Rare 1920s Little Bohemia Gangster Era Restaurant Ware Relish Dish Vintage China For Sale

Rare 1920s Little Bohemia (Chicago) Restaurant Ware Celery/Relish Dish – Albert Pick & Co. / Maddock Lamberton China

Up for sale is an incredibly scarce piece of authentic 1920s Chicago Prohibition and underworld history. This vintage restaurant-ware vitreous china celery/relish dish was custom-crested for Little Bohemia, the legendary café, speakeasy, and notorious gangster hangout located at 1722 S. Loomis Street in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Opened around 1919, the Chicago Little Bohemia was a prime hub for Prohibition-era vice. The establishment was heavily frequented by the city’s political elite, notorious bootleggers, and members of the Chicago Outfit. The owner, Emil Wanatka, later moved north to open the famous Little Bohemia Lodge in Wisconsin (the site of the historic 1934 FBI shootout with John Dillinger). Pieces from the original Chicago location are exceptionally difficult to find.

Design & Markings:

The oblong dish features the striking, stylized “Little Bohemia” script logo in a rust/red-orange tone, flanked by coordinating outer pin lines and elegant scrolled edge decorations. The bottom base bears the stamped maker’s mark: “M CHINA L” (Maddock Lamberton China) and the distributor stamp “ALBERT PICK & CO. CHICAGO”.

Dimensions: Approximately 8” x 5.5”.

Condition Details (Fair / Used):

This piece has authentic vintage wear consistent with its age and history as commercial restaurant ware.

* Front: The face shows normal surface wear, including silverware marks, multiple bubbles beneath the topcoat (most visible in direct light which I tried to capture in pictures), and some minor areas of discoloration. One bubble appears to be a flaw and is about the size of a small fingerprint.

* Back: Some discoloration and age-related staining.

Sold as pictured. Please examine all photos carefully, as they are part of the description and provide the best representation of the item’s condition.