In their "Lisbon" pattern, Edge Malkin and Co. fall back on a bucolic pasture scene typical of mid-century transferware. However, the familiar is brought up to  date with an irregular border of Japanesque patchwork and outsized floral sprays.

While the combination of brown transfer and ivory body seemed to be in endless supply, the Edge Malkin potters set themselves apart further by offering a smoothly lobed variation of the popular rectangular shape platter.   

In patterns like "Lisbon," one senses a design tension between the magnetic attraction of the current Japanese craze and the reassuring comfort offered by scenes of the English countryside. Or perhaps canny potters realized that a segment of their market was not ready to go all the way into full blown Japanism. We are reminded that transferware patterns had to appeal to a public with widely varying levels of sophistication. Here we have a most pleasant compromise.