EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar that was Found in Ohio Almost 25-Years Ago

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar that was Found in Ohio Almost 25-Years Ago

This is a nineteenth-century red earthenware jar that I recently acquired from Karen Fults, who is an antiques collector living in Lakeview, Ohio. According to Karen, "This jar was found in Ohio about twenty-five years ago."

The jar is prominently marked, "A. CULLEN." However, I have not been able to determine whether Cullen was a merchant or a potter. But it does appear that the letters may have been applied individually, which may indicate that this was not a regular mark.

When I initially saw the size and tapered form of this object, it reminded me about similar large tapered jars that I have seen made in southern New Hampshire, coastal Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut in the 1800's. The form of the jars all vary, but the basic idea behind the larger size and the tapered form is similar (see below).

I have not conducted a lot of research about the name "A. CULLEN," but Cullen was a common name in New England in the nineteenth-century. It was especially a common name in coastal Massachusetts, in areas, such as Essex County, Massachusetts, where there were well-over one-hundred documented potters in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries.

I should also mention that this jar was manufactured with a lighter colored clay, which is a clay color found on red earthenware produced throughout New England. This jar would have also originally retained a lid as there is a lid rest inside the rim.

I have also included photos of known marked objects in New England museum collections, which were marked with similar serif fonts. The first object is owned by Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, which is marked "APELTON". The maker of this jar is currently unknown, but it may be from a Massachusetts potter. The second object is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, and it also retains a history of ownership in Salem, which dates back to the nineteenth-century. The pot is marked "B.O. PIERCE," where the mark almost certainly represents a merchant. This pot was also likely made in Essex County, Massachusetts.

Note: Merchant marked red earthenware is not common in New England, but it is not uncommon, either. I have seen merchant marked pottery that was applied in a similar style, where the name was stamped with individual letters. Although, I have also seen ink stamps used for Boston retailers, which was usually applied to an unglazed base after 1850.

Red earthenware marked with a potter's name is not common in New England, either, but there are also known examples, which exist today.

Two Large Tapered Jars

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Possibly of Massachusetts Origin

The Large Tapered Form is Similar to the Jar of Discussion

This Jar Never Had a Lid

Circa 1790-1860

Stands 12 1/2" Tall

Jar Found in Ohio About 25-Years Ago

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Marked 'A. CULLEN' Possibly of New England Origin

Similar Large Tapered Jars Are Known from NH, MA and CT
Found in Ohio About 25-Years Ago

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 11 1/8" Tall

View of the 'A. CULLEN' Mark

It Appears that Each Letter May Have Been Applied Individually with a Serif Font
The Name Cullen is Common to New England in the 1800's
This May be a Potter's Name or a Merchant's Name