19th Century Red Earthenware Crocks or Pots from New Hampshire and Possibly Maine Potters

While making a trip to north-central Massachusetts last weekend - I made a quick detour across the New Hampshire border into Greenville, New Hampshire. I stopped at a large warehouse-style antique shop that I have found success at in the past - and like previous stops, I discovered an interesting example of nineteenth-century New England red earthenware that I would like to discuss today.

There are a few reasons I purchased this jar - 1) it still retains what appears to be its original lid, 2) the lid is unusual and 3) it has been glazed with three separate glaze colors - all of which were placed on areas of the crock that would stand out to the consumer. The glaze colors also probably showed well in nicely lit areas of the household. It's especially surprising to see three different glaze colors. I'm not sure what the idea behind this purpose was - it may have possibly been a marketing or advertising strategy - or maybe the potter ran out of glaze and mixed three left-over colors on this specific piece. Different glazes can be seen on the interior, around the handle and the top of the lid. The lid is also especially surprising due to the amount of holes that were placed into it. When was the last time you saw a red earthenware lid attributed to New England with four holes in it?! This is a first for me. I assume the holes were intended to release steam; although I do not see any indication on the pot or crock to suggest it was ever exposed to hot temperatures outside of the kiln or even an open flame.

The lid is decorated in a tannish-brown and black speckled glaze - the interior is colored in an orange glaze - and the handle shows a brown glaze with black speckles. All shine very nicely in the natural sunlight.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Crock Recently Found in Greenville, NH

Probably a New Hampshire or Maine Potter

 This Pot or Crock Shows Three Different Glaze Colors

Very Unusual for any American Potter

 Unusual Glaze Style Seen on the Handle

Similar to Both Glazed Pots or Crocks Below

 Interior Glaze is Similar to Glazes Seen in Southern Maine

 Very Unusual Lid with Four Punched Holes

Never Seen a Lid Like this Before

 Interesting Burn Mark on the Underside of the Lid

Lead Believed to be Original

Pot or Crock Stands Just Under 7" Tall with the Lid

The New Hampshire Historical Society owns two similar pots that may be related. Both examples demonstrate a similar glazed handle; however neither still retain their original lid. The first is attributed to New Hampshire with no specific attribution to a region or a potter. It was found in the home of Eva Farnum of Concord, who was reportedly married to Benjamin Herbert Farnum - who was a farmer in Concord in the nineteenth-and-twentieth-centuries. There is no strong evidence to say how the couple obtained the piece or if it predated the couple's residence in their home. It was possibly an item that was left in the Concord home from the previous occupants, but I have no way to confirm that either. There is no real evidence to say how the pot or crock came into the possession of Benjamin and Eva. It does have two separate glazes - the interior is described as a clear yellow glaze by the historical society with an olive and green glaze wrapped around the handle with black speckles seen throughout it.

19th Century Red Earthenware Pot or Crock - Probably a New Hampshire Potter

Ca. 1800-1900

Interior is Glazed in a Clear "Yellow" Glaze

Exterior is Glazed in an Olive-Yellow Glaze with Black Speckles

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society - Concord, NH

The second pot or crock has a strong provenance since it was stamped, J.S. Taft & Co/Keene NH. The big difference I see between the three crocks of discussion is the glaze - where the two crocks in the collection of the New Hampshire Historical Society all bear two glaze colors - while the crock I found in Greenville, New Hampshire is adorned in three colorful glazes. There is a chance the crocks the New Hampshire Historical Society owns may have had a lid with a third glaze - and there is a chance they did not. The following crock has been glazed on the interior with a cream glaze and the exterior shows a red and green variegated glaze.

19th Century Red Earthenware Pot or Crock Stamped J.S. Taft & Co/Keene NH

Reportedly Ca. 1871-1904

Interior is Glazed in a Cream Glaze

Exterior is Glazed in a Red-Green Glaze

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society - Concord, NH

The business in Keene, New Hampshire was started by James Scolley Taft in 1871. The company began with simple utilitarian products like stoneware and red earthenware before it quickly focused on molded pottery products intended for household use in the dining room and sometimes strictly for decoration. I do have questions if the crock stamped J.S. Taft & Co (shown above) was actually made at the Keene business or if it was made elsewhere. It is suggested the crock was made between 1871-1904 due to the company stamp that was impressed. Taft's company also sold stoneware products in the 1870s and 1880s that were branded with the company name, but were actually commissioned through New Jersey potters. I am curious to know if that is the case with this crock. Could it have been made at another New Hampshire, Maine - or even Vermont potter's business?

I personally feel the crock I found in Greenville may have been made in southern Maine. I have seen similar glazed shards at the Bickford Pottery (19th century) site in Buxton, Maine that compare to the interior of the pot . Similar shards have also been seen at a related pottery in Limington, Maine that also operated in the nineteenth-century; although seeing the multi-glazed crocks owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society also makes me question a possible New Hampshire-maker. It's all very interesting. Forms like these crocks were made by potters all over America in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-centuries by related stoneware and red-earthenware potters.

Much More to Come...

18th Century Imitation by the Early Red Earthenware Potters of Charlestown, Massachusetts

Lighting devices have been used for thousands of years to properly light areas when darkness sets in. Its a device that has spanned the globe from one-country to the next. The forms have varied - so haven't the materials, but the purpose has always remained the same. Metals, clays, woods and whatever other substances that could hold a flame - have been used by just about all imaginable cultures. No matter the form, a small hand-held flame may have been used for night-time reading, the dinner table, a chamber or bedroom, a cellar, the outdoors, the indoors and an infinitive amount of increased demands - the needs were really endless.

In the book I am writing, I discuss the idea that Charlestown, Massachusetts red earthenware potters occasionally copied imported European products that were sought after in the American colonies. In today's report, I would like to introduce a red earthenware candlestick or candle-holder that appears to imitate an earthenware product made in Staffordshire, England in the middle of eighteenth-century. Candlesticks are considered rare from any American potter in the eighteenth-or-nineteenth-centuries. It wasn't a red earthenware form that saw a lot of popularity with the marketplace. I only known of a small number of candlesticks that were made by utilitarian American potters - and I have not found it was a product that was made in every state. I have seen candlesticks made in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia - but nothing I know of from anywhere else. I imagine states like Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina may have produced related products; however I cannot personally provide proof of it. The candlestick form became much-more popular with art potters during the American Arts & Crafts Movement (Ca. 1860s-1930s).

Essex County, Massachusetts Red Earthenware Candesticks or Candle-Holders

Purportedly Made at Moses Paige Pottery - Peabody (South Danvers), Ma

Ca. Late 19th Century (Likely After 1880)

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Historical Society - Peabody, Ma

The particular candlestick I am going to show today was found in a pre-1775 context in Charlestown - within the Maudlin Street Archaeological District. Maudlin Street was apart of the central area of Charlestown, located just to the west of the Town Dock where many of the industry's potters worked. Maudlin Street was home to a group of houses that burned at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. It was connected to the City Square neighborhood, which was the heart of Charlestown. City Square contained a number of shops and the Three Cranes Tavern - an important building that was originally known as the Great House when it was built for John Winthrop in the seventeenth-century. Pictured below is all that remains of what I perceive to be a copied candlestick or candle-holder from a local potter who used an English manufacturer as inspiration.

 Possibly Charlestown, Ma Red Earthenware Candlestick or Candle-Holder

Uncovered at the Maudlin Street Archaeological District in Charlestown, Ma

Probably Ca. 1740-1775

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Dept. - West Roxbury, Ma

Base of Candlestick or Candle-Holder

Probably Made by a Local Potter

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Dept. - West Roxbury, Ma

Boston City Archaeologist, Joe Bagley quickly turned to his library after I pulled this shard from the Charlestown collection last year. What he found was what appears to be a similar formed earthenware product made in Staffordshire - and thus the reason why I suggest this shard may have been a copy or imitation of that product. I have never seen another related American red earthenware product beyond this shard. It may have been a unique product, but certainly (in my opinion) not a product that was in regular production by Charlestown's potters. Unfortunately, the potter or business is not currently known.  

Pictured below is a Staffordshire earthenware candlestick from the mid-eighteenth-century that was found in Williamsburg, Virginia. I looked in Colonial Williamsburg's ceramic database; however I was not able to find the actual candleholder so the black-and-white photo will have to do for now. The idea is similar to the shard's form above.

Staffordshire, England Earthenware Candleholder

Ca. Mid-18th-Century

Found in Williamsburg, Va

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Dept. - West Roxbury, Ma

The Charlestown potters seem to have been innovative, creative and imitative with their production. I have seen shards found in various sections of Charlestown where forms appear to be a copy of its European counterpart. It's rather interesting to see these types of products in a time when European ceramics were highly sought after by those living in the American colonies. Similar copied products have been found in archaeological contexts in Virigina, Pennsylvania, New York and New Hampshire; although I assume if there was a strong market for European products in the colonies there was a potter who tried to capitalize with their own product. This is the case with one of the most-fascinating merchants and potters who worked in Boston before 1775 - when Benjamin Leigh and Jonathan Allman began an imitation company borrowing their product's appearance from a well-established English manufacturer in 1769. The story progressed into a loyalist who tried to undermine an English product in Boston - who then eventually played a pivotal role in the Boston Massacre. This subject is currently under study and will also be a part of the book I am writing. This type of imitation was seen all-over before 1775  - and really, its still very-much a part of our culture today that can be seen in industries through tangible and intangible products from all-over the world.

Much More to Come...

A Very-Rare Red Earthenware Marriage Jar Made in Whately, Massachusetts Around 1820-1830

Before I get into today's report, I would like to share a citation taken from the book, In Pursuit of Beauty: Americans and the Aesthetic Movement - published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1986: "..."Greek Painted Vases," an article that appeared in the American Art Amateur in 1882 - a time when vogue for these reproductions was beginning to wane - quotes Dresser's (Christopher Dresser) remarks on the lesson to be learned from ancient models: "Whatever ornament is placed around a cup, or vase...should be such as will not suffer in perspective, for there is scarcely any portion of the ornament that can be seen otherwise that foreshortened. Let simplicity be the ruling principle in the decoration of all rounded objects." Design characteristics adopted from Greek pottery, among which flat, stylized decoration with a minimum of modeling or shading was especially prized, resulted in the simplified designs that helped to characterize aesthetic pottery. Facsimiles of Greek terracotta vessels were some of the earliest artistic ceramics produced in America. The first known reference to an "artware line" appeared in 1872, when "the Beverly Pottery at the request of Boston ladies began to copy beautiful forms of ancient vases to order." Charles A. Lawrence, the superintendent of that Massachusetts factory, intentionally limited his production of imitation Greek pottery, for he feared that if it became common it would depreciate in value. He therefore sold it only in small lots to his "artistic" friends for their own private collection."

I think this citation speaks to the importance and rarity of C.A. Lawrence Pottery today no matter the form, need or use. It is in my opinion that this Beverly business is one of the more important Massachusetts potters/businesses employed in the nineteenth-century. The fact a potter was able to achieve the highest standards of traditional utilitarian red earthenware, garden statuary, art pottery and decorative pottery is quite an astounding accomplishment. Charles A. Lawrence kept with the market trends while remaining with a strong product quality. He obviously was not only interested in product turn-over; rather Lawrence's primary focus appeared to culminate around a product line that achieved the highest possible standard.

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In today's report - I would like to discuss what I perceive to be one of the most important examples of red earthenware I have seen made in central or western Massachusetts from the eighteenth-or-nineteenth-centuries. The auction-house, Crocker Farm, Inc. of Sparks, Maryland has been consigned an incredible jar made in Whately, Massachusetts with a wonderful local history that documents a strong relationship between two families. According to Crocker Farm, "...The glazed redware jar has been inscribed "Louisa Dickenson" and "Whately, Lemuel A. Wait." The jar was probably made around 1820-1830 by the potter, Lemuel Alvin Wait for his future wife, Louisa Dickenson. This is the only marriage jar I know of made in New England that was not apart of the industry in southeastern Massachusetts (See Hilary and Paulette Nolan Collection - Northeast Auctions, August 2004 catalog for examples). I perceive these marriage jars made in southeastern Massachusetts to be some of the most important examples of New England redware to exist today - for many factors that begin with an extremely important (incised) provenance. Very-few are known to exist and I would place this Whately jar in the same category.

The Whately jar features a wonderful grouping of incised line work, an ovoid body, flared rim and two rounded carrying handles. The green glaze is attractive with peach-colored halos that were likely caused from iron impurities in the clay. Purely, it's just a wonderful example of New England red earthenware with a written inscription, which only makes it that much better.

Whately, Ma Red Earthenware Marriage Jar

Incised "Louisa Dickenson" and "Whately, Lemuel A. Wait"

Ca. 1820-1830

Height: 10 1/4"

Wonderful Proportions

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm, Inc. - Sparks, Md

 Nicely Applied Decorative Incised Lines
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm, Inc. - Sparks, Md 

 Wonderful Rounded Handles
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm, Inc. - Sparks, Md 

Beautiful Green and Peach Colored Glaze
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm, Inc. - Sparks, Md 

Whately is located in western Massachusetts just to the north of Amherst. It was an area that employed at least 23 potters in the nineteenth-century, who worked in red earthenware or stoneware products - and sometimes they made both. Lemuel Wait was employed on behalf of the Wait family of potters and he is listed in Lura Woodside Watkins book, Early New England Potters and Their Wars.

A red earthenware jar listed on Connecticut antique dealers, Christine Hanaeur and Randy Seidman's website has always stumped me on a possible maker, but after seeing the jar Crocker Farm has available - I think there is a chance it could be related. They describe it as, "...A beautifully formed ovoid jar that reminds me of the shape of (stoneware) jars thrown by Frederick Carpenter (Charlestown, Masss - 18th & 19th centuries).

As I said in yesterday's report, forms sometimes varied inside a business because of multiple employed potters. That could possibly be the case with these two jars. I do see similarities, but I also see obvious differences. It also reminds me of products made in New Hampshire; however those jars were often a much-different form typically made in the southwestern and central parts of the state.

Massachusetts or New Hampshire Red Earthenware Jar

Form is Similar to the Jar Above, But Also Resembles Products Made in New Hampshire

Photo Courtesy: Hanauer & Seidman Antiques - Colchester, Ct

 Similar Rounded Handles as the Jar Above

Photo Courtesy: Hanauer & Seidman Antiques - Colchester, Ct

I would assume the Whately jar will do well at Crocker Farm in July. I presume there will be a group of collectors and dealers interested - and possibly even the Whately Historical Society. Other institutions could also jump into the bidding. I'll update this report in a few months after the jar sells - hopefully with exciting results. Maybe I'll even try and buy it!

 Much More to Come...

A Comparison of Products Made in Merrimacport, Mass and Peabody, Mass: The Continued Study

If you haven't guessed yet, the stew pot shown to the left was made in Merrimacport (West Amesbury), Massachusetts and the pitcher shown to the right was made in Peabody (South Danvers), Massachusetts. Both were likely manufactured between the 1800-1840 period.

When I initially purchased the Peabody-made pitcher at an auction last May in New Hampshire - I originally thought it was made in Merrimacport because of the handle. It had been partially painted red, which I have since removed. The pitcher's handle looked so-similar to the expected handles I have come to know as Merrimacport products; however it was confusing because the overall pitcher's form was a style that was used in Peabody in the eighteenth-and-nineteenth-centuries. What I have come to realize is that similar formed handles were made in both communities - the only real difference I can see is that Merrimacport handles were synonymous from one handle to the next - while in Peabody the form sometimes changed in quality. I have occasionally found a more crude handle was applied in Peabody that sometimes appears amateur when compared to the quality of these handles seen blow. To make it easy - the handles do not always appear the same. A better word (rather than amateur) would probably be a lack of detail or attention given to the handle. The handles were likely the last feature added - and in some instances, a group of pitchers may have had their handles applied all at once - which may indicate why not all the handles are as perfectly executed as this Peabody example. The potters in Merrimacport also worked in a county business atmosphere - while the potters in Peabody worked in an industry atmosphere turning out more products.

Overall - the clay color, the ovoid bodies and size are all similar on these two products - and both glaze colors were used in each area so it can get a bit confusing. The amount of products made in Peabody was much greater than in Merrimacport, but survivors from either area are considered rare today. There had to have been some-sort of influence considering both businesses were located close to each other. It can also be assumed potters from Peabody may have visited the Merrimaport businesses and likewise. There had to have been some-kind of interaction over the years, whether it was through person-to-person contact or viewing each others products, but that's only my opinion - I have no proof of it - only assumption. It would make sense.

(Left) Merrimacport, Ma Red Earthenware Stew Pot

Ca. 1800-1840

(Right) Peabody, Ma Red Earthenware Pitcher

Ca. 1800-1840

Very Similar Handles on the Merrimacport, Ma and Peabody, Ma Products

Clay Color, Size and Ovoid Bodies Are Also Similar

I believe the Peabody-made pitcher was made at the Osborn-family pottery around 1840. Peabody was home to many red earthenware businesses in the eighteenth-and-nineteenth-centuries and the Osborn Pottery was arguably the most prominent among the group. The Osborn family employed at least 32 documented Osborn potters in the eighteenth-and-nineteenth-centuries.  I think it is fair to say that not all the Osborn potters were equal in skill and that may account for why some products appear different than others. For example, if you were to examine two separate jugs made at the Osborn Pottery in 1840, there is a chance they will not appear exactly the same despite having the same glaze. My belief is multiple potters may account for this difference. The products in Peabody were often more thickly potted than the products made 20 miles to the north.

In Merrimacport, it was different. All the products, whether they were made at William Pecker's businesss (1784-1820) or at the Chase family pottery (Ca. 1820-1860) looked uniform from one product to the next. It's possible that the smaller amount of potters and equal skill levels accounted for the products keeping with an equal quality. I also tend to see a higher level of perfection with Merrimacport products that I do not see with the average product from Peabody - but don't get me wrong - there are many wonderful products made in both areas. Although I do feel that despite the similarities, William Pecker was the more accomplished potter. It is also my belief that there was more glaze experimentation at the Pecker and Chase Potteries (Ca. 1784-1860) than there was in Peabody (early 18th century to early 20th century). I feel the most accomplished products in Peabody were made in the eighteenth-century. Both areas are thought to have used slip decoration. It was used sparingly after the American Revolution in both areas; however it was used more in Peabody before 1775.

This is an analysis that can be done with potters from all over America. The counties of Pennsylvania shared similarities from one business to the next just like the potters of Western New York did. It's really interesting to see the regional differences, but on the contrary - to visualize the similarities of related products within a region is equally fascinating.

Much More to Come...

A Newly Discovered Red Earthenware Jar that May Have Ties to an 18th Century Massachusetts Industry

I know I said I would write the second part about the differences and similarities of many red earthenware products made in Merrimacport (West Amesbury), Massachusetts and Peabody (South Danvers), Massachusetts in my next report; however I would like to postpone that report until next week to discuss a new example of (likely) eighteenth-century red earthenware that just recently emerged from a house in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

A Rowley, Massachusetts antiques dealer recently made a house call (house clean-out) and in that home - he found a very-rare formed piece of red earthenware and a lamp made at the Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport - that I helped attribute for him. In exchange, he gave me a very good price on the following jar with no attribution other than where it was found.

When I initially saw the jar, I was thrown back by the unusual form. The glaze made me immediately think it was made in Maine, where this type of glaze is commonly attributed to; although it was also used elsewhere in New England in parts of Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The form is really what stood out to me. It reminds of an oversized ink bottle, but I do not believe that was its purpose. Instead, I think it was intended for storage and if needed - a cloth was tied over it to protect whatever it held inside.

After quickly studying some shards I saw this fall, the glaze kind of threw me back because it matches shards I have seen from the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company and Ebenezer Morrison's businesses in Newburyport at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Lura Woodside Watkins collected shards from both of these businesses in the 1930s and 1940s while writing her book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares (published by Harvard University in 1950). Both of these businesses are from the eighteenth-century - and most the potters who worked at them were employed before the American Revolution. There is so-little red earthenware left from eighteenth-century American potters that anything outside of a privy, a river bed or shore, a trash pit or an archaeological setting is exciting!

 Likely Newburyport, Mass Area Red Earthenware Jar

Possibly Made at the Daniel Bayley or Ebenezer Morrison Pottery Companies

Ca. 18th Century (Probably After 1775)

 Interior Glaze is Similar to the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Chamber Pot Shard Below

Clay Color Is Very-Similar to Clay Color of Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Shards Below

These following shards show a very-similar interior glaze to the recently found jar, the clay color is very-similar and the spotted exterior glaze is also similar when comparing the idea behind the shards to the jar.  I would be surpised to learn otherwise, if this is in-fact - not a Newburyport-area-made product.

Watkins described many of the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company shards as, "…brown glaze spattered with darker brown (spots)," in Early New England Potters and Their Wares. This type of glaze was common with many eighteenth-century potters that spanned businesses/industries from Charlestown-to-Newburyport, from Fitchburg-to-Portsmouth and all-over Essex County in the eighteenth-century. The reason I believe this jar may be related to the Newburyport industry is because of two large factors; glaze and clay color - and then of course, where it was found.

 Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Red Earthenware Shards

Ca. 1764-1799

The Glaze and Clay Color is Very-Similar to the Jar Above

Photo Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Shard

Ca. 1764-1799

The Interior Glaze is Almost Identical to the Jar Above

The Exterior Glaze is Also Comparable

Photo Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

Exciting, isn't it!? I would be hesitant to say if this jar was made at either the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company or Ebenezer Morrison's business because products from each business almost mirrored each other. The businesses were located across the street from each other. Potters worked at both businesses with products in each location sharing styles and techniques. I think the biggest indicator in this instance would be the form; although I have not seen any shards that represent this form -  I will have to stick to the glaze and clay color for now.

Stay tuned for the second part of the Merrimacport and Peabody report...

A Comparison of Products Made in Merrimacport, Mass and Peabody, Mass: A Quick Study of 19th Century Red Earthenware Made Near Each Other

I have always found it interesting seeing the similar styles used in Merrimacport (West Amesbury), Massachusetts and Peabody (South Danvers), Massachusetts in the nineteenth-century. William Pecker (1784-1820), later followed by the Chase Pottery (Ca. 1820-1860) in Merrimacport were the dominant suppliers around the Merrimac River during this period; although in Peabody it was a different story, with a large group of businesses all contributing to a largely successful industry. The two areas are separated by only a short distance. There were differences in both of these areas that set the businesses apart, but there were also strong similarities that tied these two areas together.

These two ensuing pictures show a stew pot and a pitcher made in these two areas. One represents the work of the potters in Merrimacport - while the other represents the potters of Peabody. If you notice, the glaze colors are similar, the handles are similar and each possesses an ovoid body. The footed bases are also similar. The clay color is even similar.

I know some of you reading this will know immediately who made which, but for those of you who do not - I will explain in my next report, which product was made where and the differences between the products made in Peabody and Merrimacport. I feel it is easy to mistake some products for either industry.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Stew Pot (Left) and Pitcher (Right)

Both Made in Massachusetts

Both Probably Made Before 1850

Notice the Similarities in Glaze Color

Notice the Similar Handles

I think this idea stands true with American utilitarian potters all/over during the eighteenth-and-nineteenth-centuries. There were a lot of similarities between products that were made in any specific area or industry. Often, characteristics were lent from one potter to the next - and even from business-to-business. This is what makes attributions difficult. Today, sometimes the more prolific potter or the better-known potter (or industry) is given credit for more than they really produced.

Stay Tuned…I'll Explain Soon Enough!

18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Bowls Found in ColonialMassachusetts

I have previously written a report about this eighteenth-century utilitarian subject - and I am going to continue with its discussion today. I only know of a small number of these slip-decorated red earthenware bowls that exist beyond an archaeological context. I have never been able to determine a true attribution; although there are a number of shards that have been discovered in eighteenth-century archaeological contexts throughout coastal Massachusetts.

The first was found in a circa 1770 privy at the Three Cranes Tavern in Charlestown, Masssachusetts. This particular bowl did witness the Battle of Bunker Hill and America's early fight for Independence. The Three Cranes Tavern was originally built as a home for  John Winthrop in the seventeenth-century. It was later adopted as a tavern. The bowl was likely made before the 1770 context it was found within and its use is likely directly related to the tavern.

18th Century Red Earthenware Slip-Decorated Bowl Found in Charlestown, Massachusetts

Uncovered in a Privy at the Three Cranes Tavern

The Privy was Ca. 1770 - The Bowl Likely Dates Earlier

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Ma

Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) discovered a small concentration of shards that are likely related to the bowl found in Charlestown at the site of the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company (1766-1799) in Newburyport, Massachusettts. Bayley's home and potter's business was destroyed for a Route 1 underpass in the 1930s. Watkins arrived as demolition crews were well underway and she was granted permission to salvage as much material as she wished. All of these artifacts - and a large number of additional New England shards are now kept at the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian) in Washington, D.C.

Shards Uncovered by Lura Woodside Watkins in Newburyport, Ma

Found at the Daniel Bayley Pottery Site

Ca. 1760s-1770s

Photo Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, DC

Watkins also donated her entire red earthenware collection to the Smithsonian and as part of that collection, was a related intact eighteenth-century bowl that she discovered in Essex County Massachusetts sometime before 1950.

Red Earthenware Slip-Decorated Bowl Found By Lura Woodside Watkins in Essex County, Ma

Presumably Made Before 1775

Measures 13 Inches Across

Photo Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, DC

I have personally owned three of these bowls. All were found in the greater-Portsmouth, New Hampshire area. All are believed to be related. They all appear very similar to the shards kept at the Smithsonian and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Similar shards have even been found in a pre-1775 context at Paul Revere's house in Boston - when Revere actually resided in the home.

I have never been able to accurately pinpoint a legitimate maker, but these products are similar to some slip decorated products made in eighteenth-and-early-nineteenth-century Philadelphia. I do not believe there is any relationship - just a coincidence that is worth sharing.

Red Earthenware Slip-Decorated Shards Probably Made in Philadelphia, Pa

Probably Late 18th and Very Early 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: National Parks Services Philadelphia Archaeology Department - Philadelphia, Pa

The most recent bowl I found may be earlier than the bowls kept at the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the the Smithsonian. It has a very-old stapled repair, which I believe to be period for the bowl. It just has that feel that suggests it is early - possibly mid-eighteenth-century. It was found in an early home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire last fall - and it is my favorite of all  the bowls I have seen. I think the fact that it is a few inches smaller in diameter gives it a great form. All the other bowls I have seen are roughly 13-15 inches in diameter. This bowl is only 11 inches in diameter.

18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Bowl

Found in Portsmouth, NH

Ca. 1740-1775

Measures 11" in Diameter

These bowls have always fascinated me. I think the idea that related bowls and shards have been found in such important archaeological contexts in New England has piqued my interest over the years. I remember first seeing the bowl Watkins found in Essex County pictured in her book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares - and then the shards discovered in Newburyport made it even more fascinating. My interest has only continued to grow as I learned of a similar bowl found in colonial Charlestown and related shards in important areas of Boston. I hope more information about these bowls will come forward in the future.

Much More to Come...

Red Earthenware Chamber Pots of Portsmouth, NH - An Introduction to the 18th Century Potters Samuel Marshall and John Shilabur

The most prominent red earthenware potter to have worked in Portsmouth, New Hampshire was arguably Samuel Marshall. Marshall is cited as a potter who worked near the Piscataqua River for many years before 1750. According to early records, Marshall occupied two separate locations near Puddle Dock (where Prescott Park is located today). In each instance, he reportedly owned and operated his own kiln. The latest operation is located today on the property of Strawbery Banke - a wonderful museum that consists of many early homes and gardens. The Marshall property was excavated last century yielding a strong collection of shards that represent Marshall's work. A variety of forms were represented that all served utilitarian purposes. As far as I could see - no flatware or formal products were uncovered - which may indicate the preference colonial Portsmouth households had for the more refined European products of the period.

I won't get into great detail about Marshall in this report since he is largely a part of the book I am writing, but I will say Marshall had strong ties to the Charlestown, Massachusetts red earthenware industry in the 1740s. There are credible reports that indicate Charlestown-made red earthenware was exported into Portsmouth in the 1740s and 1750s. A potter's daybook that I have reviewed at Harvard University's Baker Library strongly supports this claim. It's not entirely known what the ratio of locally made Portsmouth pottery versus imported Massachusetts pottery was in Portsmouth households, but there is known to have been a concentration from both areas.

John Shilabur was another potter  who worked in Portsmouth in the eighteenth-century. Very little is known about his work. He is not mentioned in Lura Woodside Watkins book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares; however the current owner of the Shilabur house has found sufficient shard evidence to suggest Shilabur was an active potter - who was successful enough to make products decorated in slip decoration in the eighteenth century. Shilabur operated a few blocks from where Marshall was located last. It is my belief, that only the most successful New England potters had the financial means to work in slip since it was likely a supply that had to be imported (which is probably a subject that is open to debate). Slip decoration was made from kaolin clay - and it is not known how many kaolin deposits had been discovered in New England before 1775. As a result, some of the kaolin used by New England potters may have been imported from England or elsewhere in the American colonies.

The reason for this report is because of a colorful chamber pot that was excavated in Portsmouth a few years ago. It was on display at the Portsmouth Discovery Center for a few months in 2012. The slip decoration does not fit into any of the decorative styles I have seen in Charlestown - so it may be related to either Marshall or Shilabur. Unfortunately, it was uncovered by a construction company rather than archaeologists (I believe), but its form conforms with traditional chamber pots made in New England in the eighteenth-century. It was found in an eighteenth-century privy at the Joshua Wentworth House, which was constructed in 1770 - but I think the chamber pot could be earlier.

 Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Excavated in Portsmouth, NH

Ca. 1740-1780

Photo Courtesy: Portsmouth, NH Discovery Center

Wonderful Use of Slip Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Portsmouth, NH Discovery Center

Based on the slip decoration, I assume this is a product of Portsmouth. I have reviewed a large collection of shards found in Boston, Charlestown and Essex County, Massachusetts - and none share this type of decoration. Maine did not have many red earthenware businesses before 1800 and the same goes for most of New Hampshire. Portsmouth was an exception since the Piscataque River served as a very important colonial port. It would make sense that this pot comes from one of Portsmouth's potters. There was also a business just to the south in Exeter, New Hampshire, but I have not seen any evidence to suggest this pot could have been made there.

Both Marshall and Shilabur were known to have manufacture chamber pots - and presumably a handful of other forms that included crocks, pitchers, jars and probably jugs.

John Shilabur Chamber Pot

 John Shilabur Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Chamber Pot - Portsmouth, NH
Made in the 18th Century

Excavated on the Shilabur Property

Photo Courtesy: Private New Hampshire Collection

 Interior of Chamber Pot

Excavated on the Shilabur Property

Photo Courtesy: Private New Hampshire Collection
 

 Samuel Marshall Chamber Pot

 Samuel Marshall Red Earthenware Chamber Pot - Portsmouth, NH

Ca. 1740-1750

Excavated at the Marshall Site at Strawbery Banke

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Dept. - Portsmouth, NH

 Handle of Chamber Pot

Excavated at the Marshall Site at Strawbery Banke

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Dept. - Portsmouth, NH

The following shard was excavated from Marshall's site at Strawbery Banke - and the manner in which the slip decoration was applied does slightly resemble the decoration seen on the chamber pot of discussion. I cannot definitively say whether that chamber pot was made by Marshall, but there is certainly a comparison that can be seen. There is not enough evidence to specifically say how Shilabur's decorative hand appeared - so I cannot rule him out as a possibility either.

Samuel Marshall Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Shard - Portsmouth, NH

Slip Decoration Resembles the Slip Seen on the Chamber Pot of Discussion

Excavated at the Marshall Site at Strawbery Banke

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Dept. - Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a city that has always fascinated me. The history is rich, the homes are beautiful, the downtown area has a lot to offer and its a wonderful place to spend time during the tourist seasons. I am equally as fascinated with the early potters of Portsmouth. Very little material from these potters is known to have survived; although the shard evidence above suggests the material made in Portsmouth at one-time was beautiful and equally as skilled/accomplished as many of the potters who worked throughout the American colonies. These potters worked side-by-side with some of the most accomplished furniture-makers and architects in New England in the eighteenth-century - so it makes sense that their products would be held to the same standard. I just wish more of their production was still around today. Without these shards, there would only be a small amount of tangible evidence from these potters left.

Much More to Come...

A Wonderful Early-19th Century Green Glazed Flower Pot Recovered in Portsmouth, NH

In keeping with many of my previous reports, I would like to revisit one of my recent posts - where I introduced a wonderful green glazed flower pot uncovered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in an early nineteenth-century context. The origin of this pot is currently unknown; although, it is certainly from a New England potter located in either Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts. But I would like to suggest the Dodge Pottery in Portsmouth, NH as a possible origin, circa 1790s to 1880s.

Nevertheless, all of the domestic red earthenware recovered in Portsmouth, which I have seen at the Strawbery Banke Archaeology Department in Portsmouth appears to have been made in Maine, New Hampshire and Essex County, Massachusetts. And that is why I suggest the flower pot may have been produced in these areas; although the green glaze does remind me of products made in southeastern Massachusetts during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-centuries.

The flowerpot is large, where it probably measures around eight-to-ten inches tall and it may have also originally been used with a matching flower pot saucer.

Flower Pot Recovered in Portsmouth, NH

 Early 19th Century Green Glazed Red Earthenware Flower Pot Sherds

Excavated in Portsmouth, NH Near Puddle Dock
Possibly Made at the Dodge Pottery in Portsmouth, NH
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Dept. - Portsmouth, NH

 

More of the Green Glazed Flower Pot Sherds Recovered at this Site

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Dept. - Portsmouth, NH

 

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A Striking Green Glazed Red Earthenware Flower Pot Excavated in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

I have always had a great appreciation for early American garden statuary and flower pots. I guess I view them as another side to the utilitarian potter's industry - and it probably helps that I grew up an avid gardener working with perennial and annual plants in New England's soil. Flowerpots were always a part of my life from a young age. The uses varied from household plants, to garden plants and even vegetables - but the general idea has always remained the same.

American potters were not sold on making one specific form. Their talents were thrown to a large number of utilitarian needs that were sometimes unpredictable depending on the day, which was usually more-experimental at the End of the Day. Any given potter could have made a utilitarian jug, a pitcher, a crock, a milk pan and even a flower pot all in the same day. Flower pots can range from monumental figures with extravagant glazes, applied figures and incised decoration - to simple miniature terracotta products intended for small plants or seedlings.

According to a report that ran in the Washington Post in 2005 titled, "A Potted History of Gardening" by Adrian Higgins; "Flowerpots have been central to the enjoyment and advance of gardening for at least 10,000 years, and yet our regard for the pot seems as fragile and fleeting as the containers themselves...the dull and dusty topic of flowerpots is anything but dreary. Flowerpots connect generations of gardeners as few other icons can. What's more, the flower pot looks forward as well as back."

I have shown wonderful examples of eighteenth and nineteenth-century red earthenware and terracotta flower pots made in Eastern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Western New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia on this website. I have also written a report that compares flowerpots discovered on George Washington's estate in Mount Vernon Virginia to those made in Essex County, Massachusetts. In today's report, I would like to discuss an incredible glazed, formed and decorated pot that was excavated in a nineteen-century context in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It could be earlier. The flowerpot is kept at the Strawbery Banke Archaeology Department, which is also in Portsmouth. I have viewed the majority of the ceramic artifacts kept in the Strawbery Banke Archaeology Collection and as far as I can see, this is the only example of this form of flowerpot - and there are no similar green glazes that I can see either. This all leads me to believe the flowerpot may have been an import from another potter's business.

Probably Late 18th or Early 19th Century Green Glazed Red Earthenware Shards

Shards Are From a Flowerpot

Excavated in Portsmouth, NH Near Puddle Dock
Wonderful Incised Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Dept. - Portsmouth, NH

Wonderful Green Glazed Red Earthenware Flower Pot

Excavated in Portsmouth, NH Near Puddle Dock

Notice the Light Colored Clay and the Rounded Foot

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Dept. - Portsmouth, NH

The clay color and green glaze remind me of products made in the late eighteenth and early-nineteenth-centuries in Southeastern Massachusetts; although the incised decoration more suggests an Essex County potter than anywhere else to me. The wavy lines especially suggest that idea; however I have never accurately been able to attribute this type of glaze to Essex County. I believe green glazes were used by potters all over, but since it was an expensive glaze to make (copper) it was used more-often in some areas than it was in others. It is my belief green glazes were used in Essex County and are sometimes attributed to other nineteenth-century industries - but I will leave that discussion for another day.

I have never seen a ruffled edge applied to a New England flowerpot before 1860. Ruffled edges became more popular during the Industrial Revolution. It was a trait used by potters who worked all over the east coast from the Carolinas to Maine, but I think it may be kind of unique for a pot that was likely made decades earlier.

Portsmouth has been a busy commercial port for centuries where ships would dock providing necessities and luxurious products to the area's households. Maritime trade began well-before 1775 and it has continued right up through today. I do not believe these shards are from a local manufacturer that worked in the city, but a New England potter is certainly a likely possibility. There's a chance it was made in Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts. The incised decoration and ruffled edge really stand out to me as indicators. A similar green glaze was also used by William Pecker in West Amesbury (Merrimacport), Massachusetts; by potters in Concord, New Hampshire and even in Plymouth, New Hampshire; however this is the first instance that I have seen a ruffled edge on a pot of this size. The New England flowerpots that typically used ruffled edges are a lot smaller, usually had basic glazes, sometimes hung by a chain and were made in the late nineteenth-century.

Other notable characteristics I would like to point out are the pot's thinly potted manner, the light colored clay and the rounded base or foot. The rounded base is also similar to products made in Massachusetts. The green glaze continued into the interior - only the base was left unglazed. The drainage hole that was punched (at the base) is also very well-done - which is not like the typical hole placed on common unglazed nineteenth-century flowerpots from New England potters. I think this is a fascinating pot that is possibly unique when compared to what has survived today. Any ideas? Comments?

Much More to Come...