A Red Earthenware Pitcher that was Recently Found in Maine, Which Compares to Two Pitchers Uncovered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

I recently purchased a dark-glazed red earthenware pitcher from Portsmouth, New Hampshire antiques dealer, Hollis Brodrick. Hollis told me that he acquired the pitcher from a picker in Maine. He thought it had a late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth-century appearance, and he also felt that it may have been made anywhere from Essex County, Massachusetts to the New Hampshire seacoast or somewhere in southern Maine.

It appears (to me) that the pitcher may be related to two known pitchers, which were uncovered in the twentieth-century on Deer Street in Portsmouth when a hotel was built. The artifacts from this site are kept at Strawbery Banke's Archaeology Department in Portsmouth today.

The site generated a huge collection of ceramics, which included English slipware, German stoneware, English creamware, and a large collection of locally produced red earthenware from makers in Essex County, Massachusetts, (likely) Portsmouth and Maine.

The pitchers, which I reference were discovered in a circa 1820-1840 archaeological context, but that does not mean they could not be earlier. I am also hesitant to provide an attribution due to the large amount of potters, who were employed in this part of New England during the period.

Note: It has been suggested that the pitchers discovered in Portsmouth may have been made in southern Maine; however, I am unsure of that attribution since the refinement could also suggest an Essex County potter, as well from the late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth-century.

The Deer Street site provided such a large concentration of ceramics that I would not be surprised where these pitchers may have come from, whether it be a potter's business in Essex County, Massachusetts, the New Hampshire seacoast or in southern Maine. Although, I do feel that the following three pitchers may be related.

Map Shows Location of Deer Street in Portsmouth, NH

Map Shows Deer Street in Portsmouth, NH

Deer Street is Located Near the Downtown Area in the City

Photo Courtesy: Google Maps

Pitchers Uncovered in Portsmouth, NH

19th Century Red Earthenware Pitchers Recovered at the Deer Street Site in Portsmouth, NH

Found in a Circa 1820-1840 Archaeological Context
Each Stands Approximately 9" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Strawbery Banke Archaeology Department - Portsmouth, NH

Pitcher Recently Found in Maine

(Middle) Pitcher Recently Found in Maine
Recently Purchased from Portsmouth, NH Antiques Dealer, Hollis Brodrick

18th/19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Recently Found in Maine

Form is Similar to the Examples Found on Deer Street in Portsmouth, NH

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

Likely Made in Essex County, Mass, New Hampshire Seacoast or Southern Maine

Another View of the Pitcher

View of the Handle

View of the Interior
Notice the Different Colored Interior Glaze

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