Baldwin Tortoise Shell Decorative Tray Set

Details

Crafted from high-gloss faux tortoise, our Baldwin Tortoise Shell Decorative Tray Set is designed to mimic the naturally striking patterns of a tortoise shell. A brass inlay design adds an extra hint of stunning detail, making these the perfect decorative trays for any room.

Editors' Note

Inspired by the iconic tortoise shell glasses that were a common part of his fashion-forward aesthetic, this collection is named for the era-defining intellect that was James Baldwin. Born in Harlem in 1924, the prolific writer had turns as a young Pentecostal preacher and literary critic before launching into a legendary career of producing his own work. Frequently remembered primarily as a novelist, Baldwin’s fictional career spanned six novels — from 1953’s Go Tell It on the Mountain to 1979’s Just Above My Head — a variety of short stories published in various magazines and one collection, along with one screenplay and two stage plays. Even more extensive and impactful however, was his career as an essayist. Seven separate collections hold the bulk of Baldwin’s non-fiction work, while several other published essays still have yet to appear in collected form. On both sides of his career, Baldwin was both prolific and successful. As a novelist, he was groundbreaking. As an essayist, he was world-changing. His works turned a critical eye, not only to American society as he and millions of other Black people experienced it, but to the very concept of America itself and the wide chasm that stands between its purported intentions and the unequal outcomes of its application. An unparalleled social commentator, Baldwin’s critiques encompassed both Black and white communities and individuals, touching on cultures and issues both national and international with prose that was equal parts evocative, reflective, unflinching and deeply incisive. Today, Baldwin is both a revered figure and a target of critique, whether for the perceived racial ambivalence of his early work, or the supposition that too much political commentary hindered his later efforts. Regardless, the importance and value of his voice — from the incendiary rhetoric of The Fire Next Time to his various onscreen debates on racism — is difficult to overestimate. As a participant, commentator or witness to some of the most poignant and transformational moments of Black culture in his day, such as the 1956 International Congress of Black Writers and Artists, Baldwin was among the many critical voices that navigated the hard transition from Negro to Black, and into the many cultures of the African Diaspora. As a matter of course, his essays posed the questions and interrogated the issues that would in part define what it was and is to be specifically African American.