The Vickers family of potters from Chester County, Pennsylvania, was a remarkable network of American craftsmen who paired their daily trade with a shared commitment to human rights. Operating during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, successive generations—most notably Thomas Vickers (1757-1829) and his son John (1780-1860)—produced a variety of red earthenware that supplied local households with essential everyday goods. Their pottery shops became well known for their excellent craftsmanship. Today, the family's jars, jugs, plates, flowerpots, vases, and presentation pieces are highly prized by collectors and museums for their form and overall artistry.
Beyond their success at the kiln, the Vickers family members were devout Quakers and fierce abolitionists who put their faith into direct action. Their pottery shops and family homes in Caln and Lionville served as critical, heavily active stations on the Underground Railroad. John Vickers, in particular, was a prominent conductor who worked closely with other regional abolitionists to provide food, shelter, and safe passage to hundreds of freedom seekers escaping enslavement from the South. The family frequently risked their own safety and livelihood, using the cover of their rural pottery operations and transport wagons to conceal and move freedom seekers safely along the network toward freedom.
The legacy of these extraordinary craftsmen will be documented and celebrated in my forthcoming two-volume tenth book, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts. While the study centers on the traditions of Massachusetts Quakers, it also weaves in comparative stories from potters like the Vickers family to highlight the broader scope of early American red earthenware production among Quaker potters.
Furthermore, this lidded jar with twisted handles displayed at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut was reportedly made by a member of the Vickers family. This piece entered the museum's permanent holdings as part of the Albert Hastings Pitkin Collection, a gift in 1918 from Mrs. Albert Hastings Pitkin in memory of her husband.
Note: For more information - see a cover story I wrote for the September 2, 2022 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters - A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story: https://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2022/08/new-published-cover-story-vickers.html.
Also see a feature story I wrote that was published in the April 12, 2019 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Albert Hastings Pitkin Collection: https://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2019/05/the-albert-hastings-pitkin-collection.html.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
No comments:
Post a Comment