Late 19th Century Terracotta Strawberry Pots of the Northeast

Long Island was a major supplier of bricks, clay, earthenware and stoneware in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The locals clays were reportedly as good as any clays dug in the Old World. Terracotta products became popular in the latter years of the nineteenth century.

The manufacture of terracotta flower pots on Long Island is described in the 1915 Journal, Documents of the Senate of New York, Volume 15. 

"There is a deposit of mottled blue clay on Long Island between Southold and Greenport, which is used for manufacturing flower pots at the latter place. The clay at Oakland Valley of O.B. Wheeler has also been used for this purpose."

I was recently surprised to see a terracotta strawberry pot in a prominent New York collection - which was likely made on Long Island in the nineteenth century. Its form and feel appeared about right for a nineteenth century product - and it was found on Long Island, which helps support a possible attribution. I had never before really considered the idea of terracotta strawberry pots as a part of the potter's output in New York and New England. I have always regarded redware bulb planters and strawberry pots as a popular form made in the mid-Atlantic states, and further south - neither, were products commonly associated with the early potters of the northeast. It is also likely that most of these outdoor-type products were easily broken after only a few seasons of use.

The book, Useful Art: Long Island Pottery mentions a short-lived potter who worked on Long Island in the fourth quarter of the nineteenth century, where terracotta products were manufactured. This potter may have been responsible for the strawberry pot mentioned above.

"In 1888 Austin E. Hempstead opened his pottery on Parsons Avenue at the corner of Queens Avenue in Flushing to produce earthenware flower pots, drain pipes and similar vessels such as a chicken feeder. Hempstead's firm was short lived, closing only two years after it opened." The Hempstead family name is synonymous with Long Island stoneware and redware. Austin E. Hempstead previously manufactured similar glazed and unglazed wares in the Greenport area of Long Island.

The Long Island strawberry pot reminded me of a similar formed strawberry pot I purchased from a Massachusetts antiques dealer this summer. This particular dealer cleans out homes on Boston's North Shore and in parts of New Hampshire. He had the pot with him at a flea market in August. It had been tossed in with a pile of vintage household wares - that were previously in a storage unit after they were removed from a house. The pot had wavy incised decoration, which was popular in eighteenth century coastal Massachusetts. I am not entirely sure if there is any relationship, but I am hoping future research will prove there is - with it having ties to a nineteenth century potter. Similar incised decorations were also popular in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont in the nineteenth century.

 Mid to Late 19th Century Terracotta Strawberry Pot

Possibly Massachusetts - Definitely American

 Unusual Wavy Line Incised Decoration

 Interior of Well-Used Strawberry Pot

Manufacturing Style of Bottom is Typical for 19th Century Potters

Terracotta strawberry pots were widely popular by the earthenware potters who worked from North Carolina to Georgia, but it is my belief the form was rare in New England. I do not even have a regional attribution for the strawberry pot I found. I would like to imagine it as a Massachusetts product, but I do not have enough evidence yet to say it is anything beyond American-made. 

The pot's form is very similar to the pot found on Long Island. Both have comparable rolled lips, bodies, bases and the manner in which the strawberry pockets are displayed is very similar. The incised decoration is what really sets the two apart. It's a form that was not really attempted by most potters. It's also a form that can be translated into many uses. Its suggested name recommends its intended use, but there is no reason why other types of fruits, vegetables and flowers cannot be grown from its pockets. I can envision tulips sprouting from its holes in the spring. Beyond that, the possibilities are endless.

I am not sure when the strawberry pot first became popular, but I assume the form is early. I place the idea in the same category as earthenware bird bottles made by the Poor Potter, William Rogers in Yorktown, Virigina in the early eighteenth century. Both forms are regularly reproduced today. Each is rather unique to the early utilitarian potter's industry. These were creative ideas thought up by potters, which go far beyond the traditional household wares that are expected.

Earthenware Bird Bottle or Bird House

William Rogers - Yorktown, Va

Ca. 1725-1750

Photo Courtesy: Colonial Williamsburg - Williamsburg, Va

I do not have a lot of proof, but I would suspect variations of the terracotta strawberry pot form have been produced since ancient times. The form could have provided an easier way for people to grow plants in congested urban environments and where sufficient soils may not have been sustainable. Below is an ancient Roman jar that appears similar to some of the redware bulb jars made in Pennsylvania.

Earthenware Jar Found in Roman-England

Dates Back 1,800 Years

Unknown Use, But Similar Idea to Bulb Jar and Strawberry Pots

Photo Courtesy: www.LiveScience.com

All I know for sure, is the strawberry pot's form really became popular in many parts of America in the nineteenth century. It was especially seen in the areas south of New York. The wavy incised lines of the pot I found lead me to believe it may have been a product at a local Essex County business; however, that is not entirely a tell-tale sign of its origin. It is certainly American. Its form appears similar to some products made in the northeast. Beyond that, it is a bit of a mystery. I am hopeful I will have more information to provide at a later time. There will also be more on terracotta products in the future.

Please Stay Tuned for More...