Note: Henry Schofield, Jr. was the fifth son born to Henry Schofield, Sr. a well-known nineteenth-century red earthenware potter. The Schofield family is known for its accomplishments in the Mid-Atlantic utilitarian potter's industry today in the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries.
20th Century Red Earthenware Bird House and Bank
Reportedly Made at the Henry Schofield, Jr. Pottery in Cecil County, MD
Bird House Stands 10 1/2" Tall
Bank Stands 4 3/4" Tall
Sold for $343.50 in 2014
Photo Courtesy: Conestoga Auctions - Manheim, PA
On March 12, 2016, Conestoga Auctions will, yet, again sell another unglazed red earthenware bird house in the same form that sold in 2014; however, this example will be sold without an attribution.
Admittedly, I am confused as to where this birdhouse form was made - and, I will explain why. I believe they are a Mid-Atlantic product from the early-to-mid-twentieth-century (before 1940), but I have not seen concrete evidence that suggests these are definitely a product of the Henry Schofield, Jr. Pottery in Cecil County, Maryland.
Note: The main reason that a more specific location is not given for Henry Schofield, Jr.'s work today is the result of multiple kiln locations in Cecil County. Unless an object is obviously marked where it was made, it is difficult to make such an exact attribution. It would certainly be easier if Henry Schofield, Jr. had remained in the same location his entire career as a potter.
20th Century Red Earthenware Bird House Likely from a Mid-Atlantic Pottery
Stands 10" Tall
Scheduled to Sell on March 12, 2016
Photo Courtesy: Conestoga Auctions - Manheim, PA
Here is a similar birdhouse that Crocker Farm sold in Sparks, Maryland in March of 2015 - it was described as a "20th century red earthenware birdhouse with heavy incised line decoration.
(Right) 20th Century Red Earthenware Bird House
Stands 8 3/8" Tall
Sold on March 14, 2015
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD
The (clay) bodies of the pottery produced at his Maryland shop are found in several colors, largely imported by the clay the potter used. Some unglazed pieces mirror the matted orange color of today's mass-produced terra cotta, although Henry's tend to be a bit darker.
Henry enhanced the appearance of his pots in several ways. The rim of unglazed vases and flower pots were often crimped or what sometimes is referred to as thumb-pressed. Quite often, these wares were even unglazed on the inside. He also impressed designs on the rounded shoulders of some vessels such as small jugs, sugar bowls, banks and bird houses. These shapes had been carved into sticks of wood that were used as stamps to impress the design into the vessel body before firing.
Few of Henry's ceramics were formed with straight-sided bodies. Rather, the vast majority of his wares - jugs, pitchers, vases, birdhouses and bean pots - are ovoid, that is, the belly of the vessel is fuller than the top or bottom. The surface of some pots also feels gritty.
Today, Henry's birdhouses are among the forms, which are prized by collectors and command strong prices at auction."
The following pair of birdhouses are properly attributed to Henry Schofield, Jr. I have spoken with Dr. Kotersky - and, he agrees that all of the birdhouses of discussion in this article (with the exception of the following two) are commonly attributed to Henry Schofield, Jr. today; however, he is not convinced that they are a product of Schofield's Maryland pottery. Rather, he feels that they were probably made by another potter's business elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic during the early-to-mid-twentieth-century.
20th Century Red Earthenware Birdhouses Made by Henry Schofield, Jr. - Cecil County, MD
Left: Stands 6 1/2" Tall
Right: Stands 7 1/2" Tall
Circa 1900-1940
Photo Courtesy: Horst Auctioneers - Ephrata, PA
Despite the fact that I am not convinced where these bird houses were made - I have picked four related objects in my travels in recent years. The form is great! I really enjoy them even though I don't known where they were exactly made.
Two of these birdhouses were purchased at one of the antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts a few years ago from a West Virginia antiques dealer - the dealer said he picked them in West Virginia, but he felt they were made in either Maryland or Pennsylvania.
Another birdhouse was discovered at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Massachusetts in 2014 from a New Hampshire antiques dealer. I asked her if she knew any history behind the birdhouse, but she said she did not. All she could tell me is that she bought it at a New England auction.
More recently, I discovered a fourth example at an antique show in Milford, New Hampshire a few weeks ago. I asked the dealer if she knew anything about the bird house - unfortunately, all she knew is that she had owned it for many years.
Note: The birdhouse shown to the right in this first photograph has a bird's nest still inside of it.
20th Century Red Earthenware Birdhouses Discovered in Brimfield, MA in 2013
Purchased from a West Virginia Antiques Dealer
Probably Made in One of the Mid-Atlantic States Before 1940
The Birdhouse to the Right Retains a Bird's Nest
Right: Stands 9" Tall
Purchased from a West Virginia Antiques Dealer
Probably Made in One of the Mid-Atlantic States Before 1940
The Birdhouse to the Right Retains a Bird's Nest
Right: Stands 9" Tall
Left: 10 1/4" Tall
20th Century Red Earthenware Birdhouse Discovered in Rowley, MA in 2014
Found at Todd's Farm Flea Market
Purchased from a New Hampshire Antiques Dealer
Probably Made in One of the Mid-Atlantic States Before 1940
Stands 8 3/4" Tall
Found at Todd's Farm Flea Market
Purchased from a New Hampshire Antiques Dealer
Probably Made in One of the Mid-Atlantic States Before 1940
Stands 8 3/4" Tall
20th Century Red Earthenware Birdhouse Discovered in Milford, NH in 2016
Found at the Weekly Milford, NH Antiques Show
Purchased from a New Hampshire Antiques Dealer
Probably Made in One of the Mid-Atlantic States Before 1940
Stands 10" Tall
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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