EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: A Fascinating 19th Century Red Earthenware Pot Found in Western New York

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A Fascinating 19th Century Red Earthenware Pot Found in Western New York

From my experience, it seems that nineteenth century red earthenware decorated with numbers and/or flowers in slip-decoration can be over-attributed to Lorenzo Johnson's pottery in Western New York. For example, Johnson is known to have manufactured some red earthenware imitating stoneware production of the period, often decorated with floral motifs and sometimes even numbers representing the gallon capacity. This information is known based on archaeology and marked examples owned privately and by the New York State Museum in Albany, New York. But this style of production was not exclusive to Johnson, although the combination of forms, glazes and decorations that Johnson produced together were unique. However, I have seen a small group of red earthenware jars in recent years said to have been made by Johnson just because they were decorated with flowers in slip - and while Johnson was an incredibly talented potter, there were certainly other potters who produced red earthenware jars with this type of decoration.

Nevertheless, according to the exhibit catalog, Clay in the Hands of the Potter: An Exhibition of Pottery Manufactured in the Rochester and Genesee Valley Region, Circa 1793-1900, which was published by the Rochester Museum and Science Center in 1974, "Lorenzo Johnson operated a lead-glazed earthenware pottery in the extreme southwestern corner of the Town of Newstead as early as 1850. By 1866 he was producing both red earthenware and drain tile. Sometime after 1880, but before 1887, he moved a few miles south to Mill Grove, Erie County where he was active in another pottery operation.

Among the potters who may have worked for Johnson at Newstead was James Banford. Banford resided in Newstead, circa 1854-1859. He had previously operated a red earthenware pottery in the Village of Avon, Livingston County, and prior to that he had been a resident of West Bloomfield.

From extant examples of Johnson's wares and from sherds collected from the pottery site, we can see that in at least some of his production, Johnson was obviously attempting to imitate stoneware in form, glaze color and decoration. His use of a blue slip floral decoration is a trait also shared by a couple of Ontario, Canada earthenware potters. Records do suggest that Johnson may have been a resident of Canada in the late-1840s, which was previous to his employment in western New York as a potter beginning around 1850."

This particular pot may have been made by Johnson, but it may have been made by another potter, as well. Although, it was found in Western New York; it was also previously owned by retired New York archaeologist and museum specialist, George R. Hamell, and owned today by Western New York collector, Vince Martonis. Besides the slip decorated "2," this pot is also decorated with green glazed flowers in slip. But in some aspects of the decoration, the green turned a much darker shade of the color.

While this jar does share characteristics of wares made by Johnson, such as the unglazed top of the rim, the handles, the flowers and the gallon capacity - the overall form is also somewhat of a style found on red earthenware made at the Gleason family pottery in Morganville, New York, as well as some businesses in Ontario. I consider this pot to be a really good example of how red earthenware can be confusing to understand when some of the characteristics of the object are found at different potteries and locations. But, in one way or another, I am also wondering if this pot could represent production from James Banford.

Furthermore, Hamell wrote in a report published in Northeast Historical Archaeology in 1980, titled, Earthenwares and Salt-Glazed Stonewares of the Rochester-Genesee Valley Region: An Overview, "There are some broad similarities in forms, glazes, and decorations among the earthenwares produced in central and western New York. These similarities can best be explained by the movement of potters (sometimes as a result of marriage) from one locality to another during their careers. The movements, sometimes more than once."

In spite of all that, I recognize this pot as an excellent example of red earthenware that was likely manufactured in Western New York during the circa 1850-1875 period.

Red Earthenware Pot Found in Western New York