Remarkable Slip-Script Red Earthenware Plate from Goshen, Connecticut Owned by the Litchfield Historical Society

While visiting the 2018 Antiques Dealers Association Historic Deerfield Show in Hartford, Connecticut a few weeks ago, I viewed this exceptional example of Hervey Brooks' slip-script red earthenware production from Goshen, Connecticut, owned by the Litchfield, Connecticut Historical Society. This rare plate survives in remarkable condition, with the inscription "Goshen 1848."

According to the Connecticut Historical Society, "Hervey Brooks was an American potter and farmer who made red earthenware in Goshen for more than one half century. His production provided domestic wares for an isolated countryside and contributed to an informal system of sales, barter and trade that characterized the rural economy of the period. While few records of this trade exist, Brooks left behind extensive documentation of his business transactions and daily responsibilities that provide historians a unique look at the life of a nineteenth century farmer-potter.

The life of a farmer-potter meant that Brooks did not have the luxury of spending all his time perfecting his craft. In fact, from 1828 until 1864 Brooks only fired his kiln one day per year because life on the farm also involved sawing lumber, blacksmithing, carpentry, and a host of other responsibilities that kept him from his pottery.

When Brooks passed away in 1873, he left behind account books and day books. He also left a largely intact manufacturing facility that provided archaeologists with new insight into the tools, materials and processes that went into his production of red earthenware."

Slip-Script Red Earthenware Plate from Goshen, CT

19th Century Slip-Script Red Earthenware Plate

Made by Hervey Brooks in Goshen, CT

Inscribed "Goshen 1848"

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Litchfield, CT Historical Society

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