In 1954, Franciscan China introduced a new shape called Eclipse, designed by George James. A design goal was to have a shape that was neither round nor square, and Eclipse achieves this through a clever combination of parabolic lines and optical illusions. The plates are actually almost circular, but the thickness of the edge changes around the diameter to create an elliptical appearance.

Eclipse was manufactured into the 60's at the factory in Atwater, California. The plant was bought by Wedgewood in 1979 and closed in 1984. Franciscan made a total of 468 different patterns in its 50 year history. Eclipse was Franciscan's most modernistic dishware pattern. This page also has a little information about some of the other modern shapes. The only two surviving Franciscan patterns, Desert Rose and Apple, are now being made by the Johnson Brothers in England.

 

	Eclipse White Designed by George James When Eclipse was first introduced in 1954, it was available without any decals at all, as Eclipse White. This pattern was short-lived and is very rare. It is solid white, without any speckles. Some of the pieces in this and the other early stuff have a different stamp on the back that just says MADE IN USA, and since they have no distinctive pattern, the sets must get scattered and discarded. If you have a sharp eye for the shape, you can spot pieces at thrift stores in the $.25 bins. It is almost impossible to find the less common pieces. I was amazed to find a water jug in this pattern!
	Starburst Decal designed by Mary Brown Another 1954 introdution pattern was Starburst. Starburst is the pattern I collect. It has the atomic starburst shapes shown on this page. James Elliot, the publisher of the Franciscan Newsletter, says that many of the collectors of this line also work with computers. This sounds likely, as it has a great 50's techno-atomic future look that has tech-nerd appeal. It is currently the most popular of the Eclipse patterns, and is the most expensive. A few years ago it could be found at thrift shops, but it has been pretty much grabbed up at this point.
	Pomegranate Decal designed by Mary Brown Also in the 1954 introduction was another pattern, Pomegranate. It is pretty much the opposite of Starburst. The base glaze is a darker tan than the other patterns, and the decals are a sort of freehand thick line doodle of a pomegranate slice, flowers and decorative shapes. It seems like more of an early 70's style to me. It has never been very popular, and only a subset of the pattern was given this decal. There are no Pomegranate canisters, for example. It is also not very popular with collectors, but for those who do collect it, bargains can be found. I wanted a teacup for a photo on this page (which I found in Portland). I went to an antique store which had had a large set for two years, and it was all gone. The dealer said he had given it to the Goodwill because he couldn't sell any of it and it was taking up shelf space.
	Oasis Decal designed by S. Stanton In 1955 Oasis was added. This pattern was perhaps inspired by Piet Mondrian. It has a random gridwork of lines and lightly colored squares, and a few asterisk-shapes. It is the second most popular pattern of this group, and generally sells for almost as much as Starburst.
	Duet Decal designed by George James In 1956 Franciscan added the fourth and last decal line to the Eclipse pattern, Duet. Duet has a decal pattern that was designed by George James, the designer of the blank.Duet has a pair of crossed pink roses as its decal theme. I have been seeing more and more of this pattern around, but maybe I am just getting more sensitive to it. I was up in Washington state, and it seemed to be more popular up there too. It is a little bit less expensive than Oasis or Starburst.

This picture is copyright Dick Driver, and must be reproduced with his permission.

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Other Modern Franciscan patterns

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A Guide to the Franciscan Eclipse Shape

Copyright 2002, Amnon Silverstein

All rights reserved. Please do not copy or reproduce the information here without written permission. Permission is granted to use the speckle background and Staraburst icons for non-commercial purposes. This page is just for informational purposes, and I am not a dealer. For pricing information, to buy or to sell, you can find lots of stuff on eBay.