A Late 19th Century Red Earthenware Object with 18 Signatures from Michigan

This is a piece of pottery that intrigued me that just sold on eBay; the red earthenware object is inscribed with various designs and signed by eighteen people. The seller conducted some genealogical research before they listed this piece, writing that two of the signatures were from a couple who married in 1880, along with some of their siblings, all of whom lived in Michigan in the 1800s. But the remaining signatures were too common of names to identify.

The seller suggested a circa 1880-1912 date for this piece because the couple was married in 1880 and the husband later died in 1912. However, I would lean more towards a late nineteenth century date of manufacture.

I did not buy this piece of pottery, but it certainly crossed my mind whether this could have been a special piece created as a wedding gift. This is a little later, although, I have written about red earthenware marriage pieces made in Bristol County, Massachusetts in the early 1800s, such as a pair of jars currently on display in the Americana Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, as well as another jar that was formerly owned by Hilary and Paulette Nolan in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The jar owned by the Nolans was illustrated in a feature story I wrote for the June 2018 issue of Maine Antique Digest, titled, "The Pottery Industry in Southeastern Massachusetts."

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Object with 18 Signatures from Michigan

A Late 19th Century Red Earthenware Object with 18 Signatures from Michigan

Circa 1880-1912

Measures 6 3/4" in Long and 3 1/2" in Diameter

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Photo Courtesy: eBay

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