Object of the Day: A Haviland Limoge Babar Plate

It’s sort of unnerving to think that objects from your childhood are considered vintage, but here we go. This beautiful Haviland Limoge plate from my childhood is the culmination of two important historical geniuses


Haviland Porcelain developed in the 1840’s with American businessman David Haviland who moved to France and opened a successful porcelain enterprise in Limoge. The works of the Haviland company continue to be cherished today with over 60,000 different patterns. One of them is a series of dinnerware for children which features scenes of Babar the King of the Elephants.

Babar the Elephant was created in 1932 by French author and illustrator Jean de Brunhoff and concerns the adventures of a young elephant who travels to an unspecified big city, lives among men and learns their culture before returning to his native land to become King of the Elephants. Babar introduces Western culture to his fellow elephants and serves as a benevolent dictator. Since his creation, Babar has enjoyed a long popularity which spans across many different media.

The Babar series by Havilland is beautifully colored and designed and has been cherished for many years. This marriage of ideas is the quintescential representation of French artistry and, hopefully, will continue for many years to come.