The Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel Patterns

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The sample small fork is in the International Silver Company pattern commonly referred to as Broadway and includes an "A" logo topside with Los Angeles Ambassador across the rear. It's not at all clear how the pattern got this name, but it was used by several railroads including the Pennsylvania RR which operated the New York-Chicago Broadway Limited luxury trains in direct competetion with the New York Central's famed 20th Century Limited entry in the market. Chiefly considered a 1940's era pattern, at least one source has claimed 1937 which is interesting as follows. A photo on found for sale in 2007 was re-posted by another site and shows Walt Disney and wife out dining. This can be tracked back to a full photo (shown as a blurred image) displayed at the Disney Historical Archives with an accompanying story that places the couple at the Los Angeles Ambassdor Hotel in 1938. [It would be in the Cocoanut Grove nightclub which replaced the hotel's ballroom shortly after the opening.] In the image we can see an elaborately decorated stock china pattern known as DeWitt Clinton which was produced by Syracuse China from 1936-on, originally as a replacement to the European source which supplied the Albany New York DWC hotel from 1927. Pieces manufactured for the Ambassador have no special logos, but do include a backstamp for that hotel which helps to separate them from general issues to other users. Given these dates, it would seem likely that the Broadway silver silver was supplied somewhere between 1936 and 1938 along with the china. [A 1923 b/w image of a waitress shows an earlier china which has yet to be identified, and seems to have a decorated band that might include urns and florals. In addition, there is an image of another silverplate flatware pattern group for this hotel which is unidentified and may relate to this first issue china of the early '20's.] The "BP" on the fork should indicate Banquet Plate, and perhaps this was what was used in the Cocoanut Grove where they might have expected a lot of souvenir-taking by guests.

Image set 1- the sample fork:

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Photo image set 2 including the other silverware group, an interior of the Cocoanut Grove with the china service, and the cropped photo of Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Disney with the dining service clearly in view [The original photographer's working history is readily traceable on-line including his obituary.]:







{All images re-presented for purely academic reasons and no copyright violations are intended. It is not known who holds the Len Weissman cropped photo or what claims they may have filed, as this was posted through a secondary source which noted a sale site. Information posted here is intended to openly aid in identifications and documentation without commercial concern.}

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Note: The Disney Archives mentioned above should be listed as the "Disney History Institute", where the story behind the full Weissman negative can be found.

Photo image set 3 including hotel related ephemera and the waitress with an early china pattern:







{See disclaimers above on image useage.}

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Added notes:
*International's Broadway flatware is sometimes backstamped for Victor Silver Company, though this pattern has not been listed as originating from that division of the firm. More discovery is needed.
*Holloware pieces bearing the Ambassador shield logo and linked to Los Angeles were made by Reed & Barton, so this might be the source of the early flatware patterns.
*China samples with the Los Angeles Ambassador backstamp were first relayed to me a few years ago by Irishman and general hellion Hollywood Joe D. (thanks), and were in turn relayed to well known researcher extraordinaire Larry Paul who continues his work in documenting commercial china patterns and related wares. Information on the general DeWitt Clinton story comes from the old Restaurantware Collectors' Network (RWCN) held online as their IDwiki (by continuing members of the new site).
*Thanks to all the various Ambassador Hotel and Disney historians, documentarians, and afficianados for providing clues to help track this trail. And the many "Hollywood" fans who add their fare share. Finally, the railfans who saved pattern samples.