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

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

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.