanced by the inclusion of a picture of it on a plate. Its esthetic style and the fact that it was once considered worthy of being a decorative object would impart a certain realism to the discussion of its hydrologic and environmental impact.
GALLERY: Dams, canals, locks and reservoirs (lakes) are notable landscape-shaping features. These manmade landmarks seem to be coequal with natural wonders like Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon in the judgement of plate manufacturers. Indeed, the builders of great dams push the idea that their river control projects are as grand as the most spectacular wonders of nature. (click on any image to enlarge)
