The Arts and Crafts movement was a period of reform and transformation in American culture. Many forms of utilitarian craftsmanship were affected by this change at the end of the nineteenth century, which continued into the twentieth century. The whole idea and purpose of the American utilitarian red earthenware potter had been nearly eliminated by more durable products like stoneware - and, the Industrial Revolution, which changed the American economy and American workforce forever. Most country red earthenware potters were replaced by factory-type atmospheres during the Industrial Era. The utilitarian red earthenware potter’s industry had altered its appearance. It was largely replaced by what potters were able to create for profit as the twentieth century drew near. Art pottery is ultimately what the potter’s industry transformed into when many forms of utilitarian earthenware had been replaced by other objects. It was a huge metamorphosis that happened while the potter’s industry fought to find its latest identity.
Photo Courtesy: Historic Society of Old Newbury - Newburyport, MA
The Merrimac Ceramic Company (1897-1901)
Thomas
Nickerson established the 'Merrimac Ceramic Company' in Newburyport,
Massachusetts in 1897. Nickerson was an English-trained potter, who had moved
south from Portland, Maine. The pottery was given its name after the Merrimack
River, which flowed along the city to the north. The business was founded just to
the west of where the Newburyport Fire Department is located today. A condominium
development (see archaeology information below) now resides in place of where the earthenware business once was located.
The Merrimac
Ceramic Company was a unique business when compared to many similar businesses
during the period. Nickerson focused on terra-cotta flower pots, garden
products, floral wares and other utilitarian necessities; although, his business model was also different when compared to similar Massachusetts companies from the same period.
Major companies just to the south in Chelsea, Massachusetts (Low Art Tile Works), Dedham, Massachusetts (Dedham Pottery) and South Boston, Massachusetts (William Grueby Pottery) operated with different business approaches than did Nickerson. The products of the Merrimac Ceramic Company usually took the forms of vases, garden urns and flower pots; whereas, the company's counterparts focused more towards art pottery, architectural elements, and products intended for decoration and formal dining. Nickerson’s company was really a shadow of how the New England utilitarian potter's industry had appeared years before.
Initially, Nickerson was not exclusively an art potter; instead, he did what many utilitarian potters would have done to stay in business - he made utilitarian products that would sell – and, it just so happens that the utilitarian demand evolved into a need for garden products and floral wares in the late nineteenth and early twentieth-centuries.
Major companies just to the south in Chelsea, Massachusetts (Low Art Tile Works), Dedham, Massachusetts (Dedham Pottery) and South Boston, Massachusetts (William Grueby Pottery) operated with different business approaches than did Nickerson. The products of the Merrimac Ceramic Company usually took the forms of vases, garden urns and flower pots; whereas, the company's counterparts focused more towards art pottery, architectural elements, and products intended for decoration and formal dining. Nickerson’s company was really a shadow of how the New England utilitarian potter's industry had appeared years before.
Initially, Nickerson was not exclusively an art potter; instead, he did what many utilitarian potters would have done to stay in business - he made utilitarian products that would sell – and, it just so happens that the utilitarian demand evolved into a need for garden products and floral wares in the late nineteenth and early twentieth-centuries.
Nickerson’s
products in the first four years were sometimes marked with a paper label that
read, "Merrimac Ceramic Company" with a
picture of a sturgeon; however the earliest examples were rarely marked. The
sturgeon is a fish native to the Merrimack River. The products were typical
utilitarian garden products, such as terra-cotta flower pots, glazed red earthenware vases and
related objects that could be used around the household and in the garden.
These first few years laid a foundation for Nickerson’s company, which would see a major transformation in 1902 – and, Nickerson’s remarkable talents for form, glaze and
proportion would soon become apparent.
The Merrimac Pottery Company (1902-1908)
In 1902, Thomas Nickerson changed the name and focus of his company to a more formal approach
that drifted away from the traditional beliefs of utilitarian potters. The
company became known as the 'Merrimac Pottery Company.' Rather than a paper label,
an impressed mark was used on the base of products that read, 'MERRIMAC' with an image of a sturgeon. The
company made colorful art pottery, exquisite garden pottery and reproduction
Roman pottery. This new direction allowed Nickerson to demonstrate his true
skill as a potter. The art glazes were often breath-taking with a variety of
vibrant colors that adorned accomplished forms.
Although, only one-year later, William Grueby’s company in South Boston claimed Nickerson was copying a green glaze that the Grueby Pottery had been using since the 1890s; however the Grueby Potter was unsuccessful in proving its lawsuit. The Newburyport Daily News published these comments in defense of the Merrimac Pottery Company:
Although, only one-year later, William Grueby’s company in South Boston claimed Nickerson was copying a green glaze that the Grueby Pottery had been using since the 1890s; however the Grueby Potter was unsuccessful in proving its lawsuit. The Newburyport Daily News published these comments in defense of the Merrimac Pottery Company:
“That accusation is not borne out by a
careful study and comparison of both wares. Save in the color of certain green
pieces, the resemblance is very little; and really the greens of Merrimac, so
far as one writer has observed, are not at all comparable to Grueby, with its
soft, glove-like surface and finish. The Merrimac has, however, so much to
offer in scope of variety (and this cannot be said of Grueby) that very interesting
and charming products come up for consideration quite independent of the green
specimens. Many of the Merrimac pieces show a cheerful, tender, bright, radiant
character, which is wholly lacking in the Grueby. The soft color of the
Merrimac is especially pleasing and the metallic glow on some of the articles
is most effective, rich and brilliant. This metallic finish is the finer and
more acceptable, as seen upon the low-tone pieces, such as on the soft, dull
violet, rose and similar colors.”
The more
exquisite garden pottery made by Nickerson was some of the most impressive red
earthenware known to have been manufactured by any American art potter. Many of the forms were
intended to hold small trees and shrubs. These forms were reportedly shipped
all over the country in the early twentieth-century.
Nickerson drew inspiration from old Japanese and ancient Greeks forms – among other styles that he incorporated into his line of garden products. The forms were often monumental and embellished with extravagant features. The Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts owns a rare Merrimac Pottery Company catalog, which was published in 1905 that was only intended to showcase these specific products. The products were not cheap, either – they ranged from $5 to $50 depending on the size and form.
Nickerson drew inspiration from old Japanese and ancient Greeks forms – among other styles that he incorporated into his line of garden products. The forms were often monumental and embellished with extravagant features. The Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts owns a rare Merrimac Pottery Company catalog, which was published in 1905 that was only intended to showcase these specific products. The products were not cheap, either – they ranged from $5 to $50 depending on the size and form.
According to the 1905 catalog, “THE MERRIMAC POTTERY COMPANY made a large
number of GARDEN POTS during the past season, which met with the approval of
architects and their clients, and are in use on many large estates in this country.
Since the last catalogue was issued, several new shapes have been added to the
forms carried and the lines of the old ones have been improved. The present
catalogue shows most of these new forms and illustrates the adaptability of the
pots to various positions in formal and wild gardens, on porches, verandas and
terraces. These pots are made in red and white terra cotta and being slightly
porous afford proper drainage for the trees and shrubs. Prices include packing
and delivery to express or freight. All charges for transportation to be paid
by the purchaser. Estimates on special shapes (custom orders) will be promptly submitted.”
Rare Merrimac Pottery Company Catalog
1905 Catalog from the Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport, MA
The Catalog Showcases the Company's Garden Wares
Photo Courtesy: Phillips Library - Peabody, MA
The Historic
Society of Old Newbury in Newburyport owns an incredible example of garden
statuary hand-made by Nickerson. It is arguably one the most impressive forms
of domestic red earthenware known to exist today. The garden urn features an acorn
finial, tassel and swag decorations, a separate base, additional fine
decoration and a horned bearded man – which is possibly the Greek figure –
Achelous, who was the patron of the deity of the Achelous River in ancient western
Greece.
Early 20th Century Red Earthenware Garden Urn
Made at the Merrimac Pottery Company - Newburyport, Mass.
Circa 1902-1908
Stands Approximately 2' to 3' Tall
Photo Courtesy: Historic Society of Old Newbury - Newburyport, MA
View of One of the Figures
This is Possibly an Image of the Greek Figure, Achelous
This is Possibly an Image of the Greek Figure, Achelous
Photo Courtesy: Historic Society of Old Newbury - Newburyport, MA
View of the Acorn Finial
Photo Courtesy: Historic Society of Old Newbury - Newburyport, MA
Nickerson
appears to have been passionate towards the revival of ancient Greek pottery, which was originally an inspiration of Charles A. Lawrence's production in Beverly, Massachusetts in 1872. Hugh Robertson in Chelsea,
Massachusetts and John Farmer
Clark in Concord, New Hampshire also produced this type of pottery in the 1870s.
Nickerson traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where he made actual reproductions from Roman molds that the museum had acquired in 1895. The molds were reportedly 2,000-years-old and featured figures in relief. Both earthenware and red earthenware products were made from these ancient forms, which revealed Nickerson used both red and white clay bodies. Very few of these forms are known to exist today. The Historic Society of Old Newbury owns a lid from one of these forms that is prominently marked, 'MERRIMAC' across the top.
Note: Here is a short YouTube video that shows two of these rare products.
Nickerson traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where he made actual reproductions from Roman molds that the museum had acquired in 1895. The molds were reportedly 2,000-years-old and featured figures in relief. Both earthenware and red earthenware products were made from these ancient forms, which revealed Nickerson used both red and white clay bodies. Very few of these forms are known to exist today. The Historic Society of Old Newbury owns a lid from one of these forms that is prominently marked, 'MERRIMAC' across the top.
Note: Here is a short YouTube video that shows two of these rare products.
Merrimac Pottery Company Grecian-Style Lid
Early 20th Century Roman Style Red Earthenware Lid
Made at the Merrimac Pottery Company - Newburyport, MA
The Lid is Marked 'MERRIMAC'
This was Inspired after a Roman Object that is Owned by the MFA in Boston
Photo Courtesy: Historic Society of Old Newbury - Newburyport, MA
Collectors
have always admired the art pottery made by Nickerson in Newburyport, but there
was so much more to this company than just brightly glazed pottery.
Nickerson’s business featured an indoor kiln and even a room specifically
designated for glazes. Sadly, the business caught fire in 1908 and burned to
the ground, whereas, afterwards, Nickerson never rebuilt.
A Collection of Sherds
The curator
of the Historic Society of Old Newbury, Jay Williamson and past vice president,
Chris Snow visited the site of the Merrimac Pottery Company in 1999, as
demolition was underway for a condominium village. They salvaged a number of
sherds, wasters and kiln furniture still in their original context.
It was surprising to see a large amount of earthenware products that displayed both white and red bodies. But it was also surprising to see a large number of sherds, which were glazed like simple utilitarian red earthenware crocks and pots that would have been made by American red earthenware potters in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; although, I assume these sherds were probably the remains of garden products.
It was surprising to see a large amount of earthenware products that displayed both white and red bodies. But it was also surprising to see a large number of sherds, which were glazed like simple utilitarian red earthenware crocks and pots that would have been made by American red earthenware potters in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; although, I assume these sherds were probably the remains of garden products.
Jay Williamson and Chris Snow also
found a small collection of sherds stamped with the 'Merrimac' mark that Nickerson had used after
1902. It must be assumed that some of these sherds were from the Merrimac Ceramic
Company, but the only evidence to go by was the sherds that were stamped with the post 1902 mark.
Nevertheless, the collection of sherds really does reflect Nickerson's initial background as a utilitarian potter. However, he adapted to the demand of the art potter's industry at the end of the nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century. If Nickerson had been employed decades before, he would have probably been involved with utilitarian crocks, pitchers and jugs like most red earthenware potters before the Industrial Revolution. Many of these potters were replaced by industrial molded wares that were cheaper for the consumer, which also quickly changed the face of the utilitarian potter’s industry forever. Nickerson happened to have been a potter, who chose to adapt with modern technology, where he chose a different path excelling at a type production that the market demanded.
Nevertheless, the collection of sherds really does reflect Nickerson's initial background as a utilitarian potter. However, he adapted to the demand of the art potter's industry at the end of the nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century. If Nickerson had been employed decades before, he would have probably been involved with utilitarian crocks, pitchers and jugs like most red earthenware potters before the Industrial Revolution. Many of these potters were replaced by industrial molded wares that were cheaper for the consumer, which also quickly changed the face of the utilitarian potter’s industry forever. Nickerson happened to have been a potter, who chose to adapt with modern technology, where he chose a different path excelling at a type production that the market demanded.
Merrimac Pottery Company Archaeology
Wasters from Thomas Nickerson's Pottery in Newburyport, MA
Photo Courtesy: Historic Society of Old Newbury - Newburyport, MA
Wasters Marked 'MERRIMAC' from Thomas Nickerson's Pottery in Newburyport, MA
Photo Courtesy: Historic Society of Old Newbury - Newburyport, MA
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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