Today's report marks the sixth - and final installment of this week's mini series taken from the small collection of red earthenware owned by scholar and antiques dealer, Hollis Brodrick in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Traditionally, eighteenth-century red earthenware mostly lives in literature, archaeology and museum collections today; however, my impression from this series is that there are examples of eighteenth-century utilitarian pottery alive-and-well out there today. It isn't necessarily always attributed properly, either. For example, an incredible example of colonial red earthenware recently emerged at a Tim Gould auction in Augusta, Maine - prior to the sale, it was previously undocumented. Nonetheless, a matter of only a few weeks before the sale the pot was properly attributed as a rare example from the overly-important Charlestown, Massachusetts potter's industry made before 1775 (possibly before 1750) resulting in six phone bids from around the country and a final hammer price that reached five-figures.
18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Lidded Pot
Likely Made in Charlestown, Ma
Possibly Made at the Parker Family Pottery
Possibly Ca. 1735-1755
The Pot was Reportedly Found in a Home in Winchester, Ma in 1976
The Pot also Reportedly Has Ties to Nina Fletcher Little
View of One of the Handles
View of the Lid
The last piece from Hollis' collection is arguably my favorite piece of all of which he owns mainly because of its decoration, form and it may also have a close connection to where I live today; although, I do cherish the slip dotted eighteenth-century mug that was interpreted in the second report, as well.
While I do not believe I will be able to provide an absolute guaranteed attribution for this small pitcher, even though, I do feel I have a very good argument into where it may have been made. With that understanding, I firmly believe the manner in which the slip was applied on this small pitcher is related to a slip decorated chamber pot that was uncovered in a circa 1770 archaeological context inside a privy at the Narbonne House in Salem, Massachusetts. The Narbonne House was built as a middle-class occupancy in the late-seventeenth-century directly in front of Salem's docks - and it remained this way, until the property was purchased by the National Parks Services in the twentieth-century. Basically, if any of the homeowner's had chosen to do so, they could have had their choice pick of whatever was dropped off at Salem's docks and it is possible that this chamber pot was among those imports. According to the archaeology report, "This chamber pot is illustrated and fragments from several other chamber pots are shown from the Daniel Bayley Pottery site in Newburyport, Massachusetts (1764-1799), that all show similar brushwork." If the archaeology report is correct (and I believe it is), its possible that Daniel Bayley was exporting his company's wares directly from Newburyport's harbor south into Salem's harbor, which would have dropped off products like chamber pots directly in front of the Narbonne House. As for how products were distributed from there is a whole other story.
Newburyport, Ma Harbor
Many Products Were Exported and Imported Through this Harbor in the 1700's and the 1800's
Narbonne House - Salem, Ma
Built in the Late 1600's in Front of Salem's Waterfront and Docks
The Following Chamber Pot was Discovered in a Privy on the Property of the Narbonne House
18th Century Chamber Pot Recovered at the Narbonne House in Salem, Ma
Uncovered from a Privy in a Circa 1770 Archaeological Context
Purportedly Made at the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company (Ca. 1764-1799) in Newburyport, Ma
Photo Courtesy: National Parks Services, Narbonne House - Salem, Ma
The Slip Decoration Appears to be Related to the Object Discussed in this Report
Photo Courtesy: National Parks Services, Narbonne House - Salem, Ma
The reason I am hesitant to say if this pitcher was made at the Bayley Pottery Company in Newburyport is because this was not the only potter's business that worked in the city in the 1760's and the early 1770's. Ebenezer Morrison and Clement Kent also operated businesses and it is believed that all three businesses produced similar wares even though Bayley's business was likely the most prominent and widely known today.
The distance between Newburyport and Rochester, New Hampshire is roughly thirty-five miles, which is a similar distance between Newburyport and Salem that being twenty-five miles; although, Salem would have been a more direct route considering both cities were maritime communities with large export and import industries.
Map Showing the Distance Between Rochester, NH, Newburyport, Ma and Salem, Ma
Photo Courtesy: Google Maps
Without any further information, pictured below, are a number of photos of the small pitcher or creamer of discussion that I feel is related to one of the aforementioned businesses that operated in Newburyport in the eighteenth-century. I personally feel the pitcher may date as early as 1760 and as late as the 1790's.
18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Small Pitcher or Creamer
Discovered in an Early Farm House in Rochester, NH
Possibly Related to the Chamber Pot Uncovered at the Narbonne House in Salem, Ma
Possibly Related to Newburyport, Ma
Ca. 1760-1799
Stands 3 1/2" Tall
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
View of the Slip Decoration
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
Another View of the Slip Decoration
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
View of the Side of the Small Pitcher or Creamer
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
View of the Handle
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
View From Another Side of the Small Pitcher or Creamer
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
View of the Interior and the Pouring Spout
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
View of the Base
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH
For a comparison, here are a number of sherds that Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins collected at the Bayley Pottery site in Newburyport in the 1930's. It should be important to consider that there were a handful of potters who worked at this business from 1764 until 1799 so decorations likely varied due to multiple persons applying their interpretation of slip onto the business' red earthenware products. These sherds were used for a chapter's worth of discussion when Watkins published, Early New England Potters and Their Wares in 1950. The sherds currently reside as part of the Watkins collection at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
Its important to notice the chamber pot that is decorated below on the front with a squiggled-type "X" or crossing decoration in slip; although, it is not exactly like the decoration seen on the small pitcher or creamer above, even though it certainly is similar.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherds - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherds - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherds - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherd - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherd - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherds - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherd - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Notice the "X" Type Decoration that is Similar to the Small Pitcher or Creamer Above
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherds - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Daniel Bayley Pottery Company Sherds - Newburyport, Ma
Collected by Lura Woodside Watkins at the Bayley Pottery Site in the 1930's
Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.
Here are a couple of products that I believe are related to the pitcher of discussion that Robesonian, Pennsylvania scholar and antiques dealer, Greg Kramer has brought to recent shows around the country. Both were purchased far-from their original contexts when they were removed from prominent private national collections. Previous to those collections, they had traveled from other private collections and antiques dealers - so the fact they are currently in Pennsylvania now has nothing to do with where they were possibly made. These are both remarkable examples!
Bottom Row, Center: Similar Small Pitcher or Creamer to that Shown Above in this Report
Possibly Related to Newburyport, Mass. in the 18th Century
Photo Courtesy: Greg Kramer Antiques - Robesonia, Pa
Bottom Row, Left: Mug with Similar Decoration as all of the Forms Seen in this Report
Possibly Related to Newburyport, Mass. in the 18th Century
Photo Courtesy: Greg Kramer Antiques - Robesonia, Pa
This report completes this week's study of red earthenware from Hollis Brodrick's collection. If anyone feels they have any eighteenth-century pieces they would like me to write about or research - I would be happy to take on the task.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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