New York City Red Earthenware Story Published Today by Untapped New York in Brooklyn

A research story I wrote about seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century red earthenware recovered throughout New York City was just published today by Untapped New York in Brooklyn, titled, A Look Inside the Archaeological Repository for City's Earliest Pottery. 

I'm thrilled to see this story published within the New York City market, especially considering the subject. The story combines some of my past research, published by Maine Antique Digest and Antiques & the Arts Weekly, as well as some new information. The link above will redirect you to the story.

New York City Red Earthenware Story Published by Untapped New York in Brooklyn

A Look Inside the Archaeological Repository for City's Earliest Pottery

Research Story Published Today by Untapped New York

See Article for More Information

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

Extremely Rare 19th Century Occupational Tintype Showing Possibly Three Potters and a Stoneware Pitcher Appears in Southern Florida

This is an awesome nineteenth century tintype with its original case that I just purchased from an antiques dealer in southern Florida. The picture depicts what appears to be three potters in their aprons with a stoneware pitcher, possibly covered with an Albany-slip interior glaze, otherwise another type of slip.

These type of occupational pictures showing potters in the 1800s are extremely rare to find today. And based on the shape of the pitcher and the popularity of tintypes, I believe this picture likely dates from the 1860-75 period. Although, I do not know the identity of any of these individuals, if anyone reading this should be able to kindly provide more information, it would be hugely appreciated!

I must also thank Craig Gamache from Ontario for making me aware of this wonderful piece of history.

19th Century Occupational Tintype Showing Possibly Three Potters and a Stoneware Pitcher

19th Century Occupational Tintype Depicting Possibly Three Potters and a Stoneware Pitcher

Most Likely American Potters

Although this Form of Pitcher was Also Manufactured in Ontario

Likely Dates Circa 1860-1875

See Article for More Information

 Another View of the Tintype

See Article for More Information

 View of the Case

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Case

See Article for More Information

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

The Broadway Water Cooler: An Incredible Example of American Stoneware Selling at Crocker Farm in Maryland

Note: The Broadway Cooler sold for $480,000, including the buyer's premium to New York collector, Adam Weitsman and it will almost certainly be heading to the New York State Museum in Albany, New York.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's no surprises with this tremendous piece of nineteenth century stoneware, known as the Broadway Water Cooler because of the remarkable incised and impressed decoration of a New York City street scene of Broadway, which has been consigned to Crocker Farm's current auction in Sparks, Maryland. The timed auction ends this Friday May 1, 2020, followed by callbacks for the top four bidders, which could be challenging in itself, depending on how many serious bidders are involved. At the time of posting this article, the bidding currently stands at $280,000 (plus buyer's premium); many are anticipating where the final price will end, whether it will break all American pottery records, and if the new owner will be a museum or a private collector. To my knowledge, the record for a piece of American pottery was set a few years ago when a circa 1765-69 porcelain teapot attributed to John Bartlam's (1731-1781) production at the Cain Hoyt Factory in South Carolina sold for over $800,000 (including buyers premium), now displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This water cooler is stamped twice, "W.H. FARAR & CO. / GEDDES, N.Y.," and dated 1846, depicting an 1846 celebration at the Sons of Temperance National Hall Headquarters in Manhattan. It is also stamped, "SALINA DIVISION. NO. 86 / SONS OF TEMPERANCE," located in part of present-day Syracuse, New York, the city in which the cooler was made by William H. Farrar. Farrar who had recently arrived from Vermont in 1839, established the small pottery in Geddes in 1841, along the western edge of Syracuse. He was a member of a great family of stoneware potters found in northern New England and Canada.

According  to Crocker Farm, "The image depicts the celebration of the Great National Jubilee of the Order of the Sons of Temperance, a fraternal organization, founded on the principal of abstinence of alcohol in New York City in 1842."

Some may even draw some comparisons behind the meaning of this piece of pottery and the temperance jugs manufactured later in the 1800s, especially in the Midwest, including those made by Cornwall (1814-1890) and Wallace (1828-1896) Kirkpatrick in Anna, Illinois. Although, I find it fascinating in what I consider to be the three best pieces of American stoneware (excluding some of the stoneware made in Edgefield, South Carolina) all having ties to New York City. Those three pieces include this water cooler, a temperance jug made in 1871 by the Kirkpatrick brothers for caricature artist, Thomas Nast  (1840-1902), owned by the New York Historical Society, as well as a punch bowl attributed to John Crolius Jr. (1755-1841) in Manhattan, made as a special commemorative gift for the Crane Family of  Cranetown (now Montclair), New Jersey, owned by the American Folk Art Museum. The bowl is inscribed, "Elisabeth Crane May 22, 1811," and its form was probably copied from Chinese export porcelain examples. Interestingly, the international sale records for pottery are largely held by Chinese porcelain.

Although, it is fascinating to learn that this massively important piece of American pottery was unknown until recently to the general public. This is an extremely rare situation, where a piece of pottery of this magnitude is available outside of a museum setting. It also makes me wonder about the possibilities of what is yet still to be discovered today.

The Broadway Water Cooler

The Broadway Water Cooler

Stamped Twice, "W.H. FARAR & CO. / GEDDES, N.Y.," and Dated 1846

Decoration Depicts a New York City Street Scene of Broadway

Also Depicts the Sons of Temperance National Hall Headquarters in Manhattan

Stands 26" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm Auctions of American Redware &  Stoneware

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

Forthcoming New York City Research Article to be Published by Untapped New York in New York City

With tens of thousands of social media followers in the New York City area, and an even larger readership, I am excited to announce that I have written a research article that will likely be published next week by Untapped New York, titled, "Early Red Earthenware Recovered in New York City." I am thrilled to share this story with the New York City market. According to their website, "Untapped New York unearths New York City's secrets and hidden gems by discovering the city's most unique and surprising places and events for the curious mind."

This article revisits some of my previously published New York City material, combined with some new information. Although, this is not the eighteenth century New York City article I wrote that I cited on this website last week.

Among the wares illustrated is some nineteenth century production from Norwalk, Connecticut, especially the slip-script wares that have been recovered from a variety of contexts in the city. For instance, this dish is from my personal collection, attributed to the Asa Edward Smith (1798-1880) Pottery (operated circa 1825-1887) in Norwalk, circa 1825-1850, and it is an example of slip-script  Norwalk production found in a number of contexts in the city, including Manhattan.

But the diversity of domestic red earthenware found in eighteenth and nineteenth century archaeological contexts in New York City is what fascinates me today; aside from local production, wares made in Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey and Philadelphia are all represented in the city's archaeology collections.

I will post a link to this website once the story has been published; however, it will be available to read on Untapped New York's website.

Forthcoming New York City Article to be Published by Untapped New York

19th Century Slip-Script Red Earthenware Dish

Attributed to the Asa E. Smith Pottery in Norwalk, CT

This Type of Production was Shipped to New York City in the 1800s

Circa 1825-1850

See Article for More Information

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

More Pictures of a Sugar Bowl Purchased from a Family in the Strasburg, Virginia Area

This is the red earthenware sugar bowl that I wrote about the other day, which I suggested could have been made in Pennsylvania, although, now that I have it in hand, I am not sure where exactly it was made. But I do want to note that the lid appears to be original.

This is a larger sized sugar bowl, measuring six inches tall and eight inches across. It is also covered in tulips; the lid is especially wonderful, seeing that it is entirely decorated with tulips in green and yellow slip.

I was told by the owner that he purchased this piece a few decades ago from a family in the Strasburg, Virginia area, where it had been owned for many years. In fact, this person thought it may have descended in the family since it was originally purchased, but I currently have no way to prove that information. Nevertheless, the slip is really attractive on this piece of pottery!  Opinions are certainly welcome should anyone reading this article be able to shed more information or facts about where this piece of pottery originated. I am also curious to know if this could date from any point in the eighteenth century.

Sugar Bowl Purchased from a Family in the Strasburg, Virginia Area

Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Sugar Bowl

Purchased Years Ago from a Family in the Strasburg, Virginia Area

Stands 6" Tall with the Lid

Measures 8" Across from Handle to Handle

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Sugar Bowl

See Article for More Information

View of the Lid

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Bowl and the Lid

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Bowl and the Lid

See Article for More Information

View of the Base of the Lid and the Bowl

See Article for More Information

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

The Nineteenth Century Dry Family Pottery in Berks County, Pennsylvania

Yesterday, I posted on Facebook a nineteenth century three color slip-decorated red earthenware dish that was discovered a few years ago at a weekly flea market in Arizona. The dish was likely made at the Dry family pottery in Stony Point/Dryville, Berks County, Pennsylvania, which is a rural community located in the southeastern part of the state, about 55 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Although, the term "Dryville" is often used for attribution today, I am not sure that it is widely known what the attribution actually means, which refers to the location and not the name of a potter's business.

It is known that John Dry (1785-1870) operated the Stony Point Pottery, which was renamed Dryville in 1853 in honor of Dr. Benjamine Dry (1819-1907), who became the first postmaster, but he was also a potter, learning the trade from his father John Dry. I have not been able to determine how many of his sons were involved in the family business, but he had four sons, including Benjamine.

Aside from the slipware produced by the Drys, John Dry may have also manufactured some sgraffito, such as a reported example that sold in the Ralph O. Esmarian Collection at Sotheby's during Antiques Week in New York City in January 2014. The dish was inscribed in pencil on the back, "Made by John Dry / Dry Pottery / Stony Point Pottery / Dryville / Lydia / David Hess / Frederick / Bought by / C. Nippon / Nov. 16 1819." 

In spite of that, I am unsure where John trained before he established the business in Stony Point, but it is possible that he is a southeastern Pennsylvania trained potter. He was the son of Paul (born circa 1760) and Elizabeth (Ettinger) Dry from Strausstown, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Interestingly, after Benjamine Dry worked at his father's pottery business, he moved west to New Berlin, Union County, Pennsylvania, where he continued to work in the pottery business with his uncle Jacon Egolf. However, later business ventures and his eventual return to Dryville suggest that he did not work his entire life as a potter.

Nevertheless, the Drys were an incredibly talented family of potters, likely best known today for their production of slipware, often found on dishes applied in wavy lines and tulips. These are two signed examples from the Dry Pottery that are currently privately owned in Pennsylvania. One is a two color slip-decorated dish and the other is a crock.

Signed Pottery Made by the Dry Family in Berks County, Pennsylvania

19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Dish

Made at the Dry Pottery in Stony Point/Dryville, PA

The Back is Stamped with a Company Mark

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Brad Hamilton

View of the Stamp on the Back of the Dish

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Brad Hamilton

19th Century Red Earthenware Crock

Made at the Dry Pottery in Stony Point/Dryville, PA

The Base is Signed and Dated

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Brad Hamilton

View of the Inscription on the Base

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Brad Hamilton

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

Red Earthenware Sugar Bowl Purchased Years Ago from a Family in the Strasburg, Virginia Area

I will post better pictures when this piece arrives, but in the meantime, I wanted to show this wonderful slip-decorated red earthenware sugar bowl that I just acquired with what I believe to be its original lid. Some of the slip-decoration appears black because of the photography, but it's actually green in hand. I suspect this piece is a lot more colorful than how it appears here.

This is a larger sized sugar bowl, measuring six inches tall and eight inches across. It is also covered in tulips; the lid is especially wonderful, seeing that it is entirely decorated with tulips in green and yellow slip.

I was told by the owner that he purchased this piece a few decades ago from a family in the Strasburg, Virginia area, where it had been owned for many years. In fact, this person thought it may have descended in the family since it was originally purchased, but I currently have no way to prove that information. Although, my initial reaction, based on the form, and the style of the slip was that this bowl was possibly made in Pennsylvania in the 1800s.

Sugar Bowl Purchased Years Ago from a Family in the Strasburg, Virginia Area

 Red Earthenware Sugar Bowl with Likely Its Original Lid

Purchased Years Ago from a Family in the Strasburg, Virginia Area

Stands 6" Tall with the Lid

Measures 8" Across from Handle to Handle

See Article for More Information

 View of the Lid

See Article for More Information

 View of the Interior

See Article for More Information

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

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

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Found Years Ago in Elmira, Ontario

I just acquired this nineteenth century red earthenware jar yesterday from a listing posted in an Antique Canadian Pottery Group on Facebook by Ontario antiques dealer, Jamie McDougall. This piece was previously owned by John Wine, whose great lifelong collection I wrote about earlier this year when it sold at Miller & Miller Auctions in New Hamburg, Ontario.

This jar was supposedly found years ago in Elmira, Ontario, a small community located about seventy miles west of Toronto. It was suggested that it may have been made at the William Eby (1831-1910) Pottery in Constogo, Ontario, circa 1855-1907. Although, the form, the flat rim, the handles, the finger impression on the handle terminals, the incised lines, the clay color and the glaze color also closely resemble wares made along the Great Road in southwest Virginia and east Tennessee in the 1800s. Some of the Great Road Pottery also displays form and glaze comparisons to North Carolina's Moravian pottery tradition from the eighteenth and nineteenth century.

I will post more information and additional pictures once this jar arrives at my house; in the meantime, these are some of the pictures that were shared with me yesterday.  It is also worth noting that some of the other pieces that were posted appear to have originated in Pennsylvania in the nineteenth century, some of which were also found by John Wine in Ontario.

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Found Years Ago in Elmira, Ontario

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Found Years Ago in Elmira, Ontario

Form Resembles Some Objects Manufactured Along the Great Road in SW VA and East TN

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jamie McDougall

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jamie McDougall

View of One Handle

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jamie McDougall

View of the Other Handle

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jamie McDougall

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jamie McDougall

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

Incredible Late Seventeenth or Early Eighteenth Century Red Earthenware Jugs Recovered in Manhattan

Yesterday, I posted this picture showing these two important red earthenware jugs to my Instagram account, which were recently published in an article written by archaeologists, Meta F. Janowitz and Diana diZerega Wall for the 2017 issue of Ceramics in America, titled "New York, New York."

According to the information that I posted: I have completed a number of writing projects in the last six weeks; among those projects is a story I wrote about red earthenware recovered in New York City. This story is entirely based on archaeology, along with some of the exports that were shipped to the city in the 1700s. I also briefly tell the story of Frederick Rhinelander (1742/43-1805), a Manhattan based merchant who was importing Philadelphia red earthenware during the circa 1772-1774 period, based on information found in his account books kept at the New York Historical Society in Manhattan. Amanda Lange from Historic Deerfield in Massachusetts kindly let me include this part of his career from her research.

I handled these jugs last fall when I visited the New York City Archaeological Repository in Manhattan. It is believed that these jugs were likely locally made in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, possibly from the same business, and modeled after Dutch production. They were recovered from the Stadt Huys Block Site in Manhattan, near the original New Amsterdam settlement at the location of the circa 1670-1706 Sir Francis Lovelace (ca. 1621-1675) tavern.

I am hoping the story of these jugs, Rhinelander and other artifacts will head to publication later this year, as part of my ongoing writing series about early pottery recovered in New York City. My previous New York City research stories have included articles published in the October 2018 issue of Maine Antique Digest, as well as the January 31, 2020 issue of Antiques & the Arts Weekly.

Colonial Red Earthenware Jugs Recovered in Manhattan

Late Seventeenth or Early Eighteenth Century Red Earthenware Jugs 

Recovered at the Site of the Sir Lovelace Tavern in Manhattan

Possibly Manufactured at the Same Business

Circa 1670-1706

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: New York City Archaeological Repository

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

Great 19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Dish Recovered in New York City

I have previously posted some articles on this website showing some of the great slip-decorated red earthenware recovered by Scott Jordan and Maribelle Costes within various eighteenth and nineteenth century contexts in New York City, including Manhattan and Staten Island. I also illustrated a number of these slipware objects, as well as other artifacts kept at the New York State Museum in Albany, New York, which were published in a research article I wrote for the October 2018 issue of Maine Antique Digest, titled, "The Red Earthenware Available in the 18th and 19th Centuries in New York City."

This is another example of domestic slipware found in New York City by Scott Jordan and Maribelle Costes, which was recovered from a nineteenth century privy. For a few months now, I have thought about where this piece could have been made, and I cannot recall having seen this type of decoration before on pottery manufactured in Connecticut, Manhattan, Long Island, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. These are the areas that typically makeup the domestic red earthenware found in New York City in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. 

Although, this really is a spectacular discovery; the manufacture of this dish reminds me of dishes produced at the Huntington Pottery on Long Island, as well as a business established by Henry Jacob Van Saun (1755-1829) in River Edge, Bergen County, New Jersey about 1811. The business was later purchased by George Wolfkiel (1805-1867), a potter who had relocated from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, as early as 1830. In fact, Wolfkiel is responsible for a lot of the slipware produced in River Edge until 1867.

Interestingly, though, I viewed a somewhat similar designed nineteenth century slip-decorated red earthenware dish last year that was recovered from a nineteenth century context in Patterson, New Jersey. Patterson is located near Bergen County and about eighteen miles northwest of Manhattan.

Some of the slipware manufactured in River Edge was also discussed in a research story I wrote for the January 31, 2020 issue of Antiques & the Arts Weekly, titled, "Early Red Earthenware & Stoneware Found on Staten Island."

19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Dish Recovered in New York City

19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Dish Recovered in New York City

Possibly Made at the Huntington Pottery on Long Island or River Edge, New Jersey

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Scott Jordan and Maribelle Costes

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

A Recently Acquired Group of Red Earthenware Lids from a Connecticut Collection

This is a collection of  lids that I recently purchased from Rhode Island antiques dealer and artist, John Sideli that were previously collected by Connecticut antiques dealers, Ron and Penny Dionne. In fact, I recently wrote about the Dionne Collection, which I consider to be one of the finest collections of red earthenware ever assembled in New England, most of which has since been purchased by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This is most of the lids; it is not the best image since I quickly took this picture yesterday while it was raining. But this is really an excellent selection of lids, including manufacturers in Monmouth, Maine, elsewhere in northern New England, Merrimacport, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, as well as two slip-decorated lids from the Seymour Pottery in West Hartford, Connecticut. Interestingly, there is even a green glazed West Hartford lid, a glaze color that I have not previously seen on a lid from this industry before.

Although, I was quite pleased with one of the green glazed Bristol County lids since it is an excellent fit for a green glazed late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century red earthenware pitcher I own, also from Bristol County, which was previously owned by Sheffield, Massachusetts antiques dealer, Sam Herrup.

Note: I also want to mention that a research story I wrote about the eighteenth and nineteenth century Concord, New Hampshire red earthenware industry was scheduled to run in the May 2020 issue of Maine Antique Digest; that story has now been pushed back to another issue sometime later this spring or early summer.

A Recently Acquired Collection of Red Earthenware Lids

Selection of Red Earthenware Lids Once Owned by Ron and Penny Dionne from CT

See Article for More Information

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher from Bristol County, Mass.

One of the Bristol County Lids was a Perfect Match for this Pitcher

See Article for More Information

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

Glazed Terracotta Figure Discovered at the Site of the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company on Staten Island

While working on a research project late last year for Antiques & the Arts Weekly about eighteenth and nineteenth century utilitarian pottery found on Staten Island in New York City, I learned about this glazed terracotta figure from the collection of Historic Richmond Town at the Staten Island Historical Society.

This figure was discovered before 1976 at the site of the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company in Tottenville on Staten Island by Robert Anderson. It is believed that the figure represents the "Dutch Boy" trademark paint logo, which was first incorporated when the paint company was established in 1907. The standing male figure is seen wearing a hat and his hands are in his pockets. The historical society also describes the figure as having been modeled by hand and not made in a mold.

Founded in the late-1890s by De Forest Grant, William D. Frerichs, S.S. Whitehurst and Charles U. Thrall, the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company became one of the largest terra cotta manufacturers in the United States, largely as a result of company mergers. The first merger occurred in 1906-07 when the Perth Amboy, New Jersey Terra Cotta Company, the Excelsior Terra Cotta Company, and the Standard Terra Cotta Company merged with the Staten Island firm under the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company name. The company's production was also split between its location at 101 Ellis Street on Staten Island and the main factory and kilns that were located about four miles south in Perth Amboy.

According to the historical society,  "For over three decades, the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company designed and manufactured architectural fabric and ornament sculpture, and garden pottery that was installed and used in almost every major American city, as well as abroad. Founded in 1897, the company opened its factory in Tottenville, Staten Island, in 1898 and expanded rapidly. By 1906, the Tottenvville plant was employing 450 to 500 men and was producing the fabric and ornament for such prestigious projects as the first New York City subway stations, the upper stories of the Flatiron Building, and the Plaza Hotel."

Note: The Staten Island research story I was working on was eventually published in the January 31, 2020 issue of Antiques & the Arts Weekly, titled, Early Red Earthenware & Stoneware Found on Staten Island.

Glazed Terracotta Figure Discovered at the Site of the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company

Hand Modeled Glazed Terracotta Figure 

Discovered at the Site of the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company on Staten Island

Possibly Represents the "Dutch Boy" Trademark Paint Logo

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Staten Island Historical Society

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

Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Dish from the Collection of the Staten Island Historical Society

Published in the January 31, 2020 issue of Antiques & the Arts Weekly is a research story I wrote about some of the utilitarian pottery found on Staten Island in New York City in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, titled, Early Red Earthenware & Stoneware Found on Staten Island. The article presented some great archaeology, as well as objects that retained a local history of ownership from the collection of Historic Richmond Town at the Staten Island Historical Society.

This slip-decorated red earthenware dish is included in the historical society's collection, although it was not published in the article because it does not retain as strong a context of ownership as the other pieces that were illustrated.

The museum suggests this dish was made by Absalom Day (1770-1843) in Norwalk, Connecticut, seeing that the style of the slip is a design known to have been produced by Day. In fact, some of the slip technique is also similar to that found on a slip-script advertising dish, inscribed, "Day's Pottery," which was made by Day, now owned by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as published in an article written by Richard Miller for the 2016 issue of Ceramics in America, titled, Norwalk (Connecticut) Slip-script Pottery, the Potters and Related Ware.

Interestingly, though the back of this dish has been impressed with a serrated heart and the initials "AWJ." I have not been able to determine the meaning of this mark, although I have seen similar marks (but not exactly the same) with archaeology recovered in Philadelphia, as well as a Philadelphia slip-decorated red earthenware dish that was recovered in Albany, New York, now kept at the New York State Museum.

Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Dish Impressed with a Heart and Initials

 Late-18th or Early-19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Dish

The Style of the Slip Resembles Some Techniques Manufactured by Absalom Day in Norwalk, CT

Circa 1795-1815

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Staten Island Historical Society

The Back Has Been Impressed with a Serrated Heart and the Initials "AWJ"

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Staten Island Historical Society

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

Forthcoming Western New York Research Story that will be Published in Antiques & Auction News

Last summer, I visited the Das Haus Museum located at the original Prussian Lutheran settlement near Niagara Falls in the village of Bergholz. The goal of the visit was to learn more about Carl Ludwig Heinrich Mehwaldt's (1809-1887) red earthenware production, circa early-1850s to 1887, although he was a third generation German born potter who also worked in Russia and Lebanon. This research has led to a feature story I wrote that will be published in an upcoming issue of Antiques & Auction News; I worked with the museum on the story, which will include some interesting never before published information and pictures.

A major angle in the article is some of the incredibly unusual production he made as memorials for his sons and possibly another person who died in the Civil War, as well as some objects that were manufactured for the Holy Ghost Church in Bergholz. The church was built in 1847 and torn down in 1906. Most of these objects have gone missing since they were published in articles written by author Ada Walker Camehl (1866-1939) for the Buffalo Historical Society (now the Buffalo History Museum) and The Magazine Antiques in the 1920s. I truly believe that these objects are among the most unique pieces of American red earthenware manufactured anywhere in America, and true masterpieces, showing Mehwaldt's incredible skill as a potter. These are also objects that are not widely known today, but they certainly should be recognized on a national level.

Holy Ghost Church in the Berholz Settlement in Western New York

The Holy Ghost Church at the Bergholz Settlement in Western New York

The Church was Built in 1847 and Torn Down in 1906

Mehwaldt Produced Some Special Pottery that Hung in the Church

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: The Das Haus Museum

Nevertheless, I thought this piece of red earthenware from the Das Haus Museum's collection would be of interest since it appears like a form commonly attributed to European production today. This is far from the most colorful wares made by Mehwaldt, but this piece is of interest, seeing that it is attributed to Mehwaldt's production in Bergholz. Although, this is the only piece like this that I have seen that I believe can be attributed to Mehwaldt because I am not sure how to differentiate it from similar wares made in Europe in the 1800s. This cooking mold is not included in the article, although some of the exciting wares illustrated include other objects from the museum's collection, along with wares from the private collection of Gene Pratt, the New York State Museum and the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Some of these objects can also be mistaken for production from Pennsylvania today.

Cooking Mold Attributed to the Mehwaldt Pottery in Western New York

 19th Century Red Earthenware Cooking Mold

Attributed to the Mehwaldt Pottery in Western New York

Circa Early-1850s to 1887

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: The Das Haus Museum

 Another View of the Mold

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: The Das Haus Museum

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: The Das Haus Museum

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