Hen on a Basket
Ask any Southerner what is a Hen in the Basket and they will tell you. “Why, that is my Grandmother’s candy dish.” Growing up in North Carolina, I was lucky to have family that lived in big farm homes. They had huge front and back porches. The bedrooms were upstairs and the living and kitchen were downstairs . There was a sitting room where we gathered around on Sunday afternoons. My grandmother decorated with doilies on the back of her chairs and there was a Regulator Grandfather clock on the wall. My granddad cleaned it with a feather from a goose.
But what I remember the most and dearly loved when I visited were her teacakes she hid in a cupboard drawer wrapped in a cooking cloth and the Hen in the Basket sitting on the side table beside her rocking chair. The hen in the basket was made of milk glass. It was white. I loved the way it felt in my hands. Smooth ,even the designs of the feathers glided when you rubbed your hand across it. Inside the hen was candy. Most of the time, it was filled with hard candies. At Christmas, it had peppermints and chocolate. I could never get the hen to set back in place on the basket . My grandmother would go behind me and show me how it had to fit perfectly in the grooves of the basket. Through a child’s eye, the hen in the basket was as unique as the little rooster toothpick holder that sat in her kitchen. My grandmother had many grandchildren and I felt honored and humble when she gave me her Hen in the Basket. She said she was going to buy herself a blue hen in the basket and knew the white hen would be safe with me. So this pretty hen in the basket who is now 90 plus years old sits on my side table.
I fell in love with milk glass and through the years have collected it. You never know where you may find it. I have found pieces of pink milk glass in thrift stores. Of course, collectors know its value and when I visit an antique store, I may find it , but the cost sometimes keeps me from purchasing it. There has been a comeback of milk glass in floral design in recent years. The softness of the glass adds a touch of romance to any wedding. It is beautiful when used in outdoor entertaining. Because of its understated muted beauty, it creates a feeling of warmth and coziness. Today you can find dishes, vases, figurines, perfume bottles lanterns , even salt and pepper shakers made of milk glass. And of course, don’t’ forget the Christmas bulbs of milk glass.
So just what is the origin of milk ?
Milk glass originated in Venice in the 16th century. However, back then milk glass came in all different colors including yellow, brown, black, pink and blue. All of these colors were ‘milky’ color So the tone is thick and coated. Some of these colors still exist in milk glass, especially the blue. Throughtout the years it has been a glass that is heavy enough to be used in dishes and vases, yet the colors delicate enough to be used in celebrations and deco of each century.
Milk glass became very popular at the end of the 19th century in France. It was considered a product of the ‘fin de siecle’. Milk glass was synonymous with French cultural awareness .
During the early 20th century, milk glass was synonymous with the prosperity of the wealthy Americans. Milk glass made in the early 20th century still remains some of the best ever made. It is known for the delicacy and elegance and were often seen on dressers and shelf tops in upper-class American homes. So when you are browsing in the antique malls, check the dates and manufacturers on the bottoms of the piece. During the 1930’s, milk glass made during the Depression was considered less elegant and delicate. Because of this, milk glass made during the 1930’s and 1940’s is considered of lesser quality. 
During the 1930 and 40’s , many glass companies started producing the hen in the baskets. And they weren’t in just milk glass. One of my favorites is the cranberry clear hen. Indiana Glass produced them and you can even find them on online auctions. They are called by many names; candy dish, jewelry dish, pickle dish, hen dish, chicken dish, rooster dish but if you are from the South, you know. they are the Hen in a Basket dish.