Red Earthenware Sherds Recovered Near the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Nineteenth century advertising from Charles A Lawrence's Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts suggest the company was established in 1701; although, Lawrence's business was not established until 1866.

Jonathan and Ezekiel Hayward were involved with the early red earthenware industry in Beverly in the late-seventeenth century, but very little, if any information is known about their work. They may have had a small involvement with the industry in Charlestown, Massachusetts; however, it is more likely that they were previously involved with the industry in Essex County, Massachusetts before establishing their own business.

The Ezekiel Pottery could possibly have been what Lawrence referred to when he credited the Beverly business having been established in 1701. It is likely that Lawrence did not see his own company as an individual business, but rather a business that carried on the tradition of red earthenware production in Beverly, which he felt may have begun in the early-eighteenth century. Interestingly, the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries credits itself with a similar timeframe for its establishment. I should also note that Lawrence and Paige knew each other from their initial training in Peabody.

Beverly did not sustain a large industry in comparison to the production that took place in Peabody; although, Beverly did support at least three businesses after 1700, which operated a half century or more apart from each other. The Hayward Pottery was in business in the early eighteenth century; the Tarbell Pottery operated during the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century, but before 1820 - and, Charles A. Lawrence's business operated circa 1866-1906.

The red earthenware produced by the Lawrence Pottery in the 1860s was of typical utilitarian forms; however, the 1870s presented a whole new line of products. The business began manufacturing forms taken from Old World styles. According to period advertising, inspiration was taken from actual original ancient pottery, photographs, wood cuts and drawings. There was also a great emphasis devoted towards floral wares in the late-nineteenth century.

I recently visited the Bass River in Beverly, a location where I believe all three businesses were located. Nonetheless, I found a group of artifacts that I believe are all related to the nineteenth century production that took place in Beverly.

Bass River in Beverly, Mass.

Location Where Sherds were Found on the Bass River in Beverly, MA

Utilitarian Red Earthenware Sherds

Redware Sherds with Unusual Purplish-Colored Glaze Found in Beverly, MA

Incised and Painted Sherds

 

19th Century Painted and Incised Sherd Found in Beverly, MA

Another View of the Sherd

19th Century Incised Sherds Found in Beverly, MA

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Uncommon Green Dots Seen in Early American Redware

Curiosity and fascination have recently sparked an interest into the origin of the green dots commonly associated with Maine potters; however, similar dots are seen in Pennsylvania and southern nineteenth century American redware. It is not entirely known, but these same dots may be present in Western New York and Vermont, too. It could be an unexpected decoration noticed in Canadian utilitarian earthenware as well. The dots may have been intentionally applied or an unexpected surprise after a kiln firing.

I have heard two possible ideas why the green dots appear on some redware in abundance of some forms; while other forms show no more than twenty spots made in the same area as those that are greatly exposed.

I own a huge 19 inch milk pan possibly manufactured in the Saco River region of Maine that shows no more than ten small spots (Milk Pan Report), but I have seen milk pans covered in spots from the same area.

A Maine archaeologist said in casual conversation yesterday that the spots may have been the result of a potter intentionally applying a copper oxide decoration that was splashed on by its maker. More have suggested the dots may have been caused from copper impurities in the local clays that reacted with the glaze and heat from the kiln. It should be taken into consideration - no matter the size or form, the dots almost always appear in a similar size. I cannot recall ever seeing a larger spot than the ones pictured in this report from the Limington, Maine site owned by Maine antiques dealer, Bill Kelly.

Green Shards From Liminton, Me with Green Spots

Probably Early 19th Century

It appears the form had been dipped twice into a cream colored glaze that achieved the stronger yellow color immediately below the rim; however, the green dots appear to have developed from the clay. In the areas the glaze is entirely removed the green dots still remain. It seems to be a subject that is open to debate. The clay color seen in Liminton is not the expected color of most redware in Maine. A Maine collector recently taught me that nearly all Maine redware shows a darker colored red clay. Here we see a softer colored clay that appears much more pale than the reds most commonly associated with Maine. The clay source is believed to be local in Limington. The clay used by the accomplished potters around the Saco River may have been unique compared to the rest of Maine. Could the Saco River have affected local clays? May an overflow of material not native to local clays have caused impurities to the soil? Is an unexpected abundance of natural copper in the local clay responsible? Could these spots be intentionally applied? 

I feel the cause is more likely a result of scattered pockets of copper in clays of the Saco River area. It  would be hard to believe these same techniques were used by potters living in Maine and Pennsylvania, but very little in between, but it's not ridiculous to rule out either.

What do you think? Are these spots intended by the potters or unexpected impurities in the clay that reacted to the heat of the kiln? In the instance of the Limington shards, the spots all appear to me to have developed from the clay.

I have seen the green dots on a number of glazes that included dark brown, brown, tan, yellow, green, cream and orange. The spots are barely noticeable on the darker glazes.

 Green Dots on Limington, Me Shard

Very Light Colored Clay

Early 19th Century

 Green Dots on Limington, Me Shard

Early 19th Century

 Green Dots on Limington, Me Shard

Yellow Glaze

Early 19th Century

Clays of Essex County Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire had a similar affect when exposed to kiln heat, but the overall affect was much more dramatic.

Massachusetts or Southern NH Redware Jar

Late 18th or Early 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup Antiques - Sheffield, Ma

Like previously written, a similar decoration was seen with potters working hundreds of miles south of Maine. Those potters likely had no contact with the potters of the Saco River area. The green dots on the following pitcher appear to have been intentionally applied, but similar to those seen in Maine.

American Redware Pitcher - Possibly a Southern Pennsylvania Potter

19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup Antiques - Sheffield, Ma

It's also very likely this was a decorative technique, but if so - what was the inspiration? It seems unlikely and certainly lacking tradition of what many potters adopted for techniques of the nineteenth century. It certainly shares a creative mind if intended as decoration.

What do you think? Applied decoration versus an unexpected abundance of copper in the clay? I think it could be a very good subject of discussion of what exactly occurred.

Much More to Come....

The Maine Brick Company - A Business of Interest Seen in an Unusual Brick

"Brickmaking was constantly regulated in the seventeenth century to insure correct preparation of the clay and uniform size of the finished product. The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered, June 10, 1679, that all bricks when made should measure nine by two and one quarter by four and a half inch, and the molds used should be well shod with iron. The clay should be dug by November first and turned over in the following February or March, one month before it was to be used. The addition of salt or brackish water to temper the bricks was forbidden. Another regulation dated November 10, 1711, gives the size of bricks as nine by two and half an inch by four and one half inch." (Lura Woodside Watkins, Early New England Potters and Their Wares - 1950)

Brickmakers were seen in the New World before the earliest known potters were turning their wares. Bricks were needed for homes and chimney construction. Potters had their own demand, too. The first potters kilns in New England may have been manufactured with bricks imported from England; however, the production of bricks dates much earlier than its use in Europe and the New World.

The earliest known bricks date back to 6,395 BC in the Indus Valley region of what is now parts of India, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The use of the brick has varied very little over the centuries. It has always seen a primary use for infrastructure.

The demand for bricks in the New World was great. That demand only grew with more Europeans leaving the Old World for America in the eighteenth century. Brickyards were needed and they began to grow. The most prominent New England brickmakers were in Medford, Massachusetts, but Charlestown and Salem manufactured bricks, too. Each likely served a strong local need. An active export system to all areas of America was probably seen.

"The manufacturer of bricks and of earthenware go hand in hand. The earliest potters are found in the places where brickmaking was first carried on." (Lura Woodside Watkins, Early New England Potters and Their Wares - 1950)

New England's brick business grew in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The clay sources were the same supply used by local earthenware potters.

Over the weekend, I saw a Maine antique picker who often pulls unusual redware and stoneware from homes and barns in Maine. He told me he had a brick for me.

Maine Brick Company - Made Somewhere in Maine

Likely 19th Century

The brick reads, Maine Brick Company across the front of it. The name was imprinted onto the clay as part of the mold. I have seen a number company names impressed on bricks, but never this name. The brick appears early 19th century. It's weight and size appear less than the bricks of the widely popular New England Brick Company of the twentieth century - and similarly related brick companies of New England and New York.

The New England Brick Company operated in Medford, Massachusetts. The company was first known as the Bay State Brick Company. The company underwent a name change on November 23, 1900. There are reports the Bay State Brick Company manufactured upwards of twenty million bricks annually in the latter years of the nineteenth century. It is not known if all bricks showed a company name or only a percentage. I believe it's likely the later of the two. The impressed name probably served as an unconventional advertising tool.

New England Brick Company - Medford, Ma

20th Century

I read through the information Manlif Lelyn Branin provides of Maine's nineteenth century brick industry in the book, "The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine." The earliest records of brickmaking in Maine appeal to have happened at the Norcross Pottery of eighteenth and early nineteenth century Hallowell, Maine. The family run pottery made both bricks and utilitarian earthenware. In the nineteenth century - utilitarian potter, James Daniels worked near the brickmaker, Aaron Huntress in Lincoln, Maine, but no more information was given. 

Harvard Professor Lura Woodside Watkins identified a brickyard in Gardiner, Maine, but provided no more information. 

It appears there were some potters in Maine who manufactured bricks, too. A similar business approach was seen in New Hampshire. The brick industry in Massachusetts was mostly separate from the potters industry. 

I am personally not familiar with the Maine Brick Company. I could not find any information online or any books that identified who this company was. I am curious to know the company background, but further, I would like to know who ran the business. Was it a potter?

Bricks certainly traveled around. I found this brick in a stack of similar bricks in Danversport, Massachusetts. It bears the name Tuttle after the Tuttle Brick Company.

 Tuttle Brick Company - Middletown, Ct

Likely 19th Century

The Tuttle Brick Company was based in Middletown, Connecticut of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is not known when the company ceased operation, but it was likely sometime before the midway point of the twentieth century. South Danvers, Massachusetts' redware industry thrived in the 1800s, but the demand for bricks was never entirely filled locally. I personally do not believe bricks were ever manufactured in Essex County after the American Revolution. Locally, the demand was still seen for bricks. It appears the Tuttle Brick Company owned a contract of some-sort in the nineteenth century to provide bricks to the greater Salem, Massachusetts area. The length and depth of the brickmakers involvement in Essex County is not known.

I wonder what significance the Maine Brick Company may have served in the state of Maine, possibly New Hampshire and perhaps Vermont. What possible standing structures could the brick company be responsible for today? How successful was the company? And again, was a potter involved in a multipurpose business that served bricks for industrial and construction needs - and utilitarian wares for households? It's all interesting. There may be someone reading this who knows exactly what the Maine Brick Company stood for.

Bricks can help date a self-contained archaeology site. The impressed company name can provide a very broad range of the archaeological context from when the brickmaker operated. There were examples of New York made bricks at the Clough House excavation in Boston's North End neighborhood that were seen in a preliminary dated context. Here are a few reports from that dig.

Clough House Report 1
Clough House Report 2

If you would like to learn more about bricks - these are a couple of interesting links that show a wide variety of examples and a detailed history of makers.

http://brickcollecting.com/
Early BrickMaker Examples 

Much more it come...

Terracotta Flower Pots of 18th, 19th and 20th Century Massachusetts

Flower pots have been a part of the domestic potter's output for centuries. The desire for flower and vegetable gardening has always created a demand for flower pots. The form dates back thousands of years.

Flower pots were made in eighteenth century Massachusetts - and almost all industries of years past near the Atlantic Ocean and further inland. The form was manufactured by rural potters in Maine and urban potters in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The demand was there no matter the community. Flower pots were made all over Pennsylvania, Virgina and Western New York in the nineteenth century. It was a part of many earthenware cultures in America.

Abraham Hews began a pottery in Weston, Massachusetts of the eighteenth century. Utilitarian redware and flower pots were a part of the business' output. The company grew to such large lengths in later years of the nineteenth century that Hews Pottery had to move closer to Boston and began production in an industrial style fashion. The company moved away from the more traditional hand-turned wares and produced mainly molded pottery and flower pots. The molds allowed Hews Pottery to extend its productivity to much-greater lengths.

I have previously written a report about the Hews Pottery.
Abraham Hews Pottery Report

I recently visited an early home in Essex, Massachusetts where I found more than a dozen small to medium sized early flower pots in the basement. I believe each to be the product of an Essex County, Massachusetts potter. The variety in form leads me to believe a group of potters are likely.

The first four flower pots represents the traditional form made at Moses Paige's Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts in the latter years of the nineteenth century. Production continued with similar wares into the twentieth century at Paige Pottery.

If you look close enough, you will notice simple characteristics of each flower pot that remains a trend from pot to pot. The Paige Pottery was responsible for a selection of flower pots that ranged from terracotta products to glazed pots with an attached saucer. There were a number of potters who worked and apprenticed at the Paige Pottery. It would likely prove difficult to properly attribute any of the pots to a specific potter beyond the company.

I have previously written a report about flowers pots produced at the Paige Pottery.
Moses Paige Pottery Report

 Likely Moses Paige Pottery - Peabody, Ma

Late 19th Century

Typical Hole Placement for Paige Pottery Flower Pots

I believe this next group of pots were all made at the Paige Pottery, too; however, the drainage hole placement is different than the normally expected centered position - usually seen from the Peabody business. It is possible these were made in Peabody, but a different nearby manufacturer may be responsible - or a different potter at the same business. 

Charles Lawrence's business in Beverly, Massachusetts also manufactured terraccotta flower pots. Lawrence trained together with Moses Paige in Peabody. It is possible that each potter manufactured a similar form. 

I have previously written a report about Charles Lawrrence's Beverly factory.

Charles Lawrence Pottery Report

 Likely Moses Paige Pottery - Peabody, Ma
Possibly Another Essex County Potter

Late 19th Century

The Hole Placement Is Unusual for Moses Paige Pottery Flower Pots

The next group of three flower pots are very similar to a larger form I have previously seen at the National Parks Services Archaeology Collection at the Narbonne House in Salem, Massachusetts. The manufacturing style and overall form of each are very similar. The context at the Narbonne House was an early nineteenth century area. I suspect all were made by the same Essex County potter. It is not known who this potter may have been. It may be an unidentified potter who only made simpler forms with little decoration in Essex County.

 Likely An Essex County, Ma Potter

Early 19th Century

Nicely Hand Turned Flower Pots

This small flower pot reminds me of a wonderfully decorated flower pot in the Narbonne House collection. Both appear to have a similar manufacturing technique when the interior of each pot is examined. I personally feel this small pot is eighteenth century and possibly locally made. I have no idea who the manufacturer may have been. 

I wrote about the wonderfully decorated and nicely preserved eighteenth century flower pot from the Narbonne House in a report last week.

18th Century Essex County Flower Pot Report

 Essex County Flower Pot 

Possibly 18th Century

18th Century Flower Pots Were Often Thickly Potted

These two pots are classic molded forms that were used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries - and in-fact, the form is still very-much in use today. Each was found on the shore of the North River in Danversport, Massachusetts. Both may be from a local Danvers or Peabody potter - or a chance they may have been made at the later Hews Pottery.

 Found On the Shoreline in Danversport, Ma

Molded Flower Pots

19th or 20th Century
Possibly a Local Essex County Manufacturer

When stoneware phased out much of the need for redware - many of the redware utilitarian potters in the nineteenth century transformed their business outputs with products that still reached a demand in the marketplace to stay relevant. Flower pots became a major product in some coastal Massachusetts businesses. The form may have acted as an offset towards products that sold in smaller quantities. The industry eventually turned towards art pottery near the end of the 1800s. Art pottery became a major focus in the early to middle years of the twentieth century; however, potters like Moses Paige remained an active and successful company - working alongside the potters of the art pottery movement with a strong marketplace of buyers. Clients included local florists and nearby gardeners who demanded a need for flower pots. The demand by greenhouses also kept a strong marketplace for terracotta flower pots.

Much more to come...

19th Century Saco River Area Redware Storage Jar With a Nice Orange Glaze

A second utilitarian form was included in my purchases of redware at Brimfield, Massachusetts a few weeks ago. Each descended in the Pearly family of Enosburg, Vermont. The family has a long written history in Vermont's Legislature. The past reported form was a southern Maine flower pot - that I believe to be a rare survivor from a hardly seen maker of the Saco River region. The makers who worked near the Saco River in Maine were no where near comparable to the potters in Woolwich, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts who turned out earthenware in an industry type fashion. The overall potting communities within the New England states directly west and south of Maine were much larger than those who worked near the Saco River. Of course there is always an exception, but overall, the businesses were larger. The potters of the Saco River region mostly acted alone or with little help and the wares made were on a much lesser scale. The businesses elsewhere often saw a group of workers manufacturing earthenware in a more traditional business environment.

Flower Pot Report

I am hesitant to give a specific attribution towards the ensuing storage jar. The form is a classic style used by eighteenth and nineteenth century potters. It likely served a number of storage purposes. There does not appear to be any lard, fat or butter remains so it likely did not serve a food preparation purpose.

The apricot-orange glaze is brilliant. I took the jar out in direct sunlight last night - as the sun was setting over the Merrimac River in Newburyport, Massachusetts. I wanted to show the true glaze colors that may have been seen more than 150 years ago when the jar was possibly sold in an open and outdoor marketplace. This is the glaze the target households would have likely seen in a retail environment. The photo has not been adjusted - not the least. This is how the glaze appears in direct sunlight. I have never personally seen such a bright, vibrant shade of orange glaze before. The glaze blended with the sunlight wonderfully.

The jar shows thick cream colored streaks on top of an orange and yellow body. There are a few small green dots, too that appear much-more prominently on the flower pot and milk pan that I have previously reported on. The thick cream streaks are seen in the flower pot and milk pan, too - where both glaze styles are typically attributed to the potters of the Saco River area. I feel the milk pan, flower pot and the storage jar may have all been manufactured by the same potter.

Huge Milk Pan Report

Saco River Area, Maine Redware Storage Jar

Early to Mid 19th Century

Unusual Orange and Yellow Glaze

Thick Cream Streaks Commonly Seen with Some Saco River Area Potters

 

Thick Cream Streaks Commonly Seen with Some Saco River Area Potters

Thick Cream and Green Streaks Commonly Seen with Some Saco River Area Potters

This form was made all over New England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is seen in eighteenth century Newburyport and Charlestown, Massachusetts. It was even manufactured in many parts of Maine and New Hampshire of the nineteenth century. The classic form was likely seen all over the country for centuries. It varied very little. Its size and glaze color are what typically sets the form apart from potter to potter.

There were a number of potters who worked near the Saco River area in Maine. There was likely an influence seen from potter to potter. There are similarities in techniques. The areas of Afred, Butxton, Limington and Hollis are the most known today. The Bickford family, Webber family, John Alld and Thomas Kendrick were the most prominent potters. The area's industry began before the American Revolution. It operated for more than a century into the latter years of the 1800s. Milk pans, bowls, bean pots, jugs, pitchers and storage vessels were amid the most commonly produced forms, but there were a number of further forms, too. Very little flatware was produced and the use of slip decoration has never been regarded as common practice. To my knowledge, slip was never used in Maine by any nineteenth century potter - it may have been used in eighteenth century Maine when the state was still apart of Massachusetts, but I would be surprised to see it associated with a nineteenth century potter.

The total history behind the storage jar and flower pot is not known. I was told the contents of the home have been in the family for many years and it wasn't until recently - that the storage jar and plant pot came to market on a house call.The apricot-orange glaze is beautiful. I felt the glaze alone was worthy of a report today. I have never seen such a brilliant orange glaze used by a utilitarian potter before. I have seen similar green and yellow glazes from eighteenth and nineteenth century Massachusetts potters, but nothing with such an orange and yellow glaze until now.

I believe there are certain potters who worked in the Saco River area that are not given the proper credit they deserve today. I will not get into the specifics, but some areas are given a lot of credit since details of the work history is known. The work of other potters is not known and they are not given any credit where it is deserved. Future research by collectors, dealers, researchers and archaeologists may help better define the Saco River area potters of Maine.

Much more to come..

Black Glazed Redware Teapots of 19th Century New Jersey

Teapot Report 1

While reading through a book on early American made pottery and porcelain over the weekend - I saw a similar formed teapot to the one I found in Maine earlier this summer. While neither share the exact form, they both take on a well-known nineteenth century English style. The book identifies the teapot as an important New Jersey nineteenth century maker.

 

Redware Teapot - Made in New Jersey

Marked by the Potter

Circa 1830-1850
Photo Courtesy: Pottery and Porcelain - 1983 (book)

 Redware Teapot Found in Maine

Likely the Same Period as the New Jersey Teapot

Possibly the Same Manufacturer

Possibly an English Manufacturer

The New Jersey made teapot is signed by the potter, John Mann of Rahway, New Jersey. It received much attention at an exhibition held at the Newark, New Jersey historical society more than a century ago. Initially, people were unsure if the impression of Mann's name on the bottom of the teapot stood for the potter, owner or merchant. 

Black glazed teapots of the nineteenth century often bear  the name of a merchant. I have  seen a few pieces that bear the marks of New York City merchants. I have even seen redware pitchers made in Beverly, Massachusetts during the second half of the nineteenth century that were then sold in Boston with the retailers stamp on the base. It is not common, but it is not uncommon either to find nineteenth century redware that was produced in an urban environment that was then sold at an upscale urban store. Boston, New York City and likely Philadelphia merchants all participated in the trade. Merchant's would travel the country and often the globe to find the best quality products to sell in their stores. In this case, it was not an owner's or merchant's stamp, rather, John Mann was a potter.

See Figure 14 for Mann's Stamp

Photo Courtesy: Guide to Pottery and Porcelain Marks (book)

The two teapot forms above are similar enough that each may likely have been produced by Mann. Mann may have worked in a few English styles that he used as inspiration to produced teapots in New Jersey before the mid-nineteenth century.

Black glazed teapots were manufactured from Massachusetts and New York all the way south into Pennsylvania and North Carolina of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Troy, New York and Whately, Massachusetts of the early nineteenth century were two of the more established manufacturers of earthenware teapots in the northeast. The Crafts family of potters in Massachusetts saw direct and indirect influences into each area. However, these were not the only areas that teapots were produced in New England. I was taught not too long ago that period advertising shows teapots were reproduced in nearly every state that had proper clay to manufacturer redware. It was a common product in almost every household and sold in nearly all American communities. Therefore, the production of finely potted American teapots was likely much-greater than some would realize today. Many potters are known, but many are probably not, too. There may be a number of well-known potters today that no remains of their teapot production remains, but it doesn't mean there was production.

For those of you who know the name of the Maine potter, Thomas Kendrick - I have heard rumors of a teapot that he produced found in a privy in Maine. That is completely unexpected. Kendrick likely did not mass produce teapots, otherwise, there would likely be a few survivors. He probably only made a small number. I believe the shard shows the classic Thomas Kendrick colorful glaze.

Who is to say that William Pecker did not produce a few teapots in Merrimacport, Massachusetts? It's not out of the question that the potters in Southeastern Massachusetts didn't manufacture a few. There may have been teapots produced in Western New York. All that most can go by today is what is known and seen, but there may be more evidence that suggests the contrary. Potters were businessmen, too. They made what would sell. If there was a market for teapots then they would likely have tried to capitalize and make teapots.

Redware plates, milk pans, jugs and a variety of other utilitarian forms were produced in New Jersey for centuries. The state is most-known today for its successful, accomplished and mastered stoneware industry, but redware should not be excluded. John Mann and Edward Griffin specialized in making black and red glazed teapots. Griffin worked in Elizabeth, New Jersey and to my knowledge, is not thought to have used a company stamp. Each manufactured teapots from molds much like the English did with their forms. Griffin worked from the eighteenth century into the nineteenth century while Mann established his business in 1830 and worked until at least 1850.

A New Jersey auction house suggested this teapot may have been manufactured by John Mann at a  2011 sale. It was not signed or stamped.

19th Century Redware Teapot - Possibly New Jersey

Photo Courtesy: Dennis Auction Services - Stewartsvile, NJ

English style teapots were common everyday use and some redware examples seen in America today with a black glaze are actually English made.

Could the Maine found teapot be English or possibly a New Jersey manufacturer? Could it be the product of another American potter? Is an Edward Griffin attribution possible? I would say the attribution to John Mann may be difficult with it lacking a stamp, but it may not be out of the question either. Mann likely didn't sign every single piece he made. He may have only signed a few, rather than a lot. Any ideas?

More to come...

Unfamilar Forms, Glazes and Decoration of 18th and 19th Century Essex County Massachusetts

More than 100 potters worked in the South Danvers (Peabody), Massachusetts area of the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It would be near impossible to account for all the variety of earthenware produced. There has been plenty of literature written on the potters of this area in the past century, but the knowledge is still lacking information towards the entire industry's overall appearance.

I personally believe slip decoration was applied in the manufacturing process of the eighteenth century, but there is very-little evidence to suggest it happened (Slip Report). Incised decoration was applied in great detail on many crocks of the eighteenth century (Incised Report). Both slip and the use of incised work had all, but phased out by the nineteenth century in Essex County. I feel the knowledge of both these decorative techniques is limited. The shard evidence is only represented at a few early home sites in Salem,  Massachusetts. The use of incised work is especially interesting since it was not really used to the detail it was in Essex County in any other parts of New England with the exception of Braintree and southeastern Massachusetts; however, each of these areas saw a strong Essex County influence, too. It is not entirely known if the potter or potters who used the great incised work were from South Danvers - or rather, from another Essex County community that imported into the greater Salem area.

Redware Terracotta Flower Pot - Essex County, Ma

Narbonne House Archaeological Collection (Salem, Ma)

Made Before 1780

Photo Courtesy: Norm Eggert for Northeast Museum Services Center

"Although the South Danvers potters were so active and the manufacture in Newburyport successful, the earthenware business flourished at one time or another in nearly every township of Essex County. The excellence and abundance of clay, the proximity of home markets, and the ready means for shipping the ware encouraged many craftsman to enter the trade." (Lura Woodside Watkins, Early New England Potters and Their Wares, 1950)

The Essex County towns of South Danvers, Danversport, Salem Village and Beverly saw at least a half dozen river systems with an abundance of quality clay for redware production. Potter's kilns were setup on the edges of rivers, in backyards and in centralized business locations. Potters may have seen shops further north in Essex, Topsfield, Ipswich and the overall areas that make up Cape Ann Massachusetts. It is likely that many of the smaller potters are not known. However, it is known that the river systems that met the Atlantic Ocean were in full use to ship wares to neighboring communities and in the case of the larger operations - an export system was seen to further their products to outside areas of New England.

No stoneware is believed to have ever been attempted in Essex County. A number of stoneware shards have been found in archaeological areas of Essex County that bear the mark of Charlestown and Boston. It is likely the Charlestown potter, Frederick Carpenter shipped stoneware from his business to Essex County in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Store owners and merchants were likely responsible for peddling the utilitarian wares.

Very-little evidence of the potter who made the ensuing redware pitcher exists. I personally only know of a few mugs in the manner of this pitcher. The following pitcher is the only one I have ever personally seen. Lura Woodside Watkins attributes a similar decorated mug from her collection to an unknown Essex County potter - that is now a part of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. It is seen in figure 56(B) of her book, "Early New England Potters and Their Wares."

 Essex County Ma Redware Pitcher
Rare Form with Unusual Glaze
Very Late 18th Century or Early 19th Century

The Handle is Similar to Some (Not All) William Pecker Handles of Merrimacport, Ma

The pitcher's overall form slightly compares to the expected forms made at the Osborn Pottery of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in South Danvers, but the handle placement is rather different. The typical South Danvers handles were attached at the neck. Here we see a strap handle that is attached towards the center of the body. The glaze style is unusual, too. The black is a very thick splash of manganese. This is not commonly seen in nineteenth century New England redware. The manganese is usually applied in a more subtle sense and not boldly seen. This type decoration is more commonly seen with eighteenth century slip decoration that was splashed onto vessels in thick dots. I have seen very-large jugs from eighteenth century Massachusetts use a similar technique, but those date before 1770. This pitcher is later, but maybe related.

Watkins describes the mug in her collection as a, "brilliant orange (glaze) with bushed on black (decoration)."

It's interesting to see this form and its decoration at the very-least. This pitcher is a wonderful example of the lesser known wares of Essex County - that are no where near as known as the wares that dominated South Danvers at the Osborn Pottery of the early to mid nineteenth century.

I am personally curious to know if this pitcher was made by the Tarbell family of Beverly, Massachusetts. William Tarbell trained in South Danvers before moving to Beverly establishing his own business of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. William's son, William Jr.  worked alongside his father until the business ended in 1819. Not a lot is known of the company's output. Could this pitcher be the work of the Tarbell family? The clay and glaze reaction are similar to earthenware produced later in the nineteenth century at another earthenware business in Beverly.

Much more to come...

Unusual John Corliss (Maine) Type Redware Wash Basin Uncovered in Portsmouth, NH

The Deer Street archaeology projects in Portsmouth, New Hampshire uncovered a number of fascinating eighteenth and nineteenth century domestic redware shards. Many were near whole examples. Portsmouth's seaport was an active maritime community for more than two hundred years with a great import system that maintained a healthy economic system through the 1800s. The China Trade was especially important to the region's stability, commerce and industries.

I came across this redware bowl or deep dish as part of my studies at the Strawbery Banke Archaeology Department in Portsmouth. It shows an unusual incised decoration on its lip. I have personally never seen a decoration like this before. I had planned on looking into its origin a little more. The form is too late to be a part of my studies, but I still found it fascinating and if it were not in pieces - I would love to own a similar example for my collection. The backside glaze is especially interesting.

I should note the incised decoration is a lot more prominent in person. It did not photograph too well.

 Redware Bowl or Deep Dish with Incised Wavy and Straight Line Decoration

Found in Deer Street Archaeology District of Portsmouth, NH

Likely Early to Mid 19th Century

Very Interesting Underside Glaze

The important Maine redware assemblage seen as part of the Berdan Collection that sold on January 28, 1998 at Stephen Cyr Auctions in Gray, Maine - contained a similar formed and decorated bowl. It was attributed to the Maine potter, John Corliss - who worked in Woolwich, Maine of much of the nineteenth century. The bowl was found in a home within a walking distance of the old Corliss business.

Pictured below is the bowl with its original auction description.

Lot 556 Corliss Wash Basin - Incised on Bottom AW, wavy incised decoration on lip, tan glaze with dark brown spots. 12 1/2" diam. 3" high (3" chip to lip). Found in Day's Ferry, Maine.

John Corliss Redware Wash Basin - Days Ferry, Whoolwich, Me

Circa 1825-1860

Ex Berdan Collection

Stephen Cyr Auctions Description

Sold January 28, 1998

The archaeology of Deer Street was undertaken through roughly a five year period between 1981 and 1986. There is a strong contingency of eighteenth century imported domestic redware that continues up through the mid nineteenth century. I believe the Deer Street bowl could very-well have been made by John Corliss' company. It was seen grouped in with a number of mid-nineteenth century Portsmouth area artifacts.

John Corliss was born in North Yarmouth, Maine in 1799. He is regarded as having trained in North Yarmouth and Bath, Maine before establishing the Corliss Pottery in the Days Ferry neighborhood of Woolwich, Maine in 1824.

The Deer Street site yielded a few more samples of large vessels that were likely Maine made. It is not known, but the Corliss Pottery may have exported their wares into Portsmouth on a period basis. The Piscataqua River was commonly used by ships of all sizes as a means of water transportation for trade. The Corliss wares may have  made their way southeast from the Kennebec River, to the Atlantic Ocean and further south into Portsmouth's harbor for distribution. Merchants may have traveled north from Portsmouth and purchased directly from the pottery, too - or the basin may have traveled with homeowners into the Deer Street neighborhood.

Dozens of forms were made at the Corliss Pottery in its decades of existence. Most were made for use and sold directly or through retailers along the Kennebec River for utilitarian uses for houses of this region.

The jar pictured below demonstrates a similar incised wavy and straight line decoration as the Corliss bowl or wash basin. I have never been able to properly attribute it. It was found in a junk shop in Vergennes, Vermont in the 1970s. Vergennes is more than 150 miles in distance from Woolwich. It is near Middlebury, Vermont that saw a great redware industry of the nineteenth century, but its not thought to be related. It is also not thought to have been made in Western New York State of New Jersey - where both areas made jars in a slightly similar fashion. I have never seen a jar like this attributed to Maine, but then again - I have never seen a jar like this one before. The food mold could also be related.

 19th Century Handled Redware Jar

Nice Green Glaze with Orange Halos

Found at a Junk Shop in Vergennes, Vt in the 1970s

 A Similar Wavy and Straight Line Decoration is Seen Like the Corliss Bowl or Basin

 Nicely Glazed Interior
Similar to the Corliss Type Bowl's Backside Found in Portsmouth, NH

 Similar Glazed Food Mold to the Handled Jar

19th Century

Found in Portsmouth, NH

Similar Green Glaze with Orange or Peach Halos

I thought it was worth the look for the comparison in glazes between the mold and jar - and then an analysis of the decoration seen on the handled jar with the incised decoration on the Corliss bowls. There are certainly a few similarities.

Could the idea behind the backside glaze seen on the Corliss type bowl be comparable to the interior glaze on the handled green jar? Its worth the mention and a quick consideration at the very least.

A New Hampshire maker is possible, but I have never seen anything like this attributed to New Hampshire either. I was personally leaning towards a Maine maker, but without a specific name to work with. I am very confident there is no Canadian relationship to the early potter's industries north of Vermont.

More to come...

Saco River Region, Maine Redware Flower Pot - Rare Find!

I made the trek from Newburyport, Massachusetts to the antique shows and flea market in Brimfield, Massachusetts yesterday. My real focus these days are American rare or important makers of the nineteenth century, unusual forms and no matter what, anything manufactured in the eighteenth century.

The Brimfield shows can really be a hit or miss event. I prefer to search the unlikely places where a dealer or similar seller may have a piece of pottery that has been just pulled from a house in a rural area of New England that I do not normally have access to - and yesterday, was certainly not the exception.

I roamed the fields and acres for about two hours yesterday morning before I even saw a piece of redware. Brimfield has almost become a sideshow of what it used to be. It's still very-much fun, but I've been told stories by people who are older than me of the yester-years at Brimfield. It used to be much more about American antiques than it is today. There are some areas of Brimfield that have become an American Pickers feel or rusty gold. Those are not true American antiques - rather, vintage material from industrial businesses of the twentieth century. There are lots of vintage factory-made parts and manufacturer's material of the 1940s and 50s, but you never know for sure what is in those fields - unless you look. I looked all over. I checked the same fields that I found a wonderful Beverly, Massachusetts stew pot; Alfred, Maine spice jar and a signed and dated jar made in Georgia this past May. There wasn't much to be seen yesterday in the open free fields There were a number of nineteenth century Pennsylvania  forms and late Federal or Early Victorian period partially glazed redware jars, but nothing that held my interest. As usual, a number of common mid nineteenth century stoneware was seen, but much too late for me.

I was about to give up for the day. I was exhausted. My legs were sore from walking; however, I decided to check out the first show of the day that started at 11am where a number of my friends would be setup and selling at.

I walked this entire field for about a half hour. I saw about a dozen or so nice pieces of New England redware, but none that fell into the categories I mention above. I decided to call it a day. On my way back, I stopped in one last field that I have never seen anything noteworthy in before. Anything can appear in this field, but I have personally never found anything that I couldn't live without.

I looked around a few of the dealer tents and it was more of the same, but when I stopped under the largest tent - I saw a nice deep redware milk pan or deep bowl that appeared Maine-made. It shared all the characteristics of the potters working near the Saco River. The price wasn't bad. I asked the dealer where she was from. I always do this so I can get an idea of where the pottery may have been found. She said Burlington, Vermont. I asked her where she found it and she told me it was fresh from a house in Waterbury, Vermont. She told me they get a lot of house calls and that is where most their inventory comes from. The bowl was in mint condition with no viseable flaws and the price was cheap. I didn't make any decision. I left the bowl sitting on the table and I kept looking around. I also saw a brown glazed straight-sided storage jar. I didn't really have much interest in the form. It may have been a Vermont or Maine maker, but the form didn't appeal to me very-much. I continued to walk around the tent for another minute or two. On my back to make an offer on the milk pan - I noticed a partially glazed redware flower pot sitting under a table on the floor. I picked it up and saw an unusual interior glaze and immediately knew it was something special.

I had seen this glaze before, but I had never seen the glaze on a flower pot up to now. These glazes are typically attributed to the potter, John Alld of Hollis, Maine, but my recent studies in Limington Village, Maine lead me to believe these glazes could actually be attributed to John Bickford. Never-the-less, it is probably a southern Maine maker who worked near the Saco River.

Possibly John Bickford - Limington Village, Me

Possibly John Alld - Hollis Center, Me

Circa 1820-1840

Notice the Green Dots

The noticeable green dots are nearly exclusive to Maine potters working around the Saco River in Maine within New England redware. They are also seen in Pennsylvania. It is likely caused from an abundance of copper in the clay.

The potters working near the Saco River in Maine were all small businesses types. Many may have been farmers, too to fully support their families - and why these examples are so rare today. The potters were not working full-time year round. There were not a lot made in comparison to many of the larger industries in southern New England. Most were broken, but then again, most redware anywhere got broken. It's all considered rare.

Take a look at this jar and see its use as a flower pot. It's very surprising this has survived for nearly two-hundred years in this condition. It likely saw an indoor and outdoor use. The weather alone could have destroyed it. It may have been used for another purpose, but I believe it to be a flower pot.

The potters working in southern Maine were known for making pots of various sizes, pudding pans, flats pans, stew pots, ink stands, wash bowls, milk pans of various sizes, platters, pitchers, chamber pots, cream pots, bean pots, greenhouse pots, flower pots and jugs. Any survivors are considered extremely rare today.

The woman told me the flower pot came from a house in Enosburg, Vermont - which is near the Canadian border. She told me it descended through the Pearly family of Vermont. The family has a long history in Vermont's legislature. That gives it a strong provenance to go along with an already rare maker.

The flower pot's price was cheap just like the milk pan so I offered a price for both that she accepted. The milk pan was also probably made in the Saco River area. I believe that many of the potters working in Maine exported their wares into Vermont and possibly Canada. The more southern areas of New England were already heavily dominated by a number of potters and it is my guess, that the only options the Maine potters had were to sell locally and export to the north and west.

I have previously written three reports on the unknown remains of a potter working in Limington Village, Maine. It may be John Bickford, but we are not certain, yet. An archaeological dig may be happening soon to prove who this exact potter was  and what their manufacturing detailed.

Report 1

Report 2

Report 3

I have also written a report on a huge milk pan that was likely made in this region.

Redware Milk Pan Report

Much more to come....