Mother in The Kitchen and Prayer Ladies are vintage kitchen accessories and made by Enesco and are turning out to be a pretty “HOT” collectible today. Prayer Lady/Mother in The Kitchen items were made during the 1950’s & 1960’s and sold primarily in five and dime stores, department shops and also gift shops.
What Do They Look Like?
These collectibles are of a lovely lady with a very sweet and delicate face with her hair pulled up into a bun and hair coloring can range from dark brown, light brown and even a rare reddish-blonde. The lady’s eyes are closed in prayer and her hands are in an upright prayer position with palms together fingers pointing up. The lady wears a long pretty dress with feminine collar and an apron with a prayer inscribed on it and you can see her shoes from under her long dress.
These ladies were dressed in different colors and the most common color is Pink. They also came in these colors:
• Blue with white trim
• Turquoise with white and she has puffy sleeves
• Rose white and with puffy sleeves
• White with blue trim
• Yellow with brown or green trim
How Many “Prayer Lady” Pieces Are There to Collect?
• Air Freshener
• Bank
• Bell
• Bud Vase
• Candle Holder Set
• Canister set: Flour, Sugar, Coffee and Tea
• Clothes Sprinkler
• Coffee Cups
• Cookie Jar
• Crumb Brush and Pan
• Egg Timer
• Flower Pot
• Instant Coffee Container
• Napkin Holder
• Picture Frame
• Ring Holder
• Salt and Pepper Shakers
• Scouring Pad Holder
• Spoon Rest
• String Holder
• Tea Pot, Sugar Bowl and Creamer
• Toothpick Holder
Finding & Caring For These Ladies?
You can find these lovely ladies in antique shops, online shops, eBay and Rubylane, Tias.com. eBay tends to have the largest selection and you can pick them up at reasonable prices. The ladies I have seen at my local antique shops tend to be priced at top dollar but maybe the shops in your area are more affordable.
Delicate parts of the Prayer Lady tend to be their heads and they can very easily brake off so be careful when handling your little ladies. Ladies in MINT condition fetch higher prices of course than ladies that are damaged. Do your research and buy your ladies from reputable dealers and sellers. We hope this little lady brightens your days as she does ours!