| From the 1930´s: Century shape: In the early 1930´s, Dr. A. V. Bleininger and his staff began work on developing a new and unique glaze, which they would later refer to as Vellum. Dr. Bleininger and Frederick H. Rhead worked closely on creating a background and surface texture that was non-reflecting. They prepared hundreds of glazes, with the first being considered "too gloomy in appearance," but finally after many adjustments and firings, they were rewarded with a color and texture that "suggested old polished ivory or alabaster, rather than a glazed veneer." (quote from the notes of Mr. Rhead) Now they had a glaze, and needed to adapt a new shape for this unique glaze. Thus after many drawings and adaptations by Mr. Rhead, the Century shape was born. The square corners and angles softly rounded, free from embossing or ornamentation, practical but beautiful form was well adapted to show the ideal background for the Vellum glaze.
Century was introduced in 1931 with samples being shown at the Pittsburgh Glass and Pottery Show in January of that year. In February and March, new pieces were still being drawn and molded. Many different items were produced on the Century shape, 38 in all, which made it one of the largest sets produced by Homer Laughlin during this time period. In 1936, twenty one different pieces of Century were dipped in solid color glazes of Mauve Blue, Tangerine (orange-red), Yellow and Light Green and were called Riviera, with additional pieces added later. The G. C. Murphy Company was one of the largest purchases of Riviera. On one of the old G. C. Murphy s dated September 30, 1939 is the following notation from the Homer Laughlin China Company: This line best displayed in an ensemble. It is imperative that you buy all colors listed in this line. Most of this ware will be sold in assorted colors and not in a complete set of one color. Colors are vivid and rich looking.
    Century would go on to become one of the "top sellers" for the Homer Laughlin Company. Not only was Century offered in ivory and vellum glazes, but also decorated with hundreds of different patterns. The first decoration applied to the Century shape was C1 Briar Rose, one of the most highly prized by Century shape collectors. In the Spring and Summer Montgomery Ward catalog, Briar Rose was offered at $7.29 for a 32 piece set, $15.50 for a 53 piece set, $27.95 for a 95 piece set with other items in open stock. Another highly sought after pattern is C4 English Garden. The Mexican patterns, Hacienda, Mexicana, and Conchita proved to be popular items, and are highly prized by todays collectors. In a 1938 Larkin catalog, a 32 piece set of Mexicana on Century shape was offered for cash price of $5.00 and weighed 20 pounds while a 54 piece set was offered at $12.00 and weighed 35 pounds.
One of the last orders for Century that can be found in the old files from December 1946 was placed by J. C. Penney for C132 "Golden Flake". Following World War II, consumers were clamoring for new, sleek and more modern home furnishings, and the Century shape did not fit their needs, so it was discontinued. However, Riviera was produced for a few more years.
 Click photo below to view an enlarged view of a Century Ad
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