19th Century Hand-Painted Easter Egg Manufactured in North Cambridge, Massachusetts

Late-nineteenth and twentieth century paper mache Easter eggs are relatively well-known today, many of which were manufactured in Germany and given to children on Easter filled with candy. According to Time Magazine, "The Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called "Osterhase" or "Oschter Haws." Children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the United States and the fabled rabbit's Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping."

While Robesonia, Pennsylvania potter, Lester Breininger (1935-2011) produced his share of commemorative sgraffito Easter eggs in the twentieth and twenty-first century, I have not found much evidence to reveal that American potters produced many Easter related objects in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries.

In fact, outside of a nineteenth century nested chicken lead glazed red earthenware candy dish that is privately owned in Pennsylvania today, I had not until recently seen any Easter related candy dishes or eggs before. However, I just acquired this hand-painted red earthenware Easter egg from an antiques dealer in Fall River, Massachusetts. The egg was made in North Cambridge, Massachusetts after 1871, and the hand-painted bird's nest with eggs and flowers is likely original. The base is impressed, "A.H. HEWS & CO. / NO. CAMBRIDGE / MASS."

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins' (1897-1982) book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares, "Far more important of these minor potteries was one founded by Abraham Hews (1741-1818) in Weston, Massachusetts in 1765. The beautiful house that he later built and occupied is standing today on the Main Street, just east of the Baptist church. The earthenware workshop stood a short distance east of the house. 

For 100 years the successive generations of the family carried on their trade in this building. About the time of the Civil War a new shop was built on the other side of the Post Road, where it joins the present highway.

In 1871, the shop in turn was abandoned, and the whole manufacture moved to its present site in North Cambridge. The firm name A.H. Hews was then adopted.

When the manufactory was transferred to its larger buildings in Cambridge, it employed 15 men and produced annually 800,000 pieces of ware, principally flowerpots. By 1889 the force had grown to 85 or 100 men and the yearly output to 7,000,000 pieces. 

In prosperous seasons the Hews pottery, in addition to other ornamental wares, has made as many as 20,000,000 flowerpots. Its growth, must, of course be attributed to machine methods that make possible such a large output. Although several potters still work there at the wheel, the restrictions of mass-production preclude any vigorous self-expression."

My feeling is that this Easter egg was likely produced sometime in the 1870s-1890s, when the company employed artists to hand-paint some of the decorative wares, such as the company's line of reproduction Grecian-style pottery, vases and some flowerpots. The paint as well as the mark seem to fit appropriately with the company's production from this period.

Hand-Painted Easter Egg

 Late-19th Century Hand-Painted Red Earthenware Easter Egg

The Paint is Likely Original to this Piece

Impressed on the Base "A.H. HEWS & CO. / NO. CAMBRIDGE / MASS."

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 View of the Painted Decoration

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 View of the Interior

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View of the Mark on the Base

Impressed "A.H. HEWS & CO. / NO. CAMBRIDGE / MASS."

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

19th Century Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Jar in the Collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

While I do not know who the manufacturer is responsible for these objects, I wanted to show a nineteenth century lead glazed red earthenware jar, which I recently acquired that was found last year in California. In fact, this jar is a nearly identical match to a jar owned by the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

The museum's jar is kept with pottery attributed to Morgantown, West Virginia, much of which was acquired by Dr. Walter Hough (1859-1935) for the Smithsonian in the late-nineteenth century. Many of the wares collected by Dr. Hough were also published by the Smithsonian Institution in June of 1899.

According to a memorial, written by archaeologist, Neil M. Judd (1887-1976) for Volume 38 of the American Anthropologist, published in the winter of 1936, "Doctor Hough was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, April 23, 1859, the son of Lycurgus S. and Anna Fairchild Hough. He received his schooling at the Morgantown Academy and the Preparatory School of West Virginia Agricultural College; from West Virginia University he obtained his B.A. degree in 1883, his M.A. in 1884, and his Ph.D. in 1894

By far the greatest portion of Doctor Hough's half century with the National Museum was spent in the laboratory. His was the chore, first of cataloguing specimens, then of preparing data for the copyists, next of surpervising these and other routine tasks. He joined the staff at the height of the exposition era, when nations, states, and cities were vying for each other in commemorating historical events of greater or lesser moment. For these expositions the Congress usually provided a building and authority for the commission in charge to draw heavily upon the national collections for exhibition material. Casual inspection of its annual reports indicate that the Museum participated in no fewer than 16 expositions between 1892 and 1926, and in the preparation of exhibits Doctor Hough had an active part.

But the wide range of his interests is only partially illustrated by his published works. He was an authority of old English, French, Italian and American china, on old lace, on violins and pianos. His interest in violins and pianos naturally came from an inherent love of music, while his interest in china and pottery was awakened by an early study or aboriginal American pottery, the methods of its manufacture, and his efforts, in 1895-96 to reproduce pieces in kind. Few of his friend's knew that Doctor Hough's two hobbies were wood carving and painting; that several very credible Native American portraits, modeled by him in 1889, still hang in his home. Few knew that he possessed more than passing knowledge of the history of art and the distinguished characteristics of the old masters. So broad was his reading and so retentive his memory, that he frequently astonished his subordinates by a remarkable ability to immediately name the culture and place of origin of almost any curio brought in for identification by chance visitors."

Furthermore, Dan Horvath and Richard Duez cited Hough's collection in an article written for the 2004 issue of Ceramics in America, titled, The Potters and Pottery of Morgan's Town, Virginia: The Earthenware Years, 1796-1854, "The pottery produced in what is now Morgantown, West Virginia, is remarkable in several ways. Its decorative elements are diverse and often innovative, as are some of its forms. Its history is recorded more fully than that of most American pottery. And, through the efforts of Dr. Walter Hough, a Morgantown native who became an assistant curator of the Division of Ethnology at the U.S. National Museum, many early specimens, including potter tools, were collected in the nineteenth century and donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C."

A Pair of Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Jars

19th Century Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Jar

Stands 7 1/2" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History

19th Century Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Jar

Recently Discovered in California

Stands 7 1/8" Tall

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Another View of the Jar

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View of the Base

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

Beautifully Glazed New England Jug in the Collection of Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware

While visiting Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware last fall, I studied this piece of New England lead glazed red earthenware, which seems to have been decorated with some slip decoration. I have seen this form of jug before, but I have never been able to identify its maker.

In some cases, I have seen this type of jug generically attributed to Maine, while on other occasions, I have seen this form attributed to Essex County, Massachusetts.

But it's the combination of colors on this jug that really piqued my interest, as well as the form, which I should noted does slightly resemble some jugs produced in Merrimacport, Massachusetts in the late-eighteenth and nineteenth century. Although, the handle is not a style that I recognize by what is known from archaeology and surviving wares from Merrimacport.

However, it should also be noted that the overall form of this jug does resemble some smaller jugs that are said to have been made in Maine, and reportedly held vinegar in the 1800s. Nevertheless, I thought this was an excellent jug when I saw it last year, and I hope to learn more about its manufacturer in the future.

Multi-Colored New England Jug

New England Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Jug Produced with Some Slip-Decoration

Possibly Made in Essex County, Mass. or Maine

Stands 8 5/8" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

View of the Handle

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

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

19th Century Grecian-Style Jug Recently Found in Storage in Brunswick, Maine

As promised, here are better pictures of the sweet nineteenth century hand-painted Grecian-style terra-cotta jug that I just acquired, which was recently discovered in storage in a closed antique shop in Brunswick, Maine. The decoration on this jug is very similar to a jug owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

According to the MET, "Greek Painted Vases, an article that appeared in the American Art Amateur in 1882 - a time when the vogue for these reproductions was beginning to wane - quotes Christopher Dresser's (1834-1904) remarks on the lesson to be learned from ancient models: "Whatever ornament is placed around a cup, or vase...should be such as will not suffer in perspective, for their is scarcely any portion of the ornament that can be seen otherwise that foreshortened. Let simplicity be the ruling principle in the decoration of all rounded objects."

Design characteristics adopted from Greek pottery, among which flat, stylized decoration with a minimum of modeling or shaping was especially prized, resulted in the simplified designs that helped to characterize aesthetic pottery. 

Facsimiles of Greek terracotta vessels were some of the earliest artistic ceramics produced in America. The first known reference to an "art ware" line appeared in 1872, when "the Beverly Pottery" at the request of Boston ladies began to copy beautiful forms of ancient vases to order." Charles A. Lawrence, the superintendent of that Massachusetts factory, intentionally limited the production of imitation Greek pottery, for he feared that if it became common it would depreciate in value. He therefore sold it only in small lots to his "artistic" friends for their own private collections."

Grecian-Style Jug from Beverly, Mass.

My Niece Alexis Holding the Grecian-Style Terra-cotta Jug

Made at the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Made After 1872

Stands 2 3/8" Tall

Recently Discovered in Storage in Brunswick, ME

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Another View of the Jug

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

Upcoming Presentation About the C.A. Lawrence Pottery at the Beverly, Mass. Historical Society

A few weeks ago, I posted a story saying I would be speaking about the history of the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts this spring at the Beverly Historical Society. The date has now been set for this event, which is scheduled for Saturday May 4th at 1:00 pm.

I will present all of my research, including dozens of surviving pieces in existence from the various types of pottery produced at this business, as well as the history of the potters, the decorators, advertising, newspaper articles, Lawrence's role in the Civil War, Grecian wares, Japanese pottery, commemorative pottery (such as Gettysbury bean pots), the utilitarian wares, Lawrence's son the potter, and plenty more.

Beverly Pottery Pitchers

Set of 19th Century Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Pitchers

Attributed to the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Circa 1870

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collections

The historical society will also have all of their pieces of Bevery pottery on display, some of which have just been rediscovered in storage. Their objects will not disappoint. But I believe the museum is also going to encourage anyone who believes they may own a piece of Beverly pottery to bring it to the event.

For instance, the historical society owns this monumental bean pot, which Charles A. Lawrence made for John I. Baker, who was elected mayor when Beverly was incorporated as a city in 1895. The pot is stamped, "PRESENTED TO THE / FIRST MAYOR OF BEVERLY / FROM THE BEVERLY POTTERY / JAN 1895."

Monumental Bean Pot Made in Beverly, Mass.

Monumental 19th Century Bean Pot

Made at the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Impressed "PRESENTED TO THE / FIRST MAYOR OF BEVERLY / FROM THE BEVERLY POTTERY / JAN 1895."

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Beverly, Mass. Historical Society

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

Another Example of Marked Pottery Identified from the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts

It has been frustrating, but also at the same time rewarding, while researching the history of pottery production through the years at the Charles A. Lawrence (1829-1906) Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts. Documentation of this company's production has been very limited, and I have found that this business is actually among the more diverse companies that operated anywhere in New England in the nineteenth century. For instance, the C.A. Lawrence Pottery produced a wide variety of utilitarian objects, artware, fancyware, commemorative bean pots, Grecian-style pottery, and plenty more, along with being a broker for other wares like sewer pipe from Portland, Maine.

Yesterday, I learned about this large painted terracotta jug with a glazed interior that is marked on the base, "Beverly Pottery Antiquarian Centennial." This paint is original, and was likely created by Thomas Pitman, an artist employed at the company from Marblehead, Massachusetts. A simpler version of this hand-painted design is found on a Beverly vase owned by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Colorado. 

I was told that this piece was found at a flea market last spring in southern Connecticut, and then sold again online for a small profit. I would love to acquire this piece for my studies, should anyone reading this know of its whereabouts.

The aspect about this object that intrigues me is the fact that the base is marked, which serves as an important link in identifying similar unmarked pieces that I believe I have seen over the years. For example, a large painted vase with a nature scene comes to mind that I have seen three times a year for the past six or seven years at the antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts. I have handled this vase many times, but I have never been able to identify its origin or maker. But it's a signed piece like this that is important for documentation purposes, as well as identifying another style of painted pottery that I have not previously recognized as having been produced in Beverly after 1872.

I should also note that the Beverly Historical Society owns a Grecian-style ewer that is painted with both floral and ancient designs. I believe all of the decoration on this piece is original, showing a very interesting crossover of two styles of production from the artisans who were employed in Beverly.

Marked Beverly, Mass. Hand-Painted Terracotta Jug

 19th Century Hand-Painted Terracotta Jug - The Paint is Original

Made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Marked on the Base "Beverly Pottery Antiquarian Centennial"

Circa 1872-1900

Stands 11" Tall

Measures 4 1/2" in Diameter at the Top

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Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collection

 Another View of the Jug

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Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collection

 View of the Handle

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Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collection

 View of the Glazed Interior

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Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collection

 View of the Stamped Base

Marked on the Base "Beverly Pottery Antiquarian Centennial"

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Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collection

Another View of the Stamped Base

Marked on the Base "Beverly Pottery Antiquarian Centennial"

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Photo Courtesy: Private New England Collection

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

My Niece Discovers Another Lead Glazed Earthenware Pot in Southern Maine

As I noted yesterday, "After visiting the White Mountain National Forest this past weekend in New Hampshire, my niece, Alexis and myself decided to stop at a vintage-type shop on our way home in Concord, New Hampshire. It was in this shop that she was quite excited to find her first piece of lead glazed earthenware made at the circa 1790-1820 William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Massachusetts for only $9."

But I also wrote yesterday that she recently discovered another pot in Ogunquit, Maine for only $6, which was found surrounded by utilitarian wares from the early-twentieth century. Although, my initial reaction when I saw this pot was that it may have been made at one of the potteries in Peabody (formerly South Danvers), Massachusetts in the late-eighteenth or nineteenth century. However, the collar around the neck is also found on some pottery produced in Concord, New Hampshire in the nineteenth century.

Lead Glazed Earthenware Pot Found in Southern Maine

My Niece, Alexis with Her Newly Discovered Lead Glazed Earthenware Pot

Recently Found in Ogunquit, ME
See Article for More Information

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Pot

Probably Made in Concord, NH or Peabody, Mass.

Circa 1780-1850

Stands 5 3/8" Tall

See Article for More Information 

View of the Handle

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

19th Century Grecian Style Pottery From Beverly, Mass. Found in Storage in Brunswick, Maine

I will post better pictures in the next week or so, but this is another Grecian-style object that I have been able to identify from Charles A. Lawrence's (1829-1906) pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts. The hand-painted decoration is similar to a marked jug found in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

According to the MET, "Greek Painted Vases, an article that appeared in the American Art Amateur in 1882 - a time when the vogue for these reproductions was beginning to wane - quotes Christopher Dresser's (1834-1904) remarks on the lesson to be learned from ancient models: "Whatever ornament is placed around a cup, or vase...should be such as will not suffer in perspective, for their is scarcely any portion of the ornament that can be seen otherwise that foreshortened. Let simplicity be the ruling principle in the decoration of all rounded objects."

Design characteristics adopted from Greek pottery, among which flat, stylized decoration with a minimum of modeling or shaping was especially prized, resulted in the simplified designs that helped to characterize aesthetic pottery. 

Facsimiles of Greek terracotta vessels were some of the earliest artistic ceramics produced in America. The first known reference to an "art ware" line appeared in 1872, when "the Beverly Pottery" at the request of Boston ladies began to copy beautiful forms of ancient vases to order." Charles A. Lawrence, the superintendent of that Massachusetts factory, intentionally limited the production of imitation Greek pottery, for he feared that if it became common it would depreciate in value. He therefore sold it only in small lots to his "artistic" friends for their own private collections."

This piece was just discovered in storage along mid-coast Maine, when a few antique dealers cleaned out a closed antique dealer's shop in Brunswick, Maine. Interestingly, I know the exact shop that this object was discovered - in fact, I have driven by this shop many times, but it was never open. I always wondered what was inside, and can vividly remember seeing the windows on the front of the building filled with all types of decorative art glass.

Beverly, Mass. Grecian-Style Pottery

19th Century Grecian Style Jug with Hand-Painted Decoration

Attributed to the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Circa 1872-1900

Stands 2 3/8" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jakey Jakes Used Furniture & Collectibles

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

My Niece Discovers a Red Earthenware Pot from Merrimacport, Massachusetts in Concord, New Hampshire

After visiting the White Mountain National Forest this past weekend in New Hampshire, my niece, Alexis and myself decided to stop at a vintage-type shop on our way home in Concord, New Hampshire. It was in this shop that she was quite excited to find her first piece of red earthenware made at the circa 1790-1820 William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Massachusetts for only $9.

We found it sitting in a small booth mixed in with all sorts of other pottery. Interesting, it was just last weekend that my niece found a nearly perfect similar sized pot in Ogunquit, Maine for just $6 that was likely made in Peabody, Massachusetts around the same period.

While the history of this pot is unknown, it is possible that it was found somewhere in central New Hampshire. This refined form is a known style from the Pecker Pottery, and it is always exciting when we are able to identify a piece of pottery that has been somewhat forgotten through the years.

Merrimacport, Mass. Red Earthenware Pot Found in Central New Hampshire

 My Niece, Alexis with Her Newly Discovered Red Earthenware Pot

Found Over the Weekend in Concord, NH

See Article for More Information

 Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Pot

Attributed to the William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

View of the Handle

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

Stereoview from the 1895 Cotton States and International Exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia

According to the Library of Congress, "The 1895 Cotton States and International Exhibition was held at the current Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Nearly 80,000 visitors attended the event. The exposition was designed to promote the region to the world and showcase products and new technologies as well as to encourage trade with Latin America. The goal was to showcase the economic progress of the South since the Civil War, and attract investors to the region. The Cotton States and International Exhibition featured exhibits from several states including various innovations in agriculture and technology.

Although, the event is best remembered today for the Atlanta Compromise speech given by Booker T. Washington (ca. 1856-1915) on September 18, 1895, before a predominantly white audience. The speech laid the foundation for the Atlanta Compromise, an agreement between African-American leaders and Southern white leaders in which Southern blacks would work with white political rules, while southern whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic education and would be treated equally in accordance with the law. Washington's speech is considered to be one of the most important and influential speeches in American history."

While recently studying a group of nineteenth century stereoviews, I came across this card from the Atlanta Exposition, which shows an African-American man standing behind a selection of pottery. The objects include busts, vases and tiles, as well as a variety of art hanging on the wall, along with other objects.

This image was captured by Benjamin W. Kilburn (1827-1909), an American photographer from Littleton, New Hampshire who is likely most known today for his landscape views of national parks in America and Canada. But he is also known for his images of migrants coming to America in the late-nineteenth century.

Unfortunately, I have not found any further information that identifies the man pictured in this stereoview; however, he may be a vendor, and he may also be the artist responsible for the creation of some of these pieces.

Stereoview from the 1895 Cotton States and International Exhibition

Stereoview from the 1895 Cotton States and International Exhibition in Atlanta, GA

Image Shows an African-American Man with an Assortment of Pottery

Image Taken by B.W. Kilburn and Published in 1896

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress

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

Selection of Red Earthenware Displayed at the Stafford Museum of History in Western New York

According to the Genesee Country Village and Museum, "Fortunatus Gleason, Jr., and his son, Charles Gleason, operated the Morganville Pottery in Stafford Township, Genesee County, New York, until about the time of the Civil War. By then, most of the rural red earthenware potteries had succumbed to competition from the larger stoneware factories, but the Morganville Pottery turned away from jugs and jars, concentrating on earthenware flowerpots and drain tiles for which there was sufficient demand. Through a succession of family related potters, the Morganville operation survived into the twentieth century.

Excavations at the Morganville site by the Rochester Museum and Science Center in 1973 uncovered the building's foundations as well as the floors of two kilns, one inside and one outside of the building. Also found were quantities of earthenware fragments which have helped to identify and document surviving examples of Morganville pottery."

Furthermore, archaeologist and museum specialist, George Hammel wrote about this pottery in an archaeology report published in 1980 in Northeast Historical Archaeology, titled, Earthenwares and Salt-Glazed Stonewares of  the Rochester-Genesee Valley Region: An Overview: "It has been suggested that Charles Gleason took over the pottery operation in Morganville in 1845, when he purchased the lot, on which the pottery was later known to have been located, from his uncle, Wilson Gleason, then a resident of Westmoreland, New Hampshire. Wilson Gleason had acquired the lot in 1837 from Fortunatus Gleason, Jr., his brother and the father of Charles Gleason - and that Charles Gleason had begun the manufacture of earthenware by 1846 is now confirmed. 

It has been thought that Charles Gleason's father had established the pottery at Morganville in 1828-29. Fortunatus, Jr., like his brother Lyman, had moved to Morganville from the family home in New Hampshire. There is circumstantial evidence that there was a pottery in operation in Morganville at least by 1835. However, Charles cannot be identified in the documents as a potter before 1846, nor can his father before 1850. Recent information, however, provides circumstantial evidence for Lyman Gleason's possible involvement in the Morganville Pottery prior to 1846.

Lyman and his write, Priscilla, had moved to Morganville in 1827, and remained residents of the community through the 1830s, but by August 1840 they had become residents of Leroy, Genesee County. His occupation is unknown, although there is some suggestion in the deed records of his involvement in milling. However, by the late 1840s, Lyman and his wife had moved to Paris, Brant County, Ontario, Canada, where he established a pottery. According to the 1851 census, the pottery was "...new to this place" and the census taker went on to note "what the cause (is) I do not know, but the ware has not the finish on it that imported goods have." Gleason's Paris, Ontario pottery closed in 1857."

This is a poster from the Stafford Museum of History in Stafford, New York, where a large collection of wares from the Morganville Pottery are displayed. Although, this poster also shows a grouping of candle molds built inside a pine frame (lower right), which to my knowledge is a unique form of production from Western New York. Every now and again, these type of candle molds show up in the antique marketplace, and are attributed to Alvin Wilcox's circa 1825-1862 pottery in West Bloomfield, New York - although, these molds date from the late-1840s to the early-1860s.

I have also included a picture of a red eartheneware strainer from the Morganville pottery, which was sold years ago by Sheffield, Massachusetts antiques dealer, Sam Herrup. A similar strainer is illustrated in the bottom left of the poster.

Stafford Museum of History in Western New York

Poster of Some of the Wares Displayed at the Stafford Museum of History

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Stafford Museum of History

19th Century Red Earthenware Strainer

Attributed to the Gleason Pottery in Morganville, NY

A Similar Strainer is Illustrated on the Poster Above

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup

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

The Young Potters Stereoview Card

This is another object in the collection of the Heritage Museums and Gardens on Cape Cod in Sandwich, Massachusetts - although, unfortunately I cannot provide any further information about this stereoview card. But the subject is certainly fascinating.

The title of this card is The Young Potters, and it shows two young children working inside a pottery business, with various utilitarian wares scattered around the shop; a boy is pictured with a block of raw clay, and a girl is seen sitting behind the potter's wheel. However, I have not been able to determine if this scene was staged, but I also suspect that this is a European business, possibly in the United Kingdom.

According to the Museum of Obsolete Media, "Stereoviews consist of two nearly-identical images, each taken a few inches to the side of the other. When viewed through two lenses set 2 1/2-inches apart, approximately the space between the eyes, the result is the illusion of a three-dimensional image. They generally consist of two photographic images pasted onto a 3 1/2-inch by 7-inch card, although earlier ones were sometimes images on glass.

They became popular first in Europe in the 1850s, followed by the U.S. in the 1860s. Until the 1880s, most of the photographic images were created using wet plate negatives printed on albumin paper. From the 1890s, dry plate negatives printed on gelatin silver paper were produced by large companies, such as Underwood & Underwood in the U.S., or the London Stereoscope Company in the U.K.

They faded in popularity in the 1920s, but the idea behind them was used in later formats like View-Master and Vistascreen."

 The Young Potters Stereoview Card

Probably 19th Century Stereoview Card Titled, The Young Potters

Circa 1850s-1920s

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

Back of the Stereoview Card

The Title of the Card and the Photographer, Thomas Freer are Printed on the Back

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Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

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

The Red Earthenware Collection Owned by the Heritage Museums and Gardens on Cape Cod

A few years ago, I visited the Little Compton, Rhode Island Historical Society in order to study the museum's collection of red earthenware, much of which was locally made around the Taunton River in Southeastern Massachusetts. Some of these objects were then published in a feature story I wrote for the June 2018 issue of Maine Antique Digest, titled, The Pottery Industry in Southeastern Massachusetts.

In some ways, the Little Compton Historical Society's collection is similar to a smaller group of wares owned by the Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. This collection is not widely known today, but some of it was published in 1991 by the former art director of the Heritage Museums and Gardens, Brian Cullity's museum exhibit catalog, Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware. 

While the majority of this collection represents production from Southeastern Massachusetts, it also presents some of the type of pottery that was available on Cape Cod in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. These wares include production from Bristol County, Massachusetts, as well as a pottery operated by Noah Bradford (1761-1832) in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, circa 1819-1832.

Red Earthenware Displayed at the Heritage Museums and Gardens on Cape Cod

Late-18th and Early-19th Century Red Earthenware

Attributed to the Industry Surrounding the Taunton River in Southeastern Mass.

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Charlotte Gagne

Southeastern Mass. Red Earthenware

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Industry Surrounding the Taunton River in Southeastern Mass.

Circa 1780-1840

Stands 7 7/8" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Industry Surrounding the Taunton River in Southeastern Mass.

Circa 1780-1840

Stands 7 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Industry Surrounding the Taunton River in Southeastern Mass.

Circa 1780-1840

Stands 8" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jug

Attributed to the Industry Surrounding the Taunton River in Southeastern Mass.

Circa 1780-1840

Stands 5 1/4" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher

Attributed to the Industry Surrounding the Taunton River in Southeastern Mass.

Circa 1780-1840

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

West Barnstable, Mass. Red Earthenware

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Pan

Attributed to Noah Bradford in West Barnstable, Mass.

Circa 1819-1832

Measures 14 1/2" in Diameter

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Photo Courtesy: Heritage Museums and Gardens

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Great Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar in the Collection of Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware

This was absolutely one of my favorite objects that I viewed while touring the red earthenware and stoneware collection at Winterthur last fall in Wilmington, Delaware. Interestingly, I have seen this form of jar before, which is usually generically attributed to New England, and typically decorated with a basic single glaze - although, the museum actually attributes this jar to Pennsylvania.

To my knowledge, the manner that the slip-decoration was applied around the script on this jar is highly unusual for American red earthenware production. Considering its rarity, I actually view this object to be one of the iconic pieces of American red earthenware that represents Winterthur's collection.

This is really an object that is unlike anything else owned by Witnerthur, as well as most of the other museum collections that I have toured. I have also never seen anything like this object in any private collection that I have seen.

However, while I closely looked this piece over for a few minutes, I took the form into account, seeing that this exact shape can be attributed to New England today. But like I wrote, I have never seen anything like this slip before so I am hesitant to provide any type of information for a possible place of origin. Nevertheless, this is a spectacular piece of domestic slip-decorated red earthenware that Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) acquired for Winterthur before 1950.

Does anyone reading this have a thought about the possible origin of this jar? Other than the form, I did notice that the slip-script resembles some slip-script plates manufactured in Norwalk, Connecticut in the 1800s.

Great Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

19th Century Slip-Script Red Earthenware Jar

Stands 10 1/4" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

Another View of the Jar

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

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Monumental 19th Century Red Earthenware Bean Pot Discovered in Salem, Mass. on Valentine's Day in 2014

I discovered this monumental nineteenth century red earthenware bean pot on Valentine's Day in Salem, Massachusetts in 2014. In fact, it's an object that I have posted around Valentine's Day every year since. I think it's such a cool object.

This pot is attributed to the circa 1866-1906 Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts - I found it only a few miles from where it was originally produced inside a small shop a short distance from the Salem and Beverly border. Oddly enough, the shopkeeper was actually trying to sell the object for the silk orchids that had been placed inside of it rather than for the pot itself.

I remember asking the shopkeeper if she knew anything about the pot or where she found it - and she told me that it was found in an old house in Beverly, where to her knowledge, it had resided with that family for many years.

Although, I am not certain of it, but this pot may have been manufactured as a presentation piece, seeing that has survived in like-new condition. The pot is decorated with an applied crimped rim, four handles, four attached movable rings, and dozens of boldly impressed Roman crosses.

Both utilitarian and commemorative bean pots were a major form of production at the C.A. Lawrence Pottery, especially in the 1880s and 1890s. But I have not seen anything like this pot before, even though its basic form matches a monumental bean pot that Lawrence made for the first mayor of Beverly in 1895; the pot is inscribed, "Presented to the First Mayor of Beverly from the Beverly Pottery Jan 1895." 

Simple utilitarian bean pots and miniature advertising examples were also produced at the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts in the late-nineteenth and twentieth century. Many of these pots are similar in form to those that were made in Beverly.

Monumental Bean Pot Found in Salem, Mass.

19th Century Red Earthenware Bean Pot Decorated with Roman Crosses

Attributed to the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Stands 9 1/4" Tall and Measures 12 1/2" in Diameter at the Base

Found in Salem, Mass. on February 14, 2014

See Article for More Information

Monumental Presentation Bean Pot

Made at the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Inscribed "Presented to the First Mayor of Beverly from the Beverly Pottery Jan 1895"

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Beverly, Mass. Historical Society 

Early-20th Century Photograph of Edwin A. Rich Throwing Bean Pots and Vases

Rich was an Employee of the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass.

Similar Forms were Made in Both Beverly and Peabody

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Photo Courtesy: Peabody Historical Society

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An Excellent Red Earthenware Washbowl from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia

While touring the outstanding pottery collection yesterday at the Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, I took a few minutes to study this excellent example of late-nineteenth century red earthenware production from the Shenandoah Valley.  This is a well-documented form today, known as a washbowl, although these bowls were also often produced with a matching pitcher.

But this washbowl appears to be one of the better examples in existence today, seeing that it is decorated with an atypical glaze and embellished with much more ornamental design than what is typically found on these type of objects. For instance, most of the washbowls that I have viewed from this area are not decorated with this amount of impressed decoration around the edge of the bowl, and especially the two birds found perched along the rim of the soap dish.

The bowls that were produced after 1880 at the Eberly Pottery in Strasburg, Virginia can be categorized as part of a line of fancyware that was manufactured at the pottery, which included other forms, such as wall pockets, vases, bottles, doorstops, urns, urns & pedestals, as well as other shapes. Many of these objects are also noted today for their vibrant multi-colored glazes.

The Eberly Pottery was established in 1880 by Jacob Jeremiah Eberly (1830-1908), when he purchased a pottery company from the Keister family - and he was later joined by his brother, Joseph Eberly and son, Daniel Letcher Eberly (1859-1919), producing stoneware and fancyware under the company names of J. Eberly & Bro., Strasburg, VA; J. Eberly & Co., Strasburg, VA; and Eberly & Son, Strasburg, VA. 

According to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, "Washbowls and pitchers were often made as a set. Attached to the back wall of the bowls is a soap dish with a pierced bottom that allowed water to drain. The Eberly potters also added some whimsical element to these bowls, such as three coiled clay strips behind the soap bowls, and sometimes even simulated screw heads that seem to attach each handle to its base." 

Furthermore, the museum also notes that other Strasburg potters, like Anthony Baecher (1824-1889) and the Bells applied animal motifs on some of the pottery they produced, and perhaps their production may have even influenced the Eberlys with similar designs.

Although, I was told yesterday by Maryland researcher, Eric Jenkins that the decoration on this washbowl closely resembles production from Anthony Baecher, a German immigrant considered to be one of the most accomplished Shenandoah valley potters -- as well as a washbowl illustrated in Gene Comstock's book, The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region," which was made by James C. Mackley in Mechanicstown (now Thurmont), Maryland.

According to Dr. Comstock, "Anthony Wise Baecher was born in 1824 in Bavaria, Germany, and he learned his trade from his father. In 1848 Baecher immigrated to the United States via Ellis Island, New York. After a few years of working in Adams County, Pennsylvania, Baecher settled in Fredrick County Virginia, in about 1853, and in 1862 he bought forty-six acres from the Singhas estate along Sulpher Spring Road, just each of Winchester. The purchase included rich clay beds suitable for earthenware. He built a shop and kiln on this property, most likely prior to the purchase date. He worked at this shop and at Jacob Lynn's pottery in Mechanicstown in Frederick County, Maryland. He also managed his farm and hired other potters, including Lorenzo Fleet and Abraham Miller, to help in the shop. In 1882 Adam Kern, who had also worked at the Lynn pottery, came to Winchester to work at the wheel for Baecher, and the two potters worked in partnership. Kern left the pottery a year later, and it appears that Baecher worked alone for the remainder of his career."

Shenandoah Valley, Virginia Red Earthenware Wash Bowl

Late-19th Century Red Earthenware Wash Bowl

Possibly Made by Anthony Wise Baecher in Virginia

Stands 7 1/4" Tall and Measures 12" in Diameter

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art

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Examples of West Hartford, Connecticut Red Earthenware Owned by the Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art

I wrote in an article that was posted last month, "Since I have written about red earthenware manufactured in New York for the better part of this month, I thought today I would post this great nineteenth century slip-decorated red earthenware jar, which sold last summer at Pook & Pook in Downington, Pennsylvania. I have been stumped by this object ever since I first saw it. In fact, the form is somewhat similar to some jars manufactured in Vermont, while the handles are reminiscent to those produced at David Mandeville's circa 1810-1840 pottery in Circleville, New York, and the combination of the slip and glaze remind me of production in West Hartford, Connecticut in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century."

The response from that article was that this jar was likely manufactured at the Thomas Seymour (1763-1849) Pottery in West Hartford in the early-nineteenth century; although, until recently, I had never previously seen twisted or braided handles from this industry. But I just learned about a bowl last week in the Albert Hastings Pitkin Collection at the Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, which was reportedly made by Seth Goodwin (1772-1828) in West Hartford. This bowl was manufactured with very similar twisted handles, apparently proving that this type of handle was indeed manufactured in West Hartford.

According to the West Hartford Historical Society, "Early on, grist saw, and carding mills along with blacksmith shops, tanneries and general stores emerged around the (West Hartford) community to support and help drive agriculture. One of the first major industries to arise centered on the pottery and brick works. Extending from Hartford to Berlin is a sizable deposit of fine clay. 

In 1770, Ebenezer Faxon came from Massachusetts and settled in what would become the Elmwood section of West Hartford. There he established a pottery on South Road (what is today New Britain Avenue) which took advantage of the local geographical landscape. Nathaniel Seymour later followed, but it was Seth Goodwin, however, who helped to establish a pottery dynasty. Goodwin started his pottery works around 1798. For over a hundred years, the Goodwin name would be associated with West Hartford Pottery - producing utilitarian items such as jugs for the gin manufactured in local distilleries, to terra cotta designs and fine china. The Goodwin Company employed up to 75 people in its heyday in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. The Goodwin Brothers Pottery Company (as it came to be known) burned for the third time in 1908 and never recovered."

I have also posted a slip-decorated red earthenware mug from the Pitkin Collection that is also attributed to West Hartford. But I cannot recall having seen another slip-decorated mug from this industry before, suggesting that this is a rare form to find today.

West Hartford, Connecticut Red Earthenware

19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl with Twisted Handles

Reportedly Made by Seth Goodwin in West Hartford, CT

Circa 1820

Stands 5 3/4" Tall and Measures 9 7/8" in Diameter

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Wadsworth Anthendeum Museum of Art

19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar with Twisted Handles

Likely Made in West Hartford, CT

Stands 10" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook

19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Mug

Attributed to West Hartford, CT

Circa 1805-1830

Stands 4 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Wadsworth Anthendeum Museum of Art

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Exceptional 19th Century Marbled Red Earthenware Jar Manufactured in Western New York

I spent the better part of last month writing about nineteenth century red earthenware potteries located in upstate New York, much of which was focused towards the potters employed in Western New York. In fact, this is a region that deserves a lot more attention today, seeing that some of this production is responsible for some of the most dramatic red earthenware produced anywhere in America in the 1800s. Among the better known Western New York potters is Nathaniel Rochester, whom Rochester, New York is named after today.

According to the Genesee Country Village and Museum, "After the American Revolution, when land in Western New York opened up for settlement, men and women left their rocky farms in New England and moved west. Pennsylvanians and Marylanders migrated from the south. 

The pioneers who rushed to clear and develop the rich frontier were all hoping to improve their lot. Some would turn back. Some would be struck by Genesee Fever, a form of malaria. Some would move on to Ohio and Michigan. But many would stay.

In 1801, Colonel Nathaniel Rochester left his comfortable circumstances in Hagerstown, Maryland, to move north to 155 acres in Dansville, New York, that had been bought on his trip to the Genesee Country in September 1800. The perilous 275-mile journey north through almost impassible mountains took three weeks.

On horseback the Colonel led a procession of carriages bearing the younger children and women of the household and three great Conestoga wagons with household goods, his ten slaves and some of his neighbors who came along to help. The Colonel moved north, he said, "to escape the influence of slavery, to set his slaves free and to rear his family in a free state."

In Dansville, Colonel Rochester purchased from David Scholl a plank house, believed to have been built around 1797 - and once settled in Dansville, he purchased most of the water rights at Canaseraga Creek. Colonel Rochester erected a large paper mill and a gristmill. In the meantime, he began to survey the 100 acre-tract at the falls of the Genesee River that he and his colleagues had purchased in 1803.

After five years in Dansville, Colonel Rochester moved to a large farm in East Bloomfield, New York, and continued his work laying out what would become the Village of Rochester. In 1818, he and his family finally moved near the falls into a house with a large garden and grounds sloping down to the river. In 1824, he erected a brick house on higher ground where he resided for the rest of his life."

As I have recently noted, Rochester also offered some of his property in the Village in 1818, to be used as a pottery; he was not the potter himself, but the business is known by his name today. The potter or potters who worked at the Rochester Pottery produced some of the earliest wares in this region. Although, to my knowledge, the name is not known of the potter or potters employed here, but they were clearly skilled in their craft by what is known about this pottery from both archaeology and surviving objects.

This multi-colored marbled red earthenware jar is attributed to Western New York, and thought to have been manufactured at the Rochester Pottery. I also cannot recall having seen this form from this business or region before, suggesting that it is quite a rare form to find today.

Nevertheless, while this jar currently resides in a private collection, it was previously owned for many years by Camden, Ohio antiques dealer, David Good.

Exceptional Marbled Red Earthenware Jar from Western New York

19th Century Marbled Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Western New York

Very Likely Made at Nathaniel Rochester's Pottery in Rochester, NY

Very Likely Circa 1818-1831

Stands About 6 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: David Good

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