Union Porcelain Works of Greenpoint, New York (later Brooklyn) was the firstpany in the United States to make oyster plates. They made two clam shaped plates of different sizes and a round oyster plate. Offered here is the larger clam shaped plate. This plate has six wells for oysters and a seventh different well for sauce. From the beginning thepany decorated its plates with three dimensional sea creatures and other nautical items. They were always hand decorated and it would be unlikely to find two plates exactly alike. On this plate we find several interesting decorations including a gray frog at the top. Also we find a crab, a snail, a lobster claw, and shells of various shapes and sizes. The background color is a beautiful shade of pale blue, and at the edges the background is pink. The dark colors of the seaweed and shell markings plus the gilt accents make the plate even more appealing. The longest dimension is 10.25 inches and the shortest is 7.5 inches. On the back we find UPW in black and thepany logo (an eagle with an S in its beak) and a patent date of Jan. 4, 1881. It has a more varied colored palette than most UPW plates: slate, pale blue, pink, tan, cream, deep orange, black, white, and gilt. There are also nice little touches - the little berries on the seaweed, the small sea ferns, the frog, and the pale pink shading on the wells. It has been lovingly treated over the years and is in beautiful condition.