EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: The Accomplished 19th Century Glazes Produced by Charles A. Mehwaldt in Western New York

Monday, January 7, 2019

The Accomplished 19th Century Glazes Produced by Charles A. Mehwaldt in Western New York

According to a feature story written by New York journalist, Clarence O. Lewis for the May 26, 1965 edition of the Niagara Falls Gazette, titled, Mehwaldt Death Ended Bergholtz Pottery Era, where he cited a first-hand account experienced by New York writer, Ada Walker Camehl with the daughter of Berkholz, New York potter, Charles A. Mehwaldt (1808-1887), who migrated from Germany to Western New York in 1851: "In later years his daughter described their crude method of preparing the glaze - "We children helped to grind the lead for the glaze. There was a large stone in one corner of his workroom. From the ceiling a pole was suspended with a flat stone on the end of it, and this pole had to be kept going round and round in order to grind the lead in the tub. My brother and I would stand on chairs and take hold of the handles and turn it round and round. We would count 100 and then rest. How our arms used to ache!"

Red lead was used for the glaze, also tea lead which had been burned to ashes. Some of the lead was mixed with animal blood to give a darker glaze and the mottled effect was produced by splashing the darker mixture upon the surface with a small brush. The potter either dipped the dishes into the glaze or poured the liquid over them from a cup.

Although, Mr. Mehwaldt adopted no distinctive mark for his pottery some pieces had the letter "M" scratched in the biscuit as with a sharp-point. He attempted little decoration, but some pitchers have rows of impressed lines at the top and others more elaborately have sort of fluting made the same way a housewife makes of crust around a pie (jars and matching lids are also often marked with matching inscribed numbers)."

While the glazes in Western New York are often quite colorful, sometimes even resembling wares manufactured in other areas, like northern New England and Ontario - the production of Charles A. Mehwaldt was exceptional, seeing that he not only produced the type of glazes that I just described, but he also manufactured some glazes, which are similar to glazes produced at the John Bell (1800-1880) Pottery in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.

The Bell Pottery is highly regarded today for some of the best glazes produced anywhere in America in the 1800s, and I would certainly say that some of the glazes produced by Mehwaldt were just as good.

For example, this red earthenware candlestick is attributed to the Bergholz Pottery, and owned by Victor, New York antiques dealer, Gene Pratt. Although, a similar type of glaze can also be identified with wares made in Pennsylvania, especially because of the similarities found with a comparable glaze produced in Waynesboro.

But it is also noteworthy to mention that three jars missing their lids, a pitcher and a bowl attributed to Mehwaldt are owned today by the New York State Museum in Albany, New York. These objects are decorated with glazes that could very easily be viewed as nineteenth century production from Pennsylvania, as well.

In spite of that, I posted this information last week, which really explains why seeing past the glaze for many objects and recognizing the form is so important into understanding the origin: "Over the next month, I plan to highlight some of the best Western New York red earthenware objects owned by Victor, New York antiques dealer, Gene Pratt and his wife, which is really generous since this is a private collection, much of which was assembled years ago. This also happens to be a region that is not widely publicized or published today, and seeing some of these objects may help provide a better understanding of the forms and glazes that are actually from Western New York. Aside from these objects, the Pratts also happen to own some great examples of archaeology from this region, that aside from the forms, reveal a great deal of overlap in glazes from one potter's business to the next, thus verifying why forms (before anything else) are so important today."

Bergholz, NY Red Earthenware from the Collection of Gene Pratt