I think this is a great object! About forty years ago, this late eighteenth or nineteenth century heavily slip decorated red earthenware pitcher was discovered within a lengthy context of family ownership inside an early farmhouse located about ten miles outside of Hartford, Connecticut.
Furthermore, the style of the applied band found below the rim is a type that is found on a group of jars and pitchers that are owned today by the New Milford, Connecticut Historical Society and the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Those objects are all attributed to Hartford (or at least the Hartford area), circa late eighteenth or early nineteenth century.
Additionally, the style of the glaze on this pitcher somewhat reminds me of some red earthenware bowls that were manufactured in Philadelphia during the circa 1770-1810 period - and in some cases, the popularity of Philadelphia pottery caused some potters to try and imitate the wares made there, especially before the American Revolution. In fact, I included an example of the type of Philadelphia bowls that I am referencing below, although I am not making any association between the two objects, whereas this bowl was recovered within a circa 1770s-1780s context in Burlington, New Jersey.
Interestingly, it was also pointed out by Ontario collector Paul Slater that the shape of this pitcher is similar to two earthenware examples owned as part of the Harbinson Collection at the Canadian Museum of History in Quebec, which are said to have been made at the Huron Pottery in Egmondville, Ontario (see below).
For more information about Hartford red earthenware and stoneware production - see my most recent published book available from retailers and bookstores all over, including my publisher Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, A City on the River: The Early Red Earthenware of the Hartford, Connecticut Area: https://historicbeverly.net/product/a-city-on-the-river-the-early-red-earthenware-of-the-hartford-connecticut-area/
Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Pitcher Found in an Old Farmhouse
Late 18th or 19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Pitcher
Found in an Old Context of Ownership in a Farmhouse Near Hartford, CT
Stands 8 3/8" Tall
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A View of the Handle
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(Left) 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Bowl
Most Likely Made in Philadelphia
Recovered from a Circa 1770s-1780s Context in Burlington, N.J.
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Another View of the Bowl
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Another View of the Bowl
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19th Century Earthenware Pitchers Said to Have Been Made in Ontario
Said to Have Been Made at the Huron Pottery in Egmondville, Ontario
Owned as Part of the Harbinson Collection
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Photo Courtesy: Canadian Museum of History
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
