Vernon Kilns "Lei Lani" pattern by Don Blanding. Sometimes the history of tableware offers up the life stories of great characters; artist, poet, actor, and self-styled vagabond, Don Blanding (1894-1957), was one of them. The Lei Lani pattern by Vernon Kilns are essential representations of Blanding's life and career. Lei Lani was inspired by the profusion of magnificent flowers on the Hawaiian Islands. The backstamp shows the pattern name, along with the signature, "Aloha Don Blanding." (Later, in 1951, Blanding would write a Saturday column for the "Honolulu Star Bulletin" entitled, "Don Blanding Says 'Aloha'.")
