A Look at My Forthcoming Book, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries

In my forthcoming book, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries, which will be available later this month or next through Historic Beverly, I discuss some of the great existing collections of red earthenware from this circa 1876-1945 company. In most cases, the pottery was purchased brand new from the business, such as collections owned by the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Peabody, Massachusetts Historical Society, as well as the Topsfield, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Last summer, I posted on Facebook that I had just photographed the most remarkable collection of wares made at the Paige Pottery that are owned by the Topsfield Historical Society. But I also wrote that sharing those images would have to wait until my book was published. I learned about this collection thanks to Massachusetts potter, Rick Hamelin. And seeing this collection ultimately finalized my book.

The historical society's collection consists of more than sixty objects purchased brand-new from Moses Paige by George Francis Dow in 1915, who founded the Topsfield Historical Society in 1897.  In my opinion, there is not another collection of pottery like this in the country. These objects represent the work of John Donovan (1851-1932) and possibly Edwin A. Rich (1856-1938), both master potters employed at the Paige Pottery.  Although, both of these potters had storied careers working at various other businesses in New England in the nineteenth century. In fact, Rich previously worked for Charles A. Lawrence (1829-1904) in Beverly, Massachusetts, a business that I wrote a book about published last year by Historic Beverly, titled, The Beverly Pottery: The Wares of Charles A. Lawrence. This new Peabody book is essentially a sequel or a continuation of the Beverly book.

Nonetheless, I am sharing these pictures today that represent some of the wares owned by the Topsfield Historical Society. This collection of thirty mugs was purchased brand-new from the Paige Pottery; the majority of the mugs were made by Donovan, but I believe some were also made by Rich because of differences in production. I explain my reasoning for this in my forthcoming book, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries.

Collection of Mugs Made at the Moses B. Paige Company in Peabody, Mass.

Collection of Red Earthenware Mugs Made at the Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass.

Purchased by George Francis Dow in 1915 for the Topsfield, Mass. Historical Society

Significance of this Collection is Explained in My Forthcoming Peabody Book

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Photo Courtesy: Topsfield, Mass. Historical Society

More of the Red Earthenware Mugs

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Photo Courtesy: Topsfield, Mass. Historical Society

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