Vintage Horton head vase produced by Horton's Ceramics of Eastland, Texas
Luckily for me, my father loved vintage antiques; about as much as I do. After he passed away, I inherited his beautiful and unique treasures, and this gorgeous head vase was one of those items. I longed to learn the history of these vintage pieces. So I dug as deep as I could to find out more information about them.
The vintage glazed ceramic that I am showcasing today is of a beautiful blonde-haired beauty. The ceramic is known as a head vase. She measures 7-¼ inch tall x 7 inches in width. Handmade doilies were once placed inside the head vase to form a lacy hat, then filled with silk flower arrangements. I prefer not to stuff her delicate head with anything nowadays due to the fact that she's vintage and antique ceramics can break easily.
I was told that the head vase was inspired by admiration of blonde Hollywood cover girls, otherwise known as glamor girls. These head vases were produced sometime during the 1940s-1960s era by Geraldine Mae (Wodars) Horton of Horton Ceramics in Eastland, Texas.
History behind the Hortons and their head vases and ceramics
Geraldine Mae (Wodars) Horton was born in Bakersfield, California. She went on to become a teacher in 1942, at Taft, California. It was during that time that the ladies of Taft sponsored a tea party for the flying cadets at nearby Gardner Field (Gardner Army Airfield is a former United States Army Air Force World War II field). This was where she met and fell deeply in love with Horace Horton. The two of them then decided to elope in Carson City, Nevada, on June 8, 1942. (herald-zeitung.com, 2006)
After WW2 in 1946, when Horace Horton returned home from the war, it was then that Horton Ceramics opened its doors in Eastland, Texas.
Horace and his wife, Geraldine, both ventured into the world of making ceramics together and they named their company Horton Ceramics. The two made and sold their ceramic products up until 1964, which was the year they decided to sell their business.
The beautiful blonde head vase wasn't the only piece of art that Geraldine produced as a talented designer and sculptress for Horton Ceramics in Eastland, Texas. There are in fact numerous other pieces of Horton's work still floating around that are up for sale on Etsy, ebay, Starboard Home and various other places.
Geraldine Mae Horton died on June 26, 2006, after spreading so much happiness to so many people for over 87 years.
(herald-zeitung.com, 2006)
Geraldine Horton's head vases are still in circulation today. You may even have one stuffed away in a box in your attic, or crawl space. Hopefully my article will make you want to seek and find, because as it turns out, many of them are actually worth something now, more than the pennies that they once brought to their creators' pockets back in the day.
Collections of lady head vases that tend to be the most popular for today's era are the head vases that measure seven inches and larger. Other known popularities include ladies' blue eyes, elongated eyelashes, thick eyebrows, hands, hats, bows, and other jewelry accessories.
Resources:
herald-zeitung.com. (2006, June 28). https://herald-zeitung.com/obituaries/article_c750c052-14a0-586b-8f6a-2dfb8cbfd5f7.html
Manty, K. (2021, September 23). Lady Head Vases: 10 Things You Didn't Know. Antique Trader. https://www.antiquetrader.com/collectibles/lady-head-vases-10-things-you-didnt-know
Story and photos: Susan Eastman, Herald-Times Homes antsandtreasures@gmail.com, The Herald-Times. (2017, May 13). Vintage lady head vases. The Herald-Times. https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/lifestyle/home-garden/2017/05/13/intage-lady-head-vases/46713129/