This small (6″ diameter) decorative plate with a view of the Mississippi River is from Tomelty’s Bazaar, a popular shop that was in business in downtown Little Falls, Minnesota, around the turn of the 19th century. Located on First Street Southeast, the store sold “…the small indispensables – the big little things…” (Little Falls Herald, 30 June 1899). At Tomelty’s, shoppers could find anything from celluloid hairpins and nickel-tipped pencils to hammocks and American flags.
The manufacturer’s markings on the back of the plate indicate that it is Carlsbad china produced in Austria for “Tomelty’s Bargain Bazaar.” Carlsbad china was made by several factories in Austria, Germany and Bavaria that often exported products to the United States. Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, was known for the manufacture of porcelain.
The view on the plate shows the mighty Mississippi River near downtown Little Falls. The image includes the dam, railroad trestle bridge, and one of the many mills in the City that took advantage of the natural power provided by the river. (For more information on water power and dams in Little Falls and Morrison County see Four Dams at Little Falls).