The information on file with Historic New England identifies their jar as having been produced in Connecticut in the early-nineteenth century. The form of the jar is also similar to a style of jar manufactured by the Goodwin family in West Hartford, Connecticut; although, the use of slip seems to have been more prominent at the Nathaniel Seymour (1763-1849) Pottery, also located in West Hartford.
According to the Noah Webester House & 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 (1749-1811) 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."
Interestingly, though both of these jars also exhibit some differences, such as the handles, which could be explained in an article written by Vincent DiCicco for the winter 2002/03 issue of American Folk Art Museum in New York City, "Not a single signed piece of Nathaniel Seymour's red earthenware has been documented. Without a signed example available to us, the foundation for all Seymour attributions is based on a single well-documented example, which employs the signature glaze. This extraordinary object, a large ovoid pitcher, part of the collection of the Wadsworth Antheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, was acquired directly from a descendant of Nathaniel Seymour's, Major Seymour, grandson of the potter.
Albert Hastings Pitkin (1852-1917), an early collector, scholar, and former curator of the Wadsworth Antheneum, met with Major Seymour and interviewed him in the Seymour ancestral home. Along with the pitcher, Major Seymour provided information about the pottery, stating that it produced a variety of domestic wares until about 1825. He said the kiln diameter was approximately ten feet, and firing lasted anywhere from 24 to 36 hours. The cooling of the kiln took about the same amount of time. Generally, four potters turned out earthenware in such quantity that the kiln was fired approximately every seven days."
Note: I have also posted a picture of a jar made by Thomas O'Hara Goodwin (1796-1880) in West Hartford, which is stamped "T.O. GOODWIN." This is another shape of ovoid jar made by this industry in the 1800s. Although, aside from the jar, I have also posted a few other Goodwin family pieces of earthenware, and it should be noted that the Wadsworth Antheneum also owns some excellent pieces of pottery from the Goodwins acquired by Albert Hastings Pitkin in the nineteenth and early-twentieth century.
Slip-Decorated Jars Attributed to Connecticut
Early-19th Century Lead Glazed Earthenware Jar with Manganese and Slip-Decoration
Probably Made in West Hartford, CT
Stands 10 1/2" Tall
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Historic New England
Early-19th Century Lead Glazed Earthenware Jar with Manganese and Slip-Decoration
Possibly Made in West Hartford, CT
Stands 8 1/2" Tall
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: New Haven Auctions
View of One of the Handles
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: New Haven Auctions
Objects Made at the Goodwin Pottery in West Hartford, CT
19th Century Lead Glazed Earthenware Jar with Manganese and Slip-Decoration
Made by Thomas O'Hara Goodwin (1796-1880) in West Hartford, CT
Stamped "T.O. GOODWIN"
Stands 10 1/2" Tall
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Connecticut Historical Society
19th Century Lead Glazed Earthenware Jar with Manganese and Slip-Decoration
Made by Thomas O'Hara Goodwin (1796-1880) in West Hartford, CT
Stamped Inverted "WEST HARTFORD"
Stands 9" Tall
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Connecticut Historical Society
19th Century Lead Glazed Earthenware Soap Dish
Made by Harvey Goodwin (1802-1870) in West Hartford, CT
Stamped "HARVEY GOODWIN"
Stands 2 5/8" Tall
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Connecticut Historical Society
View of the Stamp "HARVEY GOODWIN"
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Connecticut Historical Society
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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