A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Discovered Today at the Flea Market in Southern Maine

This morning, I drove to Maine with my four-year-old niece, Alexis. We left Newburyport, Massachusetts a little before 7:00 am - and, we were at a flea market in southern Maine by 7:30 am.

Quickly, I want to show this nineteenth-century red earthenware jar that we discovered today. We were told by the dealer (and, his family) that this jar was recently found in a farm house in Hollis, Maine; although, it does exhibit characteristics to wares that were made in North Yarmouth, Maine during the circa 1820-1860 period. The lack of a footed base, the unglazed bottom portion of the jar, the clay color and how the jar tapers outwards as it rises are all styles found on wares made in North Yarmouth. However, there were also two well-known potters, who were employed in Hollis (John Alld & Thomas Truxton Kendrick) in the nineteenth-century - and, there is not a lot known about the total output of these potters today.

Nonetheless, I feel firmly that this is a southern Maine red earthenware jar in a rare form to find today.

My Niece, Alexis with the Red Earthenware Jar that We Discovered in Maine Today

 19th Century Red Earthenwar Jar Likely Made in Maine

Possibly Made in North Yarmouth, ME

Recently Found in a Farm House in Hollis, ME

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 6" Tall

 Another View of the Jar

 Another View of the Jar

 View of the Interior

View of the Base

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

A Pair of 19th Century Red Earthenware Jugs Possibly Discovered in an Early Context of Ownership in Maine

Last fall, I purchased a misplaced eighteenth-century drawer full of pottery from Scarborough, Maine antiques dealer, Rachel Gurley. The drawer contained four examples of nineteenth-century Maine-made red earthenware, along with a nineteenth-century Charlestown, Massachusetts stoneware jug. The group of objects came directly out of an eighteenth-century home in Saco, Maine. The collection was found tucked away in the attic. These objects are believed to have lived in this home for well-over a century - they seem to have been recovered in an early-context of ownership. All of the red earthenware appears to have been produced at the nearby Bickford Pottery in Buxton, Maine before 1860 - and, the Charlestown stoneware jug was found about ninety-five-miles north of where it was originally manufactured during the circa 1800-1840 period.

Nonetheless, I picked a pair of nineteenth-century red earthenware jugs last weekend at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Massachusetts for twenty-dollars. It does not bother me, but both of the jugs are missing their handles. One of the jugs has a rope tied around its neck, which shows how it was used in Maine in the 1800's even after the handle broke.

I was told the jugs were recently removed from a barn in Northport, Maine, which is a town located on the Penobscot, Bay in Waldo County, Maine. Northport is also located more-than one-hundred-miles north of Saco, Maine.  The context that these jugs were discovered may be a mere coincidence; however, the context may also represent the types of red earthenware that was available to homeowners in the Penobscot Bay Region in the nineteenth-century. In theory, this is a possible concept since Northport is a maritime community, where documented eighteenth and nineteenth-century New England-made antiques have been recovered in the past.

The dealer told me that both of the jugs were filthy when her husband discovered them; however, she said her husband cleaned both of them to reveal two wonderful glazes hidden beneath decades worth of dirt and filth. There is nothing I can do about it now, but I would have probably left these jugs covered in some of the original dirt so the context that they were discovered would still be somewhat represented. Luckily, the known history of these jugs was passed along (to me), and I am hopeful that this known history will not be lost as-long-as these jugs continue to survive today.

Here is a (link) to the article that I wrote on October 4, 2015 about the red earthenware and stoneware that was discovered in Saco, Maine.

(Left) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Likely Made in Maine

Form Matches a Style that I Have Seen Attributed to Buxton, ME

Found in a Barn in Northport, ME

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 8 5/8" Tall

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Likely Made in Maine

Possibly Also Made in Southern Maine

Found in a Barn in Northport, ME

Circa 1820-1860

 Stands 9 1/4" Tall

 Another View of the Jug

Purchased Last Weekend at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Mass.

 Another View of the Jugs

View of the Green Glaze

View of the Handle Attachments

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

A 19th Century Massachusetts Red Earthenware Jug that was Picked Last Weekend in New Hampshire

This article discusses another of my red earthenware discoveries that I made last weekend - this is a rare early-nineteenth-century black-glazed red earthenware jug that was made at the William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Massachusetts during the circa 1790-1820 period. I discovered it with no attribution near Manchester, New Hampshire.

Interestingly, I have collected a large amount of sherds in Merrimacport that show William Pecker regularly produced black-glazed red earthenware. Sherd evidence actually proves that he also worked with dozens of glaze colors, which is surprising since he is mostly known for a small group of glaze-styles today.

This is a finely potted jug in a form that Pecker is known for today. I have seen this form vary in size from only four or five-inches tall to a jug that is owned by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. that measures almost fifteen-inches tall.

Wiscasset, Maine antiques dealer and artist, John Sideli actually sold four of the finest William Pecker red earthenware jugs known to exist when he sold his private collection in 2003 at the Cyr Auction Gallery in Gray, Maine.

According to 'Antiques and the Arts Weekly,' "A large selection of redware was offered at the Sideli Sale, which included an ovoid covered pitcher in a light glaze with manganese and greenish decoration that sold for $5,462 - it was attributed to Essex County, Massachusetts. A William Pecker jug made in Merrimacport, Massachusetts with an orange-glaze and manganese decoration brought $2,875. A New Hampshire jar with a green-glaze and olive spots sold for $2,702. A large Connecticut redware jar sold for $2,587. And, a small creamer made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery with traces of green and white slip was hammered down at $2,537."

The following image shows John Sideli's red earthenware collection - the objects marked with a number are the four examples of William Pecker Pottery jugs that he owned. These jugs were all purchased at the sale by collectors located on Cape Ann in Massachusetts; however, three of the jugs have since moved onto new collections. Unfortunately, I do not know where they reside today - they were sold, again almost ten-years ago.

Fortunately, the jug marked with the number '2' is currently privately owned today only a few miles from Merrimacport, Massachusetts.

Note: I have shown a few of the William Pecker Pottery jugs that I own below next to the black-glazed jug that was found in New Hampshire last weekend.

John Sideli Red Earthenware Collection that Sold in Maine in 2003

The Jugs Marked with Numbers Were Made at the William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

The Jug Marked with the Number '1' was Mentioned in the Article Cited Above

The Jugs Obviously Vary in Size

Photo Courtesy: John Sideli - Wiscasset, ME

William Pecker Pottery Jug Found in New Hampshire

Early-19th Century Black-Glazed Red Earthenware Jug
Attributed to the William Pecker Pottery - Merrimacport, Mass.
Discovered Near Manchester, NH
Circa 1790-1820
Stands 7 3/4" Tall

View of the Handle

Group of William Pecker Pottery Red Earthenware Jugs

Group of Early-19th Century William Pecker Pottery Red Earthenware Jugs - Merrimacport, Mass.

(Left) Stands 7 5/8"Tall

(Middle) Stands 7 3/4" Tall

(Right) Stands 8 3/8" Tall

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

A Newly Acquired Rare Red Earthenware Vase Made in New Hampshire in the 20th-Century

I recently picked this small red earthenware vase on eBay for under ten-dollars. I do not normally buy from eBay since I like to examine the product in-hand; however, I have never seen an object marked 'KAMAR / MASON NH' before with the exception of two products that are owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, New Hampshire.

Unfortunately, I do not know the history of this object (or its maker), but I do know that it was likely manufactured in the 1930's. It can be described as art pottery; although, it can also be compared to the type of production that was happening in Pennsylvania with the Stahl family after 1932, and the production of red earthenware in North Carolina during the circa 1920-1950 period.

One of the objects that is owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society was donated in 1991 by Barbara Billeter, who was a summer resident in the lakes region in Bristol, New Hampshire. It is unclear why she donated the object to the historical society; however, she must have felt that it was of some importance to the state's early-to-mid-twentieth-century history.

According to information that was provided by the New Hampshire Historical Society, "The redware mug was donated by Barbara Billeter - she said she purchased it before 1943 at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen shop in Bristol, New Hampshire" (note: the mug also still retains its original label).

The second red earthenware object owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society is a flower holder, which was donated in 1986 by Mary E. Heald. This object was made in two pieces, a flower shaped insert and a rectangular base.

Admittedly, I do not know a lot about these objects, but I feel they represent a potter (or potter's business), who is relatively forgotten today. It seems that this potter's business made utilitarian products, and also objects intended for floral needs. This is also a subject that I hope to further research in the near future.

20th Century Red Earthenware Vase Made in Mason, NH

Recently Purchased on eBay from a Dealer in Newton, New Jersey

Marked 'KAMAR / MASON NH'

Related to Two Objects Owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, NH

Circa 1930-1950

Stands 3" Tall

Another View of the Vase

View of the Interior

View of the Hand-Written Signature on the Base

Marked 'KAMAR / MASON NH'

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

Mug Owned by New Hampshire Historical Society

20th Century Red Earthenware Mug Made in Mason, NH

Said to Have Been Purchased Before 1943 in Bristol, NH

Marked 'KAMAR / MASON NH'

Circa Early-1940's

Stands 3 3/8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

View of the Hand-Written Signature on the Base

Marked 'KAMAR / MASON NH'

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

Flower Holder Owned by New Hampshire Historical Society

20th Century Red Earthenware Flower Holder Made in Mason, NH

Marked 'KAMAR / MASON NH'

Circa 1930-1950

Stands 1 5/8" Tall

Measures 3 1/8" Wide

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

View of the Insert

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

View of the Hand-Written Signature on the Base

Marked 'KAMAR / MASON NH'

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

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

A Rare 19th-Century Red Earthenware Bowl Discovered Near Manchester, New Hampshire

Before I introduce the second object that I picked last weekend in New Hampshire - I would like to emphasize the importance of the red earthenware potter's industry that was located in central New Hampshire after 1800. It was well-documented in the twentieth-century from published articles in the 'Magazine Antiques' (and, in books) that the Osborn family (who migrated from Massachusetts) made a major impact in the New Hampshire potter's industry in places like Gonic (Rochester), Loudon, Dover, Exeter and Boscowan. However, I truly believe that the potter's businesses, which were located in places like Lyndeborough and Concord were just as significant, and are often overlooked today. The industry located in Concord was also among the largest manufacturers of red earthenware in New Hampshire in the nineteenth-century.

Today's article will continue the discussion about a group of objects that I discovered last weekend - the following red earthenware bowl was found in the same location near Manchester, New Hampshire as was the pitcher that I wrote about yesterday. Initially, I was not certain where this bowl was made; although, I felt it was probably produced at a potter's business in coastal Massachusetts or central New Hampshire before 1850.

I would describe this bowl as a finely potted object similar to the refinement found on products made by the more-skilled potters, who were employed from Essex County, Massachusetts to Bristol County, Massachusetts in the early-nineteenth-century.

When I got home, I compared this bowl's glaze to a New Hampshire-made pitcher that I own - and, the glazes were basically an identical match to each other. The pitcher was purchased at a Steenburgh Auction in Haverhill, New Hampshire on Labor Day Weekend in 2013.

According to Joshua Steenburgh, "The pitcher came out of an estate in Orford, New Hampshire," and more importantly, the pitcher matches an object owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, New Hampshire. The museum attributes their object to the nineteenth-century New Hampshire potter, Joseph Hazeltine (1799-1880).

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "The Hazeltines ran a redware shop of some importance about a half mile west of the Clark Pottery in Concord, New Hampshire. Joseph Hazelintine (1799-1880), its founder, was a native of Concord. He worked for the Clarks (Peter Clark, Jr., 1794-1855 and John Farmer Clark, 1832-1885) at times, but Hazeltine also carried on an independent business that he established around 1842, and operated until about his death in 1880. (Note: Joseph Hazeltine likely trained at the Clark Pottery in Concord.)

Joseph Hazeltine's shop stood on the north side of Hopkinton Road, east of Miss Alice Moulton's land, and near the line where an iron fence now stands close to a barn on the next estate. The kiln was located behind the shop.

Hazeltine reportedly operated four potter's wheels and must have employed a number of men. Several pieces of his red earthenware have survived (prior to 1950). His grandson, (also) Joseph Hazeltine, postmaster at Contoocook, New Hampshire, cherishes a shaving mug, and the museum of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society at Hopkinton has preserved a stew pot with a handle made by Hazeltine in 1845."

The object that is attributed to Hazeltine, and owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society is accompanied with a strong provenance; "The pitcher was donated to the New Hampshire Historical Society by Priscilla Bohanan of Contoocook, New Hampshire. She purchased it from the estate of Arthur Kimball, the great-grandson of Hazen Kimball of Hopkinton, New Hampshire. The donor's note reads, 'The pitcher came from the Hazen Kimball family of Hopkinton. I bought it from the estate of his great-grandson, Arthur Kimball, many years ago...The Hazeltine descendants, Joseph and his son lived here in Hopkinton many years...The New Hampshire Antiquarian Society has a beautiful Hazeltine piece - labeled (on paper) made by Joseph Hazeltine and I believe, donated by the Hazeltine family. It is very similar in glaze (and form) to mine.' Referring to this pitcher, another note reads, 'Served switchell (a drink) in it.'"

Note: I have also shown another pitcher below that I believe was also made at the Joseph Hazeltine Pottery in Concord - the pitcher was found about thirty-five miles east of Concord in a house in Rochester, New Hampshire in 2015.

Bowl Found Near Manchester, NH

 

19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Attributed to Joseph Hazeltine - Concord, NH

The Glaze and Footed Base Match the Pitchers Discussed Below

Found in the Manchester, NH-Area Last Weekend

Circa 1842-1880

Stands 3 1/4" Tall

Measures 7 3/8" in Diameter
Bowl's are a Very-Rare Red Earthenware Form to Find Today

 View of the Interior of the Bowl

 View of the Bowl's Base

Pitcher Purchased at Steenburgh Auction in Haverhill, NH in 2012

(Left) 19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Attributed to Joseph Hazeltine - Concord, NH

Matches an Object Owned by the NH Historical Society (See Below)

Circa 1842-1880 

Stands 8" Tall
The Glazes Seen on These Two Objects Are Basically an Identical Match

(Left) View of the Handle

Pitcher Owned by New Hampshire Historical Society

 19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Attributed to Joseph Hazeltine - Concord, NH

Matches the Pitcher that I Purchased in 2012 (See Above)

Circa 1842-1880 

Stands 8" Tall

Pitcher Found in Rochester, Hampshire in 2015

(Middle) 19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Found in Rochester, NH

Possibly Made at the Joseph Hazeltine Pottery in Concord, NH

Form is Very-Similar to the Other Pitchers Mentioned in this Article

Circa 1840-1880

Stands 6 7/8" Tall

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

A Wonderful 19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Discovered Near Manchester, New Hampshire

I picked five pieces of nineteenth-century New England-made red earthenware last weekend - and, I will be sharing all of these objects throughout the week. Three of the objects were purchased in central New Hampshire - and, the remaining two were found at a Massachusetts flea market.

This pitcher will be the first object from the group that I will discuss - it is a wonderful example of what I perceive as either southern Maine, coastal Maine or central New Hampshire-made red earthenware. The form is extremely rare, and the glaze is just as scarce today.

It was found in the Manchester, New Hampshire-area. I was told that it formerly belonged to an antiques collector, but no other information was provided. I have never seen an object like this before; although, the form is somewhat comparable to some pitchers manufactured along coastal Massachusetts in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-centuries.

If I had to choose, then I would suggest that this pitcher was possibly made in the Concord, New Hampshire or Lyndeborough, New Hampshire areas during the 1800-1840 period; however, I am not very-certain of that attribution, yet since this type of glaze is also found on red earthenware made at a few potteries in Maine.

The form and handle are typically how an attribution would be developed, but this pitcher appears as a rarely seen form (to me).

I have also never seen this exact combination of form and glaze, but I have seen similar glazes decorated on two jars that are attributed to the Clark family of potters in central New Hampshire before. I have also seen similar decorated crock sherds that were recovered at the Peter Clark (1743-1826) Pottery in Lyndeborough.

19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Likely Made in Maine or New Hampshire

Possibly Made by the Clark Family in Concord, NH or Lyndeborough, NH

The Form is Very-Rare, and the Glaze is Wonderful

I Have Never Seen this Combination of Form and Glaze Before

Circa 1800-1840

Stands 6 7/8" Tall

Found in the Manchester, New Hampshire-Area

Another View of the Pitcher

View of the Handle

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

An Important Pennsylvania-German Red Earthenware Jar that Sold in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 2012

Northeast Auctions sold an important late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth-century lidded red earthenware jar at the Treadwell Mansion in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Saturday November 17, 2012. The jar was attributed to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I do not know the recent history of this jar, but it is assumed that it was likely consigned from a prominent American collector.

According to Northeast Auctions, "This bulbous-formed redware jar is covered in an orange-glaze. It is decorated on one side with a stylized floral bouquet in cream and yellow slip, green oxide and manganese brown. A similar bouquet is decorated on the other side, also in cream and yellow slip, and manganese brown. The cover is decorated with matching flower heads."

This jar was reportedly originally sold in the Jacob Paxson Temple Collection at Anderson Galleries in New York City in 1922.

Affixed under the jar's base is an old type label that reads, 'POTTERY JAR WITH COVER / BY JACOB DITZLER / PENNSYLVANIA / FLORAL SLIP DECORATION."

I vividly remember staring at this object during the auction preview - I imagined that it would sell to a seasoned collector, dealer or museum for a strong price. I also thought about the rarity of such an object today. I stared at the slip-decoration, which basically transformed this object into a true piece of Pennsylvania-German folk art.

For me, personally, this jar demonstrates how some of the most-accomplished examples of American-made red earthenware appear today. For some reason, most New England potters seemed to have chosen to diminish the use of slip-decoration applied on red earthenware produced after the American Revolution into the 1800's. However, I can only imagine what may have been left today, if New England potters, had remained focused with slip-decoration, like many of the Pennsylvania-German potters, who were employed in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries.

Ultimately, this jar sold for $10,620, including the buyer's premium; although, it would be interesting to see how this object would fare in today's marketplace since prices for certain museum-quality Pennsylvania-German objects appear to grow as each year passes.

Late-18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar - Bucks County, PA

Decorated with a Wonderful Polychrome Slip-Decoration

Jar is Very-Similar to a Jar Owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Circa 1780-1820

Stands 8" Tall with the Lid

Sold for $10,620 in 2012

Photo Courtesy: Northeast Auctions - Portsmouth, NH

The Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania owns a similar-formed polycrhome slip-decorated jar, which is also attributed to Bucks County, Pennsylvania during the circa 1780-1820 period. It was gifted to the museum in 1954 by Joseph H. Himes in memory of his wife, Mrs. Eilleen C. Himes.

Late-18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar - Bucks County, PA

Decorated with a Wonderful Polychrome Slip-Decoration

Jar is Very-Similar to the Jar that Sold at Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, NH in 2012

Circa 1780-1820

Stands 7" Tall Without a Lid

Photo Courtesy: Philadelphia Museum of Art - Philadelphia, PA

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

An 18th Century Red Earthenware Pot Discovered in Newburyport, Massachusetts in the 1930's

Pictured in figure 32b of Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins book, 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares' is a rare eighteenth-century Massachusetts-made red earthenware object. Presumably, this could be an Essex County, Massachusets product, which Watkins describes as a "mustard pot decorated with variegated green, yellow and brown tones in the glaze, and brushed with slip-decoration." She also said, "It was possibly made in the Newburyport, Massachusetts-area, and it stands only 3 1/2 inches tall."

There were multiple eighteenth-century red earthenware potter's businesses employed in Newburyport, Massachusetts before the American Revolution; however, I assume the reason that Watkins suggested Newburyport as a possible place of manufacture is a result of discovering the pot in a Newburyport home in the 1930's.

I think it is difficult to say "which" eighteenth-century potter's business is responsible for this wonderful pot; although, the decoration is similar to slip-patterns that were also applied in Charlestown, Massachusetts before 1775.

For the sake of today's discussion - I would like to compare the slip-technique and glaze-colors found on this small pot to a pair of objects that were recovered through archaeology in Charlestown in the 1980's. I also want to compare this object to a larger pot that sold at a Tim Gould Auction in Augusta, Maine in 2014 - that larger pot was attributed to the Charlestown potter's industry during the circa 1740-1775 period, based on the archaeological evidence, that was recovered more than thirty-years ago in Charlestown.

I also want to mention that there seems to be the possibility that this object's overall form, and the lid may have been inspired from eighteenth-century English slipware products that were imported into the American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries.

 18th Century Massachusetts-Made Red Earthenware Pot

Discovered in Newburyport, Mass. in the 1930's

Attributed to the 18th Century Newburyport, Mass. Potter's Industry

Although the Slip-Technique is Comparable to Styles Also Applied in Charlestown, Mass.

Circa 1740-1790

Stands 3 1/2" Tall

Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

Pictured in Figured 32b in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares'

Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, Mass.

(Left) Pot Attributed to Charlestown, Mass which Sold in Maine in 2014

Circa 1740-1775

(Right) Chamber Pot Recovered in Charlestown, Mass. in the 1980's

 Circa 1730-1775

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

(Left) Pot Attributed to Charlestown, Mass which Sold in Maine in 2014

Circa 1740-1775

(Right) Porringer Recovered in Charlestown, Mass. in the 1980's

 Circa 1730-1775

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

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

A Rare Style of Decoration Rarely Found on 19th Century Red Earthenware Products Associated with New England Potters Today

This article simply shows a comparison of two decorative techniques that are found on two nineteenth-century red earthenware objects associated with New England potters today.

This first object is currently for sale through Sheffield, Massachusetts antiques dealer, Samuel Herrup. This type of object likely first became famous in the New England antiques industry when similar objects sold in the well-documented Chris Huntington sale in the early-1970's. This form has always been said to have been a Maine-made object; although, the coggled-wheel-decoration is rarely seen with Maine-made red earthenware objects today. In-fact, this style of decoration is rarely seen on any New England-made objects today.

The New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, New Hampshire owns a large pot (see below) in its collection that exhibits a nearly-exact type of coggled-wheel-decoration. The museum attributes their crock to the Jeremiah Burpee (1782-1862) Pottery in Boscowan, New Hampshire during the circa 1804-1830 period.

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "Jeremiah Burpee went to Boscowan, New Hampshire from Epping, New Hampshire as a boy of eleven-years-old. His father was a brickmaker in  Epping, and he likely apprenticed with his father.

In 1804, Jeremiah began a brickmaking and pottery business in Boscowan in which he was engaged until his death in 1862.

The regular output of the Burpee Pottery was red earthenware jugs, jars, pans, etc. This statement was corroborated by Mrs. Durgin in the 1930's, whose memory went back many years earlier since she was then ninety-five-years-old. She had once been a teacher in a little school that stood on the north corner of the  road opposite the pottery. She distinctly remembered watching Jeremiah's son, James Burpee making redware, and among her possessions were three pans of pie-plate size, one with a yellowish-glaze, that had come from the Burpee kiln. 

It is also true that Jeremiah Burpee occasionally incised on his red clay pieces a decoration bearing a slight resemblance to the more skillfully executed coggled designs on imported brown stoneware. A small redware vase with such incised or impressed work was obtained directly from the Burpee family (this vase is owned by Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts today)."

The incised, impressed, or coggled-wheel-decoration that Watkins describes is found on a few objects associated with the Burpee Pottery, which were donated by Watkins to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

This type of decoration is similar to the decoration that is seen on the pitcher attributed to Maine that is shown below. However, a similar decoration is also seen on the pot, which is owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society (also shown below).

Personally, I do not know if there is any connection between these two objects; nonetheless, I feel the comparison seen in the coggled-wheel-decoration is worth mentioning today.

Note: This coggled-wheel-decoration is likely how some European brown stoneware was attributed to the Burpee Pottery in Boscowan in the twentieth-century; however, the Burpee family never manufactured stoneware in New Hampshire. Lura Woodside Watkins describes the attribution as a misunderstanding that happened among collectors in the early-to-mid-1900's, which was inaccurate information that was also published during the same period.

Maine Attributed Red Earthenware Pitcher

19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Attributed to Maine

Similar Objects Sold in the Chris Huntington Sale in Maine in the Early-1970's

The Coggled-Wheel-Decoration is Comparable to the Pot Shown Below

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 9 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, Mass.

Another View of the Pitcher

Photo Courtesy: Samuel Herrup - Sheffield, Mass.

Boscowan, New Hampshire Attributed Pot

19th Century Red Earthenware Pot Attributed to Jeremiah Burpee Pottery - Boscowan, NH

Notice the Rare Pouring Spout

The Coggled-Wheel-Decoration is Similar to the Pitcher Shown Above

Circa 1804-1862

Stands 10 5/8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society - Concord, NH

View of a Handle and a Closer Look at the Coggled-Wheel-Decoration

Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society - Concord, NH

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

An Important Stoneware Artifact Recovered Today in Merrimacport, Massachusetts

I made a significant discovery today at the site of William Pecker's red earthenware and stoneware production in Merrimacport, Massachusetts during the circa 1784-1820 period. Pecker is a relatively unknown name today in the scheme of American stoneware production in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries; however, new research has revealed that he should be considered significant since he was at the forefront of successful stoneware production in Massachusetts around the turn of the nineteenth-century.

I have devoted about a dozen posts on this website to stoneware discoveries that I have made in Merrimacport - I also wrote an article about William Pecker's stoneware production for the August 2015 edition of the New England Antiques Journal. Nonetheless, I believe that today's discovery is as significant as any other single stoneware artifact that I have recovered in Merrimapcort since my initial discovery in 2014.

The following stoneware artifact was found today at low tide along the Merrimack River. In theory, I have suggested that Pecker discarded kiln waste into the Merrimack River. This stoneware sherd appears to have washed ashore today at low tide.

It is potentially a stoneware form that I have never seen from Pecker before. It appears like it could be the remains of a stoneware bottle, but I will also suggest that it could be the base to a very-small stoneware jug.

I have also shown more stoneware kiln furniture that was also recovered today at low tide along the shore of the Merrimack River. The amount of kiln furniture that I have recovered in the past two-years suggests Pecker manufactured much-more stoneware than the few surviving examples, which are known today. I should also mention that all of the surviving examples are also stamped with Pecker's name. I would like to believe that there are additional examples of Pecker stoneware that survive today that are unmarked, and possibly mistaken for potters located elsewhere in America during the same period.

Note: I also found under-fired stoneware sherds today that suggest Pecker may have struggled with some of his production. I have also, yet to recover a stoneware sherd marked with Pecker's name, which may indicate the rarity of this mark today.

 (Left) Very-Rare William Pecker Stoneware Jug - Merrimacport, Mass.
This is One of the Few Surviving Examples that are Known Today

Circa 1790-1820

(Right) William Pecker Stoneware Sherd Recovered Today

Recovered in Merrimacport, Mass. Along the Merrimack River

Form Appears to be a small Jug or a Bottle

Circa 1790-1820
Tallest Area of Sherd Stands 5" Tall

 Another View of the Sherd

Another View of the Sherd

View of the Bases

 Another View of the Bases

Stoneware Kiln Furniture Also Recovered Today in Merrimacport, Mass.

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

A Wonderful 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar with a Streaking Green-Glaze that is Owned by Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware

Quickly, I want to show this wonderful nineteenth-century red earthenware jar today that is owned by Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware. The museum attributes this jar to Connecticut; however, I believe it could have been made elsewhere, as well, possibly in western New York, maybe Pennsylvania or perhaps even somewhere else in New England.

The reason that I suggest this jar may have been manufactured outside of New England is a result of the rare form. I have never seen this form associated with any nineteenth-century red earthenware potter's business in Connecticut; although, if this is indeed, a Connecticut-made product, then I would speculate, and suggest that this jar may have been made somewhere in the greater-Hartford, Connecticut-area during the 1800-1840 period.

Overall, this is a remarkably well-formed object with a very-rare multi-colored glaze. The handles are also unusual for nineteenth-century red earthenware products that are associated with New England potters today.

Additional research may provide an easy attribution for this object since the form and glaze-pattern are very-unusual - especially, when these characteristics are compared to what is known about the nineteenth-century American red earthenware potter's industry today.

 19th Century American-Made Red Earthenware Jar

Could Have Been Made in New England, Western New York or Pennsylvania

Circa 1800-1860

Stands 6 7/8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Winterthur - Wilmington, DE

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Winterthur - Wilmington, DE

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