Another Look at a Prized 18th Century Red Earthenware Mug that was Found in a Shed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the Early 1970's

Today, I would like to revisit a report that I wrote last January, which was a part of a week-long series that discussed the red earthenware collection of Hollis Brodrick of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The specific article that I am posting, again today focused on a slip decorated red earthenware mug (sometimes called a tankard by American collectors) that Hollis discovered in a shed in Portsmouth in the early 1970's. I had hinted in that report that the mug was probably a product that was manufactured in Charlestown, Massachusetts in the mid-eighteenth-century, in consideration, of the manner of the slip in how it was applied when compared to actual Charlestown-made examples that were recovered through archaeology in the 1980's.

However, I would like to mention today that it may be worth a consideration to briefly reconsider that idea - and, suggest that this mug could have also been made at the Samuel Marshall Pottery in Portsmouth before Marshall's death in 1749.

Marshall was an active Portsmouth potter in the 1720's to 1749, but he also had ties to Charlestown's industry in at least the 1740's. None-the-less, the following slip decorated chamber pot sherd was recovered at the last Marshall Pottery site, which is now located on the property of Strawbery Banke. Marshall reportedly worked in another area of Portsmouth previous to this location.

If you look closely at the sherd (sorry for the bad photo) - you will notice a type of slip decoration that is comparable to some of the objects discussed in the January 18th report, which includes the mug that Hollis discovered decades ago.

However, after reading this report - you may also want to consider the idea that the following chamber pot sherd may also represent an export system that was in place between Charlestown and Portsmouth before 1750. All of this information is explained below.

Site of Samuel Marshall's Last Pottery Business in Portsmouth, NH

Circa 1730's to 1749

The Area was Excavated by Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, NH 

18th Century Slip Decorated Chamber Pot Sherd Excavated at the Marshall Pottery

Circa Before 1749

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Department - Portsmouth, NH

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January 18, 2015

A Prized Red Earthenware Tankard Found in a Shed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the Early 1970's

The notion that the original Charlestown, Massachusetts red earthenware potter's industry (circa 1635-1775) made a lot of pottery is an understatement today - and, thus the reason why so little has survived is fascinating. The industry really established itself in the seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries as the focal point of pottery production in New England up until it was destroyed at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. There were at least forty known potters who worked in this industry (probably more) prior to the start of the American Revolution. The industry slowed its production and ultimately stopped all-together in the events that led up to the American Revolution (I will explain).

The Intolerable Acts was a punishment levied by the British for the damage caused to the East India Trading Company at the Boston Tea Party on the evening of December 16, 1773. It was ultimately a group of acts passed to punish the Massachusetts Bay Colony - and, the city of Boston for what was seen as a severe act of defiance towards England. The act that probably crippled Charlestown's industry the most was the Boston Port Act. Under this act, Boston Harbor was closed to just about all incoming and outgoing traffic until the East India Trading Company was paid back the damages caused by Boston's Tea Party. The harbor was heavily guarded by British ships under this act - and, in consideration that Charlestown-made pottery was exported elsewhere in New England - the Boston Port Act likely hampered the industry's production.

The Battles at Lexington & Concord officially ignited the American Revolution a little more than a year later on April 19, 1775 - and, as a result, much of Charlestown evacuated in the late-spring of that same year in fear of what may happen next.

At this point, the potter's industry most-likely halted all production, but I believe it probably stopped sooner than that. Less than two months later, the industry was completely burned to the ground by the onslaught brought on by British soldiers in June of 1775 at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Some potters returned to rebuild their businesses after General George Washington and his army of patriots forced approximately 11,000 British soldiers to evacuate from Boston in 1776, but the industry was never the same. The red earthenware industry never recovered. A small group of potters came back and produced pottery into the late-eighteenth-century - and, even fewer continued their work into the nineteenth-century.

Today, Charlestown is widely known for the stoneware industry that began in the 1790's (Frederick Carpenter & Jonathan Fenton) and continued throughout the 1800's; however, it is my belief that the red earthenware industry was larger and had an overall greater impact on the average New England household. Unfortunately, not much is known about this industry today because so little is known to have survived. Fortunately, a group of archaeologists uncovered much of this lost industry as part of the archaeology conducted on behalf of Boston's Big Dig Project in the 1980's.

Print of General William Howe and British Soldiers Leaving Boston in 1776

Photo Courtesy: MountVernon.org

As promised yesterday (January 17, 2015), today marks the second object of red earthenware that I am going to discuss from Hollis Brodrick's collection of early antiques in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The following eighteenth-century dotted slip decorated red earthenware mug with a dark glaze was discovered in a shed in Portsmouth in the early 1970's - unfortunately, Hollis couldn't remember exactly when it was discovered, but he remarked that it may have been found in 1971. He discovered it with a group of dried paint brushes placed inside of it. This piece has a number of remarkable characteristics going for it that may link it to trends that were happening in the potter's industry in England in the eighteenth-century.  To compensate for those popular trends in the American market - it appears a potter imitated some of those styles in pursuit of creating those designs fashionable on American-made pottery - or at the least, the potter was trying to sell American-made pottery that looked English.

It is difficult to say where this mug was exactly made; although, there are characteristics that may directly tie it to the potters in Charlestown (or maybe even Portsmouth).

If you have read any of my recent reports over the past week - it has been shown by way of John Parker's potter's daybook (ca. late 1740's to the 1750's) kept at the Baker Library at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts - that some-sort of export system from Charlestown to Portsmouth did exist in the 1740's. The agreement happened between Parker and Samuel Marshall. It is also believed that potters in Portsmouth before 1750 were producing pottery similar to that of which was made in Charlestown during the period.

18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Mug

Possibly Made in Either Charlestown, Ma or Portsmouth, NH

Found in a Shed in Portsmouth, NH in the Early 1970's

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

To start, the dotted slip decoration seen on this mug was popular with slip decorated earthenware made in the Staffordshire region in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries. It was arguably most popular from the 1670's through the 1740's (on many English styles including dipped wares) - and, this characteristic could be used as a possible dateable feature for when this tankard was possibly manufactured. 

A pair of chamber pots are also pictured below that were recovered from privies during the archaeology handled in Charlestown. Both of the chamber pots were likely made in Staffordshire, which shows the English dot style seen on slipware was imported into Charlestown in the eighteenth-century. The chamber pots were both found in a pre-1750 context.

 Slip Decorated Dot Decoration Seen on the Mug

A Similar Decoration Was Used by Potters in Staffordshire, England from the 1670's to the 1770's

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

 Close Up of the Slip Decorated Dot Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

Another Close Up of the Slip Decorated Dot Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

 18th Century Slipware Dotted Earthenware Chamber Pot - Likely Made in Staffordshire, England

Uncovered from a Privy at the Three Cranes Tavern in Charlestown, Ma

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Ma

18th Century Slipware Dotted Earthenware Chamber Pot - Likely Made in Staffordshire, England

Uncovered from a Privy at the Three Cranes Tavern in Charlestown, Ma

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Ma

Also seen on this mug is a simple slip line that was swiped across the top part of the handle. This was also a characteristic that was used in England in the eighteenth-century.

The English potter, John Astbury (1688-1743) is known today to have used this characteristic on some of his handled forms produced at his earthenware company (many of these products were likely lathe turned). I have not, yet seen this characteristic in any of the archaeology from Charlestown, but that doesn't mean it does not exist.

It is believed that this characteristic was most popular in the 1730's through the 1750's giving this style a narrower production window than other characteristics. Unlike the popularity of the Staffordshire slip dots seen on the chamber pots above - this line across the handle provides a more specific period into when this mug may have been made possibly suggesting that it dates from the mid-eighteenth-century or maybe even earlier.

  Slip Line Placed Across the Top of the Handle

A Similar Decoration was used on Products Known as Astbury Ware in England

The Astbury Decoration was Popular in the 1730s through the 1750's

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

Close Up of the Slip Line Across the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

Here are a few more pictures of characteristics seen on this mug - seen below is the footed base, the actual base and the interior of the tankard.

View of the Tankard's Foot

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH 

 View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

View of the Interior

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick Antiques - Portsmouth, NH

The following mugs were discovered in a privy at the Three Cranes Tavern in Charlestown, Massachusetts in a mid-eighteenth-century archaeological context. The tavern was originally built as the Great House for Governor John Winthrop in 1630 in the center of town; however, Winthrop did not reside in Charlestown very-long before he moved to Boston. Soon after, the building was converted into Long's Ordinary (ordinary being the Old World word for tavern) - and, towards the end of the seventeenth-century, the building became known as the Three Cranes Tavern - a name it kept until it was destroyed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

The first mug has a very similar dotted slip decoration as seen on the mug shown above - it is also decorated with two lines of slip around the rim and a single line of slip around the base. This is exactly how the Portsmouth-found tankard is decorated. It is also encouraging to see that the overall forms are similar.

 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Mug Found in Charlestown, Ma

Uncovered in a Mid-18th Century Context at the Three Cranes Tavern

Form is Similar to the Tankard Found in a shed in Portsmouth, NH in the Early 1970's

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Ma

Another View of the Tankard

Tankard Has a Similar Slip Line Decoration as the Mug Found in Portsmouth, NH

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Ma 

 Tankard Has a Similar Slip Dot Decoration as the Mug Found in Portsmouth, NH

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Ma

The second mug shows a similar slip line decoration with two lines around the base and a single line around the rim, which is the complete opposite of the previous two tankards - and, the use of dots in slip is different than what is seen on the Portsmouth-found mug, but the general idea is the same. The overall form of this tankard is also very similar to both of those shown above.

I don't think it would be a stretch to say that these three tankards could all be related. There is certainly many comparable characteristics among them.

18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Mug Found in Charlestown, Ma

Uncovered in a Mid-18th Century Context at the Three Cranes Tavern

Form is Similar to the Tankard Found in a shed in Portsmouth, NH in the Early 1970's

Tankard Also Has Slip Dot Decoration Like the Tankard Found in Portsmouth, NH

The Slip Line Decoration is Also Similar to the Tankard Found in Portsmouth, NH

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Ma

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What do you think? Theory versus archaeological proof - could the mug be a Charlestown product or is it a Portsmouth-made product? I feel there is archaeological proof that supports both claims; however, it's really that export system that Parker defines in his daybook that is the real factor in this case. Personally, I believe there are arguments for both cases - and, I really can not make a decision in either direction. But, there does appear to be more archaeological proof that leans towards Charlestown.

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

A 19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Colander Purchased at the 2014 Keene, New Hampshire Bottle Show

Columbus Day Weekend tends to be a special excursion for visitors of the New England antiques industry each October. For many reasons, it's really a special time of the year. On this particular weekend, New England showcases the beauty of autumn in western Massachusetts, western New Hampshire and Connecticut with three of the region's premier events that basically happen simultaneously - they transpire around the annual fall harvest, pumpkins, gourds, old homes - and, the ever-changing color of the trees and their deciduous leaves. It's also on the verge of Halloween, which is a fall holiday enjoyed by kids and adults. Honestly, this is the time of year that I probably appreciate antiques the most.

The three shows that I am referring to are the Annual Columbus Day Weekend Glass Show & Tailgate in Coventry, Connecticut, the Annual Yankee Bottle Club Show in Keene, New Hampshire - and, one of my personal favorite antique shows, the Antique Dealers Association Antiques Show at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts. The Deerfield show also offers free admission to the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, which showcases some of the most spectacular examples of early American-made objects that rival any national museum. It's really a wonderful weekend. This year, I am going to try my best to attend the Historic Deerfield and Keene shows.

I've never attended the Coventry glass show before; however, I did visit the Keene bottle show last year, where I found a nineteenth-century slip decorated red earthenware colander. After I attended the show - I wrote an article about my visit to Keene, but I did not make any mention of the colander. I've been saving this object until I could present some accurate information about its history and origin.

Bottle and glass shows tend to be nearly exclusive to glass, but there are instances, where red earthenware, stoneware, advertising - and, additional sometimes extraneous antiques make their way into these types of shows. Basically, you never know what may turn up if you don't attend to check out the show for yourself.

The dealer, who I purchased the colander from told me he had recently found it in an attic in western New York. The story made sense in comparison to where I thought the colander was manufactured in the 1800's. On first sight, I felt the colander was probably made in Pennsylvania in the nineteenth-century; however, I now feel this colander was made elsewhere in a region that was influenced by the Pennsylvania potters in the 1800's.

I've searched through a number of past auction results, read through a few of the better reference books, studied some of the better-known museum collections (i.e. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian and Museum of Fine Arts in Boston) and it seems that American-made red earthenware colanders decorated in some manner of slip are rare to find today. It's a form that wasn't regularly included with every potter's output. Actually, far from it. I might say that most American potters did not regularly manufacture the form.

To begin, this following colander is owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is attributed to the potter John Nice, who worked in Upper Salford Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in the nineteenth-century. The museum suggests a production date of 1830-1850. The reason that I am showing this colander is the result of some characteristics that can be compared to the colander that I bought in Keene last year. The rim, the slip decoration, and the overall form are comparable; although, the colander that I bought at the Keene Bottle Show is also footed, with two handles and  it is entirely glazed. None-the-less, you will probably see how this product could be related to the rest of the products shown in this report, which probably represent a Pennsylvania-German influence.

Colander Owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Colander Attributed to Montgomery County, PA

Circa 1830-1850

Stands 5 1/4" Tall

Measures 13 3/8" Long

Photo Courtesy: Philadelphia Museum of Art - Philadelphia, PA

The Port Dover, Ontario-based auctioneer, Jim Anderson sold a very-similar (nearly identical) colander on Saturday October 19, 2013 in Elora, Ontario as part of the Albright Collection (lot number 140) of Canadian-made objects. This colander is basically the same form, with the same footed base - and, it is also entirely glazed; although, the handles do vary from the style seen on the colander that I purchased in Keene. The auctioneer (and, probably the Albrights) attributed the colander to the potters in Waterloo County, Ontario in the nineteenth-century. It should also be noted that I assume Ontario-made colanders are equally as rare today as American-made examples. They may even be rarer in respect to the production level in Ontario versus places like Pennsylvania in the nineteenth-century.

I know there are some readers, who have an interest in what certain objects realize at auction - this colander sold for $747.50 (including buyer's premium) in Canadian currency in October of 2013.

Colander Sold in Ontario in 2013

 19th Century Red Earthenware Colander Attributed to Waterloo County, Ontario

Circa 1840-1870

Appears to be Around 11" to 13" in Diameter

Sold in 2013 as Part of the Albright Collection in Elora, ON

Photo Courtesy: Jim Anderson Auctions - Port Dover, ON

With that said, I now believe the colander that I found at the Keene Bottle Show could be a related product to the colander that sold in Ontario in 2013. I also want to mention that this colander does not appear to have traveled very-far from where it may have been originally produced in Waterloo County seeing that it was found just over the Canadian border in western New York.

Map Showing Distance Between Waterloo County, ON and Western New York

Photo Courtesy: Google Maps

Colander Found in an Attic in Western New York

(Bought at the 2014 Keene, New Hampshire Bottle Show)

 19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Colander Possibly Made in Ontario
Circa 1840-1870
Stands 4 3/4" Tall
Measures 12" Across
Purchased at the 2014 Keene, NH Bottle Show
Recently Found in an Attic in Western New York

 View of the Base

View of One of the Handles

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

A Red Earthenware Plate that Compares to a Set of Important Red Earthenware Bowls Once Owned by the Snow Hill Nunnery in Quincy, Pennsylvania

It dawned on me this morning that I can not recall ever seeing a nineteenth-century slip decorated red earthenware plate ever attributed to the Bell family before - nor, have I ever seen a slip decorated red earthenware plate that bear's the mark of any Bell family member, either - whether it being a family member in Pennsylvania, Maryland or Virginia. The family is known today to have made a wide variety of prolific products that ranged from pitchers, crocks, pots, jugs, bowls, jars, mugs, food molds, decorative products, whimsical objects, flower pots, butter crocks, spittoons, stove casters and much more; however, I honestly don't remember ever seeing any slip decorated plates attributed to this family before even though they were exceptionally skilled in both red earthenware and stoneware production in the 1800's. The only plates that I know of were plainly decorated with no slip made at the John Bell Pottery in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania; although, that shouldn't be interpreted as slip decorated red earthenware plates were not made by the Bell family - rather, it just means that I can not recall ever seeing any.

With that said, I came across this upcoming auction listing this morning that will sell at an upcoming Pook and Pook sale in Downington, Pennsylvania. The multi-colored plate comes with no attribution other than it being a product suggested to have been in Pennsylvania in the nineteenth-century; however, the slip decoration on the plate appears very-familiar to me.

The following excerpt was taken from an article I wrote on August 24th that described an important group of bowls that were sold in 1997 that had been deaccessioned from the Snow Hill Nunnery in Quincy, Pennsylvania. The bowls were made by John Bell, a nineteenth-century potter from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, who was a prominent member of the Bell family that I cited above.

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A friend of mine, Pennsylvania antiques dealer, Greg Kramer has mentioned to me in recent memory the importance of a sale held in Pennsylvania in the 1990's that was established to sell the contents of the Snow Hill Nunnery in Quincy, Pennsylvania. Ultimately, the sale raised funds which helped repair the church of the German Seventh Day Baptist Society of Snow Hill. This sale featured an extremely rare set of forty red earthenware bowls that were commissioned by this religious group in the nineteenth-century from an important local potter's business - today, these plates are highly prized among collectors, dealers and museums - seldom, have any reappeared in the public marketplace since the initial sale in 1997.

According to an article written by Lita Solis-Cohen for Maine Antique Digest in 1997, titled, 'Contents of Snow Hill Nunnery Bowls Them Over,'One of the most interesting sales this summer was held at the auction gallery of Horst Auction Center in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. The contents of the Snow Hill Nunnery were sold, which was a community founded in the eighteenth-century being a direct offshoot of the Ephratta Cloisters (religious community established in Ephratta, Pennsylvania in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel).

Clarence Spoon, who cataloged the sale, said, "The buildings, dating from 1814 through 1830 housed the celibate brothers and sisters and the married congregation. The last celibate died in 1896 and things remained untouched until now. It is a time capsule. Most of the furniture was made there in the cabinet shop, and everything is in as-found condition, much of it paint decorated."

Also according to Clarence Spoon, "There is an adult-sized cradle used for an elderly blind sister. Linens include homespun chaff bags and sheets and pillow covers with initials on them so the owners can be identified. Imagine finding forty matching slip-decorated redware serving bowls in fine condition probably made by the Bell family (John Bell) in (nearby) Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Quincy is only a few miles from Waynesboro.

With the help of my sister-in-law, it took me from February (1997) until June (1997) to clean the mud wasps from the drawers of chests, remove bird dirt from the benches, and rescue a few rye straw baskets. Two groundhogs chewed the bottoms out of most of them. We dumped the chaff out of the bed ticks and discarded as many textiles as we saved because they had been gnawed on by rodents."

The collection of red earthenware bowls which are presumed to have been made new for the Snow Hill Society did very-well. A small number of the bowls have sold again since this important sale achieving similar prices to what they brought in 1997.

"Forty redware bowls decorated with green and white flower-like slip stars sold for prices ranging from $5,500 to $15,500 (note: there was no buyer's premium charged for this sale) for a total of $345,000. The forty bowls accounted for more than 41% of the sale, which totaled $837,860.

Each of the Snow Hill bowls was decorated with a large six, seven, eight or nine-pointed white slip star or flower, each accented with three or four green slip lines. The stars were surrounded by one to four lines of green slip alternating with wavy lines of white slip. The bowls, which were probably made at the Bell family pottery in nearby Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, were used to serve stew during a ritual love feast by the German Seventh Day Baptist nuns and monks in the nineteenth-century. There were also several pieces of redware stamped by John Bell that were (also) included in the sale."

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You can be your own judge whether the decoration on the following objects are related - personally, I can see a resemblance. The bowl is one of the bowls that originally sold in 1997; however, this particular bowl resurfaced, again in 2009 at a Jeffrey Evans auction in Mount Crawford, Virginia.

None-the-less, if this is a John Bell slip decorated plate - then it is the only plate with this kind of decoration attributed to the Bell family - and, also John Bell's Pottery in Waynesboro that I know of today. Both objects exhibit the same types of slip, the same six-pointed star - and, basically the same patterns with the exception of the '1841' date seen in the middle of the star on the plate - and, the slip circle seen in the middle of the bowl. But, I guess that's it's also possible that another potter could have imitated this decoration, too in Pennsylvania.

19th Century Red Earthenware Plate Possibly Made by John Bell in Waynesboro, PA

The Slip Decoration is Very Similar to Bowls John Bell Made for the Snow Hill Society in PA

The Center of the Plate is Dated in Slip '1841'

Measures 12 1/2" Diameter

Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook Auctions - Downington, PA

19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Made for the Snow Hill Nunnery in Quincy, PA

Bowl Made at the John Bell Pottery in Waynesboro, PA

Originally Sold at the Snow Hill Nunnery Sale at Horst Auction Center in PA in 1997

This Bowl Sold, Again in Virginia in 2009

Measures 10 1/2" in Diameter

Photo Courtesy: Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates - Mount Crawford, VA

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

The Continued Study of a Red Earthenware Object Discovered in New Hampshire in 2014

You may recall that I wrote a report last week about an object that I felt may have been (or, potentially appeared like) an eighteenth-century pipkin from Europe; however, I have learned differently. It was also suggested that this may have been a slip cup employed at a potter's business for plates and other utilitarian forms, but there are no traces of sip to suggest that this object was used that way.

After careful consideration - and, with the help of Ohio potter, Greg Shooner - I have learned that this object is actually an American-made red earthenware spout lamp. The following lamp that I discovered in central New Hampshire in 2014 is probably a Pennsylvania-made object that could date from the eighteenth-century.

After reviewing a number of auction results - I have found similar (nearly identical) formed objects that have sold through Pennsylvania and Ohio auction houses over the past ten-years that are typically attributed to Pennsylvania - and, potters employed in the eighteenth and early-nineteenth-centuries.

Here a few of the auctions listings that I found that showed a nearly exact form.

(Far Right) 18th Century Red Earthenware Spout Lamp Attributed to Pennsylvania

Stands 4" Tall

Measures 6 3/4" Long

Photo Courtesy: Cowan's Auctions - Cincinnati, OH

18th Century Red Earthenware Spout Lamp Attributed to Pennsylvania

Stands 3 3/4" Tall

Measures 6" Long

Photo Courtesy: Stony Ridge Auctions - Lemoyne, OH

18th/19th Century Red Earthenware Spout Lamps Attributed to Pennsylvania

Lamp on the Left is Glazed

Lamp on the Right is Not Glazed

Each Stands About 3 1/4" Tall

Each Measures About 6" Long

Photo Courtesy: Horst Auctions - Ephrata, PA

According to an article, written decades ago by William J. Truax for the Magazine Antiques, "Lighting devices seem to have offered a special invitation to the personal touch. That the Pennsylvania potters produced lamps of almost every conceivable design is evident from the great variation in extant specimens (today). The majority of these are of redware glazed in plain colors. Their lack of elaborate decorations may be due to the small surface of the pieces. Occasionally fine specimens turn up with variegated or speckled glaze or with ornamentation in slip. Others, though lacking distinctive coloring, are unusual in form, and sometimes excellently proportioned. No two are alike, and the forms were frequently copied from unrelated objects that caught and pleased the potter's eye. Most of them embody the simplest principles of illumination, providing a receptacle for grease and a channel for holding the wick in place. 

Yet, in the case of these pottery devices, unless a piece is dated or bears the individual an unmistakable mark of a certain potter, it is difficult indeed to say when it was made. And such identifying marks are rarely found.

The fact that old lighting devices in Pennsylvania pottery are not half so numerous as specimens in metal or glass only adds zest to the collector's chase (today)."

18th/19th Century Red Earthenware Spout Lamp Attributed to Pennsylvania

Circa 1770-1820

Stands 4" Tall

Measures 6 1/4" Long

Found in Central New Hampshire in 2014

 Another View of the Lamp

View of the Base
The Lamp Retains a Small Part of a Museum Label

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

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug that Sold this Morning in Ontario

This is a report that I was going to post this morning (written earlier this week); however, I got tied up at an estate sale in Gloucester, Massachusetts today. I actually had a phone bid on this lot, which was sold as part of the Ernie Gyori Collection in Jarvis, Ontario at a Jim Anderson auction today. But, since I had such a good day in Gloucester, I ended up backing out on the bidding on this lot. I still took the phone bid - instead, I chose not to be a serious bidder. I opened the bidding, but I wasn't the final bidder. I think this jug sold very cheaply. It ended up realizing $237.50 (with buyer's premium). This price was also in Canadian currency. With that said, this is the report that I had intended on posting.

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In respect, to anyone, who may be bidding on this object today - I will spare the details of this jug until after it has sold; however, a thorough and detailed North American auction search through some unexpected online resources this week revealed this beautiful red earthenware jug that is scheduled to sell in Ontario in only a matter of time today. It is included as part of a lifelong collection that will be sold beginning this morning (September 26, 2015) at 10:00 am. Personally, I believe that this is the best object of pottery in this collection, but there are other examples of red earthenware to choose from, as well. I believe every piece is an Ontario-made object from the nineteenth-century.

The form of this jug reminds me of some of the American-made stoneware whiskey jugs from the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries, which may be an indicator of a potential manufacture date. However, aside from the unusual form - the glaze is really what makes this object so special today. Red earthenware with multiple glaze colors or slip colors is often a prized characteristic today - and, I would group this object in with that idea.

The auctioneer refers to this jug as a quart sized form, which without holding the jug in-hand - I estimate that it probably stands about eight-inches tall.

For now, this is merely a preview article that I hope to expand upon. We will have to wait and see how this object does later today. I assume it is going to sell for a strong price.

19th Century Quart-Sized Red Earthenware Jug Likely Made in Ontario

Circa 1850-1880

Stands an Estimated 8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Jim Anderson Auctions - Jarvis, Ontario

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

An 18th Century Red Earthenware Object Discovered in a Shop in Central New Hampshire in Late-2014

Nearly one-year ago, I discovered an eighteenth-century red earthenware object, that appears like a pipkin, in a shop in central New Hampshire. The overall form of the so-called pipkin is a little different than the more traditional three-footed forms that were imported into the American colonies in the eighteenth-century from England and continental Europe. These types of objects have been found in archaeological contexts in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Charlestown, Massachusetts, Boston, New York City - and, further south into the Mid-Atlantic region and in the southern states like Virginia. However, domestic potters also produced the form in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries.

A simple pipkin definition can be said that it is an earthenware pot with a horizontal handle that was used over hundreds of years for various cooking needs over a direct flame.

I'm not entirely sure what to call this object (fairly sure it is a pipkin), but after reviewing a large group of objects owned by the Museum of London in England - the glaze style seems to correspond with some products that the museum describes as having been manufactured during the 'Post-Medieval Period' or made before 1750. Personally, I believe this is an early eighteenth-century European-made object. But, I suppose that without knowing any further information about this object that it could also be a domestic product. I feel the glaze could also be mistaken for something applied by an American potter. Unfortunately, I just don't know anymore information past the form (i.e. origin) and where I found the object than what is written in tonight's report.

I should also mention that the base of this object still retains what appears to be the partial remains of an old museum label. What museum? I don't know; although, it is not the first ex-museum object that I have discovered in northern New England. Pretty-much exactly one-year ago is when I discovered a late-seventeenth or early-eighteenth-century small stoneware jug that was manufactured in Germany, which also still retained the remains of a museum label at an indoor flea market on the coast in southern Maine. In this case, too - "what museum" remains the question. That particular label appeared like it may have been involved with a fire or exposed to a flame or a hot temperature. The jug, itself, does not exhibit any type of damage when compared to what is seen on the label. Could this be merely coincidental - or, is there more to this story. I'm not sure, but I will show the stoneware jug and its label in another report soon enough.

 Appears 18th Century Red Earthenware Pipkin or Unusual Formed Jug

Probably a European-Made Product

Circa Possibly Before 1750

Stands 4 1/8" Tall

Measures 6 1/4" Long

Found in Central New Hampshire in Fall of 2014

 View of One Handle

 View of the Other Handle

 View from Above

 Interior of the Handle

View of the Base and the Remains of an Old 'Museum' Label

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

A Jug that is Owned by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. that was Discovered in Gloucester, Massachusetts in the 1930's

Before I go any further with this story - I want to mention that Lura Woodside Watkins landmark 1950 book 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares' is immensely important to the study of New England-made red earthenware and stoneware from the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-centuries today. This book laid the foundation for what we known today - and, it is the basis for which many research subjects have spawned from. Personally, I have cited Watkins in a few of the articles that I have written for the New England Antiques Journal. Many people would be lost today (myself included) with how the output of so many potter's products appear in New England today. She devoted so much time to not only collecting surviving examples from early contexts throughout New England, but she also took the time to travel to many potter's sites to collect sherd examples and the remains of kiln furniture. All of this information is now available to scholars at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. and Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. For this, I am very thankful today because I have been able to photograph and study both of these collections in-depth. She really did an incredible job!

Now, with that said, I want to discuss an object that is identified by Watkins in figure 13 of her book as a product that was possibly made by Joseph Gardner (1672-1749) in Gloucester, Massachusetts between 1693-1749. She found the jug in a home in East Gloucester, Massachusetts in the 1930's. I know absolutely nothing about Gardner today - and, how his work may have appeared; however, I am rather certain that this is a mid-nineteenth-century red earthenware jug that was likely produced in western New York or Ontario (attribution based on glaze and form). How this jug traveled all the way from the Ontario and western new York area to coastal New England to only be found in an early context in Gloucester, which suggested to Watkins that it was a very-early locally produced product is a complete puzzle to me. I have zero explanation for why this object appeared where it did almost one-hundred years ago.

A quick history of Joseph Gardner: He was born in Gloucester in 1672. He reportedly learned the potter's trade form his grandfather, William Vinson, an English trained potter, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1635. Joseph Gardner  had a son, Israel Gardner (died 1771), who was also employed as a potter nearby in the Danvers, Massachusetts area. Israel likely learned the potter's craft from this father.

According to Watkins, "Joseph Gardner bought a small piece of land on the outskirts of Gloucester, on the road to Eastern Point. It is described as being at the 'easterly end of Peter Mud's Neck,' now the junction of Eastern and Rocky Neck Avenues. In 'the house then erected to make earthenware in' Joseph Gardner worked in the dual capacity of potter and fisherman. Although little is known about his career, he was still called 'potter' in 1749, the year of his death. A clay bed and evidence of a clay pit nearby are the only indications of his activities there during nearly sixty years."

It appears that Joseph Gardner found much success in the potter's trade employing the craft as a means to supplement his income as also a Gloucester fisherman. My guess is that he must of been aware of the industry that had grown in Charlestown, Massachusetts in the eighteenth-century - and, the businesses that were tied to Charlestown in South Danvers, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire before 1750.

 Mid-19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Likely Made in Either W. NY or Ontario

Circa 1850

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

Pictured in Figure 13 in the Book 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares'

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

View of the Handle

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

Please Stay Tuned…Much More to Come...

A Newly Acquired 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from a Desired Mid-Coast Maine Potter

A friend, Ross Levitt from Thomaston, Maine stopped by my house in Newburyport, Massachusetts this evening to show me a jug that he freshly acquired privately which was recently removed from a private Maine collection.  In short: this jug now resides as part of my private collection. I wanted to quickly show it tonight because it is really a rare size to find from this particular maker.

The jug was made at the John Corliss Pottery in the Days Ferry Neighborhood of Woolwich, Maine around the mid-nineteenth-century (circa 1840). If you regularly read my stories on this website - you may recall, that I often make the trip to the Bath, Woolwich and Wiscasset, Maine area to pick the local shops. I've never mentioned it on this website before, but every time I am in that area, I curiously wonder whether I may come across any Corliss-made red earthenware. I also regret it every time because I always forget to bring my research information about where the Corliss site is located. I usually get to that part of Maine and think that it would make for a nice story if I were to visit the site, which I have been told is easily accessible near the ocean and the mouth of the Kennebec River. Never-the-less, this is one of my favorite Maine potters - and, material from the Corliss Pottery is very-difficult to come by today.

According to Lura Woodside Watkins book, 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares,' "Opposite Bath (Maine) near the mouth of the Kennebec River, is the town of Woolwich, for many years the seat of one of the best known Maine potteries, that of John Corliss. 

At the age of three, John Corliss (1799-1892) was taken from his birthplace, Hopkinton, New Hampshire, to North Yarmouth, Maine, when his family moved there in the winter of 1802. Growing up among the potters of the town, he developed an aptitude for the craft, and was no doubt apprenticed to his uncle Ebenezer Corliss. When he was twenty-one and old enough to start his own business, he went to Day's Ferry in West Woolwich in 1820. "

The Corliss Pottery succeeded under the guidance of John Corliss and eventually his son, Howard Corliss until the business finally closed sometime in the 1880's.

Any type of Corliss Pottery is considered very-rare today. It's out there in both private collections and museums collections; however, rarely is it found available in the marketplace. Understandably, I am thrilled to have obtained this rare large example that stands about eleven-inches tall. A similar example (jug) is pictured on the cover of M. Lelyn Branin's important book 'The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine.'

The size of this Corliss Pottery jug (11 inches) is very-rare today. I only know of a small number of Corliss-made jugs in such a size - and, they pretty-much all reside in private Maine and private Massachusetts collections today. Personally, I can not recall ever seeing any examples in museums from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. north up through Maine that own a Corliss Pottery jug in a related size. Typically, they tend to be smaller.

I forget who ultimately identified this characteristic, but if you look closely at the photos below you will notice that the base of the handle resembles a fish tale. This is an attributable characteristic to the Corliss Pottery in Maine today. Both Dr. Mark Chaplin (Massachusetts & Maine) and Dr. Brian Mills (Maine) taught me this idea in recent years; however, I forget who is ultimately responsible for first dubbing the idea 'fish tale.' Regardless, it is a perfect way to the describe this (almost?) unique characteristic of the wares made at the Corliss Pottery in the 1800's.

My three-year-old niece, Alexis is pictured with the jug below for a size reference to show the magnitude of the this beautiful object.

 My 3-Year-Old Niece, Alexis with the Jug

 19th Century John Corliss Pottery Red Earthenware Jug - Days Ferry Neighborhood, Woolwich, ME

Circa 1840

Stands 11" Tall

Recently Removed from a Private Maine Collection

 View of the 'Fish Tale' Handle

Another View of the Jug

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

A Collection of Pottery that Sold at W.A. Smith Auctions in Plainfield, New Hampshire Last Month

William A. Smith Auctions, based in Plainfield, New Hampshire held a Summer Americana Sale last month that I feel is worthy of mention. It's something I had considered writing about, but I got tied up with other topics. W.A. Smith Auctions is especially known today for their old-fashioned on-site sales in the spring, summer and fall months, which are rarely seen anymore elsewhere in New England; however, this particular sale was held at the W.A. Smith auction gallery in Plainfield. The sale combined the expected Americana recognized at most quality New England summer sales that included art, furniture, ceramics, accessories, glass - and, really a number of whimsical objects, too.

I didn't actually attend this sale - in-fact, I have never been to a W.A. Smith auction before. Typically, the sales are either held during the week, which creates a conflict with my work schedule; although, even when there is a weekend sale, I usually second-guess myself with the ride - seeing that Plainfield is also two hours northwest from where I live in Newburyport, Massachusetts. None-the-less, this was a good sale that saw many fresh-to-the-market examples of nineteenth-century red earthenware and stoneware offered to the highest bidder. 

In my opinion, the best example of American-made utilitarian pottery was a colorfully glazed red earthenware jug that was likely made in Maine during the 1820-1860 period, but that's just my feeling. I will let the reader determine what they feel is the best object from the group of photos that I have posted below.

The most important example of pottery in the sale was a highly contested eighteenth-century slip decorated English earthenware posset pot that was accompanied with a very-strong provenance. The pot was originally deaccessioned from the New Hampshire Historical Society - and, it also sold through Skinner Auctions in Bolton, Massachusetts in 1983. The important names Roger Bacon and John Walton were also tied to the pot. 

Pictured along with this pot below is a similar example that was excavated from a privy (trash pit) at the Three Cranes Tavern in Charlestown, Massachusetts in an eighteenth-century archaeological context. The tavern stood at the center of Charlestown until it was destroyed at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 - the tavern was originally built and named the 'Great House' for Governor John Winthrop's use in the 1630's. It was converted into a tavern when Winthrop left soon after for Boston. The seventeenth and eighteenth-century privies associated with this building have really proven to act as a time capsule to the types of locally produced pottery, but also the kind of wares (not just pottery) that were imported into Charlestown before 1775.

I have also included an image of a related eighteenth-century English made earthenware posset pot that was recovered in the cellar of the Lydia Goodsell (circa 1730-1797) House in North Branford, Connecticut. 

The following group of objects were English-made, but a countless number of examples (and forms) of this type of slip decorated earthenware was imported into the American colonies in the eighteenth-century.

18th Century English Slipware Earthenware Posset Pot

Stands 6" Tall

Ex-Collection of NH Historical Society, Roger Bacon & John Walton

Photo Courtesy: W.A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, NH

18th Century English Slipware Earthenware Posset Pot

Stands Approximately 6" Tall

Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, MA

18th Century English Slipware Earthenware Posset Pot

Recovered at the Lydia Goodsell House in North Brantford, CT

Photo Courtesy: Archaeological and Historical Services - Storrs, CT

As I mentioned, the posset pot was the most important example of utilitarian pottery that sold in Plainfield last month; however, there were a number of nineteenth-century examples of American-made red earthenware (and, stoneware not pictured), as well. Personally, the object that I liked the best - undoubtedly, was a small colorfully glazed red earthenware jug (pictured below) that was likely made in Maine in the 1820-1860 period. I also want to note that I actually found that some of the better red earthenware objects in this sale were included in group lots that were made up of four examples of pottery.

Unfortunately, I am not able to provide the auction results. The auctioneer doesn't post such information publicly to his website - and, I wasn't in attendance to keep track of what certain objects sold for. However, I was told it was a highly contested auction with some objects realizing strong prices.

(Left) Probably Not American, but Probably Dates from the 1800's

(Right) Probably 19th Century New England-Made Red Earthenware Jug

Circa 1800-1840

Stands 11" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

Collection of 19th Century American-Made Red Earthenware

Best Object is the Jug to the Far Left - Likely a Mass, NH or ME Object

Largest Stands 6" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century American-Made Red Earthenware Jar and Slip Decorated Plate

Jar is Possibly a CT or Long Island Product

Jar Stands 9" Tall

The Plate is Probably from the Mid-Atlantic Region

Plate Measures 11" in Diameter

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Likely Made in Norwalk, CT

The Jar Has Been Converted Into a Lamp

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 8 3/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century Probably New England-Made Red Earthenware Jar

Circa 1800-1840

Stands 11 1/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century American-Made Red Earthenware jars

Circa 1820-1860

(Left) The Lidded Jar Possibly Made in CT or Long Island

Stands 11" Tall with the Lid

(Right) The Other Jar Probably Made in New England

Stands 10" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made in Either CT, Long Island or PA

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 8 3/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

Group of 19th Century American-Made Red Earthenware

The Best Object is the Jar Pictured to the Far Right

Largest Object Stands 5 1/8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century New England or PA Red Earthenware Lidded Jar

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 10 1/4" Tall with the Lid

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century CT or Long Island Red Earthenware Jar

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 9 1/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century Maine-Made Red Earthenware Jug

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 6" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

19th Century Probably CT or Long Island-Made Red Earthenware Jar

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 6 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: William A. Smith Auctions - Plainfield, MA

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