That the same company manufactured these plates cannot be in question. The picture of the 2nd dedicated gymnasium at Knox is identical in both, right down to the scratch next to the tree, and the font used on the back for both “made in Germany” and “Gymnasium, Knox College, Galesburg, ILL” is identical. That these were still manufactured with such an obvious flaw in the design speaks to the rush job of creating them. There is no date, but the “Old Gym” as we knew it was finished in 1907, so it is sometime after that. My guess is it was shortly after 1907 to commemorate the opening of the building.
The larger is approximately 6in across, while the smaller is approximately 3 inches across. I used the awesome pencil to give some scale to the width and height.
The large plate (click any picture to enlarge). It is very pretty, with some nice detail around the edging.
Back and side views.
The smaller plate is the same image but without the gold and green decorations. I imagine it was a cheaper version of the larger. Hmm, price point manufacturing is not a new thing at all! The fourth picture is the scratch that is in both dishes. It is not a scratch in the dish, but a scratch in the image transfer. The close up of the gym itself shows some great detail, and looks suspiciously like a postcard made probably around the same time. When I get into postcards I will revisit this picture.
Back and side views
The opening of the 2nd dedicated building for athletics at Knox was a big deal. The first gymnasium was constructed by students and was blown up in 1897 but not torn down until 1903. A gym building was a sore spot for a lot of alumni and students of Knox at that time. Clearly, the College was celebrating this building’s construction.