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.
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...
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