Objective

     There is still so much more to learn about Homer Laughlin Kenilworth that this project was initiated to invite further research on the subject. What we do know has been confined to such limited sources that it feels like no attempt has yet been made by anyone to make more comprehensive our knowledge on Kenilworth until now. There may be several reasons for this: 1. Lack of organized information about the line, 2. Lack of general interest in it and 3. Lack of knowledge that the line exists in the first place. So, it is my hope that number three above could help change number two if we can first attempt to sort out number one!

     Let it also be said that no one would attempt such an ambitious undertaking in the first place unless he was fascinated by the pottery itself. Why do I love Kenilworth? For me it epitomizes mid-century modern ceramic design at its imaginative best at a time when an entrepreneur named Jack Kleinman, could work directly with the Art Director at Homer Laughlin himself, Don Schrekengost, to commission an entire line of pottery for his privately run business. Sadly, those strong middle-class days of the 1950s kept healthy by small businesses are long gone. This nostalgic significance also carries over to a personal if not sentimental reason that coincides with the years my mother and aunt graduated high school in 1955 and 1957 respectively, when both were young women about to make their way in the world contemporaneous to the time Kenilworth was made. When I hold a piece of Kenilworth pottery it makes me feel like I’m holding a relic that relates to their past and it somehow allows me to imagine re-living a memory from their youths with them.

     And lastly, about the research and work itself. It takes a village to raise an accurate and up-to-date website. Any additional information that can be shared about Kenilworth other than what is presented here, is most welcomed, encouraged, and even necessary to further our knowledge of this unique line. These contributions are what will define this website—a research work in progress.

     Until now what has mostly been written about Homer Laughlin Kenilworth has been published in only three sources: 1. The Bob and Sharon Huxford book (with pages about Kenilworth contributed by Pat Bunetta and J. T. Vaughn), 2. Homer Laughlin Dinnerware from the 1940s and 1950s written by Jo Cunningham and 3. The Laurelhollowpark.net website written and maintained by Mark Gonzalez. All three sources have served as an inspiration and jumping off point for my work in creating this website. Current analysis and thorough research, however, have revealed some misinformation in these resources which will need further clarification and correction for the sake of accuracy and truth moving forward. The goal is to improve, build on and refine our knowledge of Kenilworth based on shared facts and reasonable assumptions. These will always be open to further consideration should new evidence reveal a better understanding of what, until then, stood as accepted fact. Some speculation and theorizing on how Kenilworth was made or sold will be used to stimulate discussion and challenge the reader to formulate his/her own ideas on what we still can’t prove. Logical observations about Kenilworth will also periodically be made to help fill in some of the many missing facts concerning this poorly documented line and to give its narrative some fresh continuity. And finally, it is the hope of any careful research that thoughtful questions about Kenilworth might lead to illuminating answers.