EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: The Production of Red Earthenware Souvenirs from the Battle of Gettysburg, Especially the Objects Made in Beverly, Massachusetts

Saturday, December 29, 2018

The Production of Red Earthenware Souvenirs from the Battle of Gettysburg, Especially the Objects Made in Beverly, Massachusetts

I am rather excited to say that I just finalized a 3,500 word feature story, which I hope will be published sometime in 2019 about the circa 1860s-1906 Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts. The story covers the entire history of the business, a subject that I have been researching for about a decade, and has never really been published or largely researched before. I cover advertising, traditional red earthenware production, slip-decorated pottery, Grecian style pottery, bean pots, the veteran organizations Lawrence supported, expanding the company through construction, the potters who worked for him, the artists who painted the Grecian style pottery, newspaper stories, surviving documents, Lawrence's business affiliations, and so much more.

Among the aspects that I am proud of from this research is re-discovering a few dozen annual advertisements that were published by Lawrence, beginning in the 1870s, and of which are basically entirely forgotten today. Advertising was clearly an important part of the C.A. Lawrence Pottery, and no two ads are alike. These are also full-page ads, which demonstrate an incredible nineteenth century sense of design.

For instance, the ad I have posted today will not be illustrated in the feature story; although, it is cited as a source. This was published in the 1903 Beverly City Directory, and I consider this to be a lesser example of Lawrence's advertising, but certainly later, as well. To my knowledge, Lawrence only advertised on a few occasions in the Beverly City Directory; whereas, he was much more prominent in other publications.

An aspect of this advertisement that I immediately recognized was the production of souvenir bean pots from the Battlefield of Gettysburg. Until I saw this ad and conducted more research, I had only heard of the souvenirs from this Civil War battle having been produced at the Speese Pottery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. For example, I posted this information to this website a few years ago, ""H. Speese and Sons made utilitarian wares and some decorative products in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the summer months they setup an outdoor stand for the tourist trade that came to the area to remember and see the land where the Battle of Gettysburg took place. They sold miniature cannonballs, canteens, jugs and other tiny objects to be used (and kept) as souvenirs. Where the clay came from was a major selling point for these objects."

But it turns out that Charles A. Lawrence also produced souvenir pots, commemorating the Battle of Gettysburg, and some of this production may be misinterpreted for Pennsylvania production today.

However, the more I researched this subject, the more information I found, such as this short-story, published in the Saturday August 15, 1891 edition of The Beverly Citizen, titled, 'Excursionists Make a Short-Cut': "Charles A. Lawrence, who accompanied the Chase Party to Detroit and visited Gettysburg on the return trip, obtained two bullets that were found near General Meade's headquarters on the battlefield, at Gettysburg, one of which, a somewhat battered missile of destruction, lies upon the editorial table.

An interesting experience occurred to Mr. Lawrence and two companions on the outward trip,. At Fostoria, where the car was on a side-track, they rose early one morning and went to a hotel for breakfast, after which they sauntered leisurely to the depot and discovered, much to their surprise, that the car had been gone an hour. By taking the next train and making a short cut, riding a distance for over 160 miles, they reached Columbus about fifteen minutes ahead of the rest of the excursionists, where they waited the arrival of the latter as calmly, ostensibly, as though nothing had occurred to mar the serenity of the trip. The surprise of their fellow passengers was only exceeded by their rejoicing at being again united."

Souvenirs from the Battle of Gettysburg Made in Beverly, Mass.