Ceramic 1940s Gingham dog and Calico cat salt and pepper shaker.
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Pass The Salt, Rover!
Lucy Scott
Those of us mad enough about our dogs can start having a bit of fun at meal times by setting the table with a dog theme. An easy way to get the theme rolling is with a figural dog salt and pepper shaker set. Dog salt and pepper shakers come in so many different canine varieties. You can simply opt for your favourite breed as most breeds are catered for. Failing that, you can go for something comical such as a dog driving a bone car or dogs with props like fire hydrants, and even cat friends. The Dog-and-Hydrant is a very popular theme and you could fill display cabinets with many variations of our canine friend and his comfort stop. These are called Go-Togethers or Go-Withs and as the name suggests they are sets that are not identical but do share a common theme. Dog and cat pairs would fall into this category (but not in my household!).
Procelain Collie dogs make an elegant table set, c1950s.
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Anthropomorphic dogs earn their keep in a variety of occupations including chefs, photographers, doctors, firemen and police. The collector of a particular dog character is very likely to find a representative in the salt and pepper category as the likes of Bonzo, HMV Nipper, Scooby Do, Dalmatians and Snoopy all appear for sale regularly. Until the mid-19th century salt shakers were actually salt mills containing a piece inside the shaker that broke the salt into useable bits. The development of free flowing salt partway through the 1800s saw the shakers take on their more modern form.
Dressed comical hounds salt and pepper shaker.
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The birth of modern ceramics in the 1940s took shakers into a new realm as it became easier to make pieces in a variety of shapes and designs. The market for souvenir shakers and novelty shakers grew with the capacity to produce such items affordably and of course, mans best friend, his dog, quickly became a popular novelty. You will occasionally come across dog salt and pepper shakers marked "Occupied Japan". Once considered a "sleeper" in the novelty collectible market, items marked "Occupied Japan" or "Made in Occupied Japan" have steadily increased in value. A devastated Japanese economy at the end of WWII was in desperate need of hard currency. The Japanese pottery manufacturers kicked into production and were soon exporting a phenomanal array of novelty figurines and knick knacks.
Salt and pepper shakers made in Occupied Japan.
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The popularity of Occupied Japan salt and pepper shakers is matched by the number of fakes in the marketplace. A rubber stamp can easily be used to mark "Occupied Japan" on the base of a shaker. Nail polish remover can be used to test a mark, because a stamp will rub off whereas an original mark sits underneath the glaze. Please don't use this method for testing unglazed pieces! I mentioned at the start about setting your dinner table with a dog theme. To be honest, this might be fine with a lower-cost or contemporary (i.e. replaceable) set of shakers but you should remember that salt, especially when damp is highly-corrosive and could harm the finish of your precious collectible shaker.
These gorgeous poodles look as though being part of a table setting is completely beneath them.
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And pepper can cake the insides to become an immovable mass. A rare or especially coveted dog salt and pepper shaker set is probably best left empty and admired from afar
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