An Unusual Slip Decorated Pitcher Dated 1865 with Similarities in Form to Many Industries

This report can be in keeping with the report from a few days ago about eighteenth century slip decorated shards.

Here I am seeking any type of quality input from any readers who are generous enough to lend their knowledge. This pitcher recently emerged in Connecticut. My initial thought was Hervey Brooks because of the manner in which the slip decoration was applied. The form also looks like a Connecticut potter, however - the interior slip decoration is not something usually seen from early American potters.

I showed the pitcher to a very knowledge Pennsylvania dealer yesterday and he felt it was not made in that state. He said it could have been southern, but he was not sure about it. He even said it may have been made in England. The form doesn't really seem English to me, but I am not an English ceramic expert.

The pitcher resembles a cross between an Essex County Massachusetts and Connecticut form.The flat area seen around the lip reminds me of forms made in South Danvers, Massachusetts. The handle placement and form is seen from Connecticut potters. The form is also similar to some pitchers made in New York and Pennsylvania.

I am also not sure how this amount of slip would affect the color of the clay. It's thinly potted when compared to the cruder, country pitchers that were produced in nineteenth century America. If you notice the bottom in the picture at the end of the report, you'll notice it is a lighter color.

These are my questions - I know slip decoration was used in parts of New York and throughout Connecticut. Could this pitcher be tied to either of these areas? I know there's also a chance it may be from England, but the exterior decoration is like nothing I have ever seen from that country - and neither is the form. Are the stew pot (below) and pitcher tied in with a possible maker? The stew pot is very similar to known forms made throughout New England and Pennsylvania in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. The stew pot also shows yellow and green slip, which is also a characteristic of Connecticut potters.

I think a Connecticut attribution is possible - since the potters of that state placed a heavy emphasis towards slip decoration in the nineteenth century; however, below you will also see arguments for other areas, too.

 19th Century Redware Pitcher

Similar Forms Seen in Connecticut and Massachusetts
Similar Glaze Styles Seen in America and Europe

Stands 8 3/4 Inches Tall

Wonderful Slip Decoration

The handle is nearly identical to a Connecticut form attributed by Lura Woodside Watkins - out of her collection now in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The only difference are the ribs added to the black pitcher's handle, but I have seen William Pecker use both techniques in Merrimacport, Massachusetts between 1790 and 1820. That should not discredit the near mirror image seen between the two handles.

I really think these two handles are indicative of a possible maker.

 

The Handle of Redware Pitcher

Similar Handle to a Connecticut Pitcher from the Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

Manganese (Black) Glazed Redware Pitcher - Connecticut

19th Century

Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

The slip glazed interior is rather unusual for early American potters. I know of a nineteenth century slip decorated stew pot that may be of the same origin. The potters who worked in Staffordshire England used to decorate some of their earthenware in a similar slip technique in the eighteenth century.

Slip Glazed Interior is Rather Unusual for Early American Potters

19th Century Redware Stew Pot

Similar Forms Made Throughout New England
Possibly Connecticut or Virginia
Interior Slip Glaze Similar to the Pitcher

Small Slip Decorated Earthenware Mug

Probably Made in Staffordshire, England

18th Century

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc - Boston

Part of the pitcher's glaze was not covered in a clear lead glaze. The vast majority of it was, which gave it a glass-like smooth feeling. The exposed clay and glaze underneath the lead glaze appears rough. A similar style was seen on a Hervey Brooks pan attributed by Watkins in her collection at the Smithsonian. Look closely at the photos below and you'll see what I am referring to. 

If you also look at the manner in which the slip was applied on the Brooks pan, with the straight and way lines - it is very similar to the style used on the pitcher.

Glaze and Clay Not Covered by Clear Lead Glaze

Appears Rough in Some Sections
Similar to Some Areas on Hervey Brooks Dish Below

Hervery Brooks Attributed Redware Dish - Goshen, Ct

Ca. 1825-1875

Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

Photo Courtesy: The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

The pitcher is also signed and dated. I can read M.K., which I assume is the potter. It is dated -1865-, but there are one or two words below the initials and above the date that I cannot make out. Any ideas on what it may say? I've tried, but the letters I assemble are not comprehensive. You can also see the green and yellow slip decoration on the base that is similar to the stew pot from above. I am not necessarily attributing it to Hervey Brooks, but I am saying Brooks was an active potter in 1865. There may have been some sort of influence between Brooks and another potter - or it may be merely a coincidence.

Initials, Word(s) and Date Written on the Base of the Pitcher
It is Dated -1865-

Any Help is Much Appreciated!

Plenty More to Come...Please Stay Tuned!

New England Art Pottery - Late 19th Into the 20th Century: A View of Utilitarian Makers Turned Art Potters

American art pottery of the late nineteenth and twentieth century is probably the most valuable of all pottery produced in America. Pieces can reach into the elite six-figure range more often than American redware typically does. Prices of special early American stoneware are probably comparable to art pottery these days. Even the most mundane examples of hand formed art pottery sell upwards of four figures. The market is obviously what drives this, but its also the idea of art taken from a canvas and placed onto clay, which makes it so special. Potters turned the idea of utilitarian forms with basic everyday glazes and the notion of occasionally producing a special glazed piece into a focus of glazes first. Eighteenth and nineteenth century potters would typically produce a number of basic glazed forms for every single boldly glazed shape. The Art Pottery Movement changed this idea. Glaze and form were presented on more formal pieces used for special occasions and more formal parts of the household. The kitchen was no one longer the lone focus. The diner room, formal table or a special ornament that sat prominently centered in a front room window became an importance.

I am not typically a person who buys American Art Pottery, but I totally understand why people do. It is the most artistic form of pottery - where potters really expressed themselves. The potter really transcended into an artist. That's not to say redware and stoneware should not be viewed as art - because both of these mediums are strong examples of true American folk art. Art pottery became a clay canvas of formal art.

The art pottery that really interests me are those potters who's product appeared as a glazed red clay - just like the products of early utilitarian redware potters. Many of the more common examples of art pottery found today are molded - and that shows more of an urgency to mass produce their product than anything else. That's truly what the Industrial Revolution turned the American potter into.  A mold was created and from that - it was mass produced. Many of these forms showed great glazes after the mold was removed from the industrial-warehouse style kiln, but the true potter is not shown in these wares. The business is seen, but the pottery lacks the potter's personality.

There are dozens of important potters involved with the Art Pottery Movement. Many worked under a single name where a group of women gathered together and produced pottery; i.e. The Saturday Evening Girls, Marblehead Pottery…etc, but those are brands. I personally feel they got away from the whole notion of the country potter. There were potters under the Art Pottery Movement who I feel were still adapted to the idea of the country potter.

I prefer the potters who still hold an idea of the utilitarian potter in their product. Despite its appearance, there was still an understanding of who that early potter was in the way they approached their business. The utilitarian potter's business changed after 1880. More durable, cheaper products had really eliminated the need of utilitarian redware. Many potters were forced to adapt or else they were forced out of business. Florist wares and the most basic forms of earthenware were still in demand. The only state I can see that did not entirely give into this industry change was Pennsylvania. In some areas, the country potter kept with the traditional styles; however, others were forced to change. The Shenandoah Valley Potters of Virginia (after 1880) produced a hybrid of utilitarian forms, which showed artistry and all embodied unusual colorful glazes and sometime forms. I view the potters of this area as a cross between the utilitarian potter's and the Art Pottery Movement. It's the New England art potters that embodied this same notion of the Shenandoah Valley Potters that I enjoy. There are really only two potters who I place in this category.

 J. Eberly & Co. - Strasburg, Va

Ca. 1892-1903
Sold by Crocker Farm, Inc - Sparks, Md

Photo Courtesy: The Barnes Foundation - Philadelphia, Pa

J. Eberly & Co. - Strasburg, Va

Ca. Late 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Jeffrey Evans & Associates - Mount Crawford, Va

Two potters in particular stand out to me; Thomas Nickerson of Newburyport, Massachusetts and William J. Walley of West Sterling, Massachusetts. I view both of these potter's products to be similar to the potters of the Shenandoah Valley. Their wares were all utilitarian in purpose, but the glazes and forms crossed-over into art pottery.

Nickerson was an English trained potter who began a company in Portland, Maine before relocating to the Merrimac River in Newburyport - hence how the  company name, Merrimac Pottery Company was founded. His businesses really began where the utilitarian potter's movement ended with the production of floral wares. Many utilitarian potters were left with no other option than to produce garden wares. That's where Nickerson saw a market demand. He produced floral products from 1897 until 1901 when he altered the product line to fancy more of what the Art Pottery Movement had changed the potter's industry into - an industry that catered to more formal products. The company was short lived when a massive fire destroyed the businesses in 1908. Nickerson never rebuilt afterwards. I really view Nickerson as how any American utilitarian potter would have built their company in a suburb of a major American city at the turn of the twentieth century. I also like the fact that his wares showed a red clay in the final product and he also hand-turned most pieces.

Southern Maine country potters who worked west of Portland were known for their glaze experimentation from 1820-1880. Nickerson (originally from Maine) shared that idea with a huge amount of glaze experimentation. He really reminds me of a how a throwback utilitarian potter would have appeared in 1900. Nickerson still made household products like cups and mugs to go along with his art pottery vases.

To add archaeology to this report - excavation of any art potter's site would yield a tremendous amount of important information. It doesn't matter the potter. The curator of the Old Newbury Historical Society, Jay Williamson and past president, Chris Snow have dug at the Merrimac Pottery site. They have found some impressive results, which are kept at the historical society in Newburyport, Massachusetts. I hope to bring more information about these shards in future reports.

Redware Floral Products Made at the Merrimac Pottery Company

Ca. 1897-1901
Newburyport, Ma

Merrimac Pottery Company Redware Vase - Newburyport, Ma

Ca. 1902-1908

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc - Boston & Marlborough, Ma

William J. Walley was involved with the New England utilitarian stoneware business in the 1870s. He was employed at the F.B. Norton stoneware company in Worcester, Massachusetts - producing forms commonly associated with the stoneware industry of the late nineteenth century. Around 1890, he purchased the old Wachuset Pottery (owned by Marcus Snow and Henry Coolidge) about fifteen miles form Worcester. Wachuset Pottery was known for making red earthenware and other products. The company was the largest earthenware company in Central Massachusetts from its start in 1820. Clay was reportedly harvested from the local Stillwater River. Walley probably used the same clay source. Walley's company made flower pots and art ware with fancy glazes until his death in 1917. He was born in England before leaving for America. He probably trained their, too.  Walley's influences and inspiration was large from all the industries he was involved with. He also worked in parts of Canada and Ohio before arriving in Massachusetts. I also like the fact his product showed red clay as well.

West Sterling Pottery Tin Trade Sign
Larte 19th Century

West Sterling, Ma

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc - Boston & Marlborough, Ma

William J. Walley Redware Vase - West Sterling, Ma

Ca. 1895-1917

Possibly West Sterling, Ma Terracotta (Redware) Flower Pots

Similar to forms Lura Woodside Watkins Attributes to West Sterling in Her Collection
All Late 19th Century

I suggest anyone who enjoys the studies of early American utilitarian pottery - whether it being in redware, stoneware or both - to find a way to appreciate the industry that followed it. I personally find an interest in the potters who were apart of the Art Pottery Movement who had ties to the earlier industry. A few others who may be of interest are William Grueby (South Boston, Ma), Hugh Robertson (Revere & Dedham, Ma) and George Ohr (Bilxoi, Miss). Much of the art pottery emerged from industry atmospheres, but there are potters who did not work this way. Anywhere from Maine to Florida, from Mississippi to Ohio, from Michigan to Louisiana and back east to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York all had potters who were tied to this movement. I promise it's worth the study if you have an interest in early art, history or pottery. The Art Pottery Movement was really the last pottery movement in the potter's industry. Studio pottery followed, but that's an arena that will likely be kept alive for as long as I can imagine.

Grueby Pottery Decorated Vase - South Boston, Ma

Late 19th or Early 20th Century

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc - Boston & Marlborough, Ma

Hugh Robertson, Chelsea Keramic Art Works (CKAW) Products - Chelsea, Ma

Late 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc - Boston & Marlborough, Ma

Hugh Robertson Pottery Vase - Dedham, Ma

Early 20th Century

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

George Ohr Redware Vase - Biloxi, Ms

Probably Late 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

I wonder what the colonial utilitarian potters would think of how their industry progressed into art pottery. Would they have welcomed the movement?

I really do view Thomas Nickerson and William J. Walley as potters who were not entirely apart of the Art Pottery Movement, but rather, potters who transitioned from a past industry into a new industry - just like the potters of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. George Ohr of Biloxi, Mississippi can also be held to this same type of discussion into what movement he was truly involved. with. It could possibly be the George Ohr Movement…a potter who may be the most talented of all American potters. If you have an interest…he's definitely worth a study!

George Ohr Redware Handled Pot - Biloxi, Ms

Probably Late 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

George Ohr Redware Handled Pitcher - Biloxi, Ms

Probably Late 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

Much More to Come...

A Demonstration of How 18th Century Slip Decoration Appears on Broken Shards

This report was a special request from a very knowledgable reader. I have recently written about kaolin clay that was used for yellow slip decoration. When kaolin is applied, its white, but after the chemical reaction with lead glaze in the kiln - it turns yellow. The reader was interested in seeing any shards that may have partially lost some of the yellow slip in breakage. They wanted to see how the slip decoration appeared. I have taken sample shards from the Charlestown, Massachusetts archaeology collection and the Clough House archaeology collection in Boston's North End to demonstrate this idea. Both English and American products are seen to show that the technique is similar in both countries - and its really universal around the world.

(Yellow) Slip Decoration

Pre-1775 Archaeological Context

Probably Charlestown, Ma Made Redware

Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma

Slip Decoration that Still Appears White

 Pre-1775 Archaeological Context

Probably Charlestown, Ma Made Redware

Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma

(Yellow) Slip Decoration

 Pre-1775 Archaeological Context

Probably Charlestown, Ma Made Redware

Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma 

(Yellow) Slip Decoration

 Pre-1775 Archaeological Context

Probably Charlestown, Ma Made Redware

Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma 

(Yellow & White) Slip Decoration

Pre-1775 Archaeological Context

North Devon, English Redware

Clough House Archaeological Collection - Boston, Ma (North End)

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma 

(Yellow & White) Slip Decoration

Pre-1775 Archaeological Context

Probably Charlestown, Ma Made Redware

Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma 

(Yellow & White) Slip Decoration

 Pre-1775 Archaeological Context

Probably Charlestown, Ma Made Redware

Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma 

(Yellow) Slip Decoration

  Post-1775 Archaeological Context

American-Made Redware, Origin Unknown, Possibly Pennsylvania-Made

Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma

Non-Slip Decorated Shards

All Glazed with Variations of Green

No Kaolin Used

  Post-1775 Archaeological Context

American-Made Redware, Possibly Massachusetts
Charlestown, Ma Archaeology Collection

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Ma

Sometimes kaolin was used under various colored glazes; however I am not sure why potters did this. It is interesting to see when the kaolin was originally applied it appeared white in color; but when the slip was exposed to the heat of the kiln and a lead glaze, a chemical reaction occurred that changed the color to yellow. From the shards, it is evident only the parts of the slip directly exposed to the kiln temperature and the lead glaze showed a change in color. The layer underneath apparently remained white in most instances. Examples of both English and American slip are shown and this chemical reaction appears to have happened in industries all over the globe. It's assumed this chemical reaction was not regional or continental either, but rather it happened in almost all industries. I cannot say for sure if it happened all the time because that would speak for every single example of slip known - rather, in most instances the above evidence is what typically happened when a potter applied slip and then fired their product in the kiln. It's rather interesting to see first hand!

Much More to Come...

The Portuguese Potter, Charles A. Lawrence of Beverly, Mass: A Followup to the NEAJ Article

To coincide with the Charles Lawrence article, which is being released in the New England Antiques Journal this month - I thought I would show a few more rare examples of earthenware made at the Beverly, Massachusetts business, in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The coffee pot in this first photo may be one of the rarest forms made in Beverly. I had never seen anything like it before, when I stumbled onto this picture - and I have never seen another since. Its glaze matches the known styles used in Beverly in the 1860s and the 1870s. The pot was offered as part of a group lot at Pook and Pook Auctions in Downington, Pennsylvania. It's history before the sale is not know beyond probably coming into the auction house as a consignment. It's my guess that it was from a residence in Pennsylvania or one of the Mid-Atlantic states that Pook's gets a large amount of inventory from for their auctions. 

Who knows how the coffee pot ended up where it was before walking through the doors of the auction house, but depending on who purchased it - that person may be the last known seller? The pot probably traveled south over the years as people migrated from New England. Unfortunately, I have never been able to determine its whereabouts after the sale. I was not buying and studying Beverly redware when it went up for sale eight or nine years ago.  I believe the coffee pot is an extremely important piece of pottery for the city of Beverly, which was probably made by Charles Lawrence rather than another potter he employed. It matches his known style.

Coffee pots and teapots are forms that have not really been associated with any of the major businesses of the nineteenth century in the Eastern Massachusetts industries. A few are known, but they were certainly not regularly produced like some of the better known places where they were. I would assume, where there is one coffee pot - others must have been made in Beverly. There is no proof of it, but I wonder if there were any attempts at similar multi-slip decorated teapots. It would make sense considering both products go hand-in-hand. I also go back and forth on whether this is a coffee pot or actually a teapot. Its size suggests that it may have been used as a teapot, but for discussion purposes - we can call it a coffee pot. It should also be taken into consideration that there were many more teapots than coffee pots made by American potters in the 1800s. It also is in-fact, a rare form and maker.

According to the auction listing, this particular coffee pot had been damaged and repaired. The pouring spot was previously broken off - and later glued back on. Considering its rarity, the damage should not take away from what it is.

Likely a Charles A. Lawrence Slip Decorated Redware Coffee Pot, Possibly a Tea Pot

Beverly, Massachusetts

Ca. 1865-1875

Photo Courtesy: Pook and Pook Auctions - Downington, Pa

This here is another unusual form, which was consigned to Frank Kaminski Auctions of Beverly, Massachusetts in 2005. It likely came from a local residence. The pitcher has since been auctioned off again - this time by Crocker Farm Auctions of Sparks, Maryland. It ended up down there about five years ago after its initial sale.

Many pitchers were made in Beverly, but they were typically slightly wider. This pitcher stands 7.5 inches tall. It demonstrates the typical green and yellow slip decoration over a reddish body. The handles on both the pitcher and the coffee pot are very similar. The handles made in Beverly do not usually have a thumb piece added on - even though these two examples both display them. It is a characteristic often seen on early English and European earthenware.

Probably a Charles A. Lawrence Redware Pitcher

Beverly, Massachusetts

Ca. 1865-1875

7 1/2 Inches Tall

Photo Courtesy: Frank Kaminski Auctions - Beverly, Ma - Beverly Hills & San Diego, Ca

Lawrence Pottery made flower pots in traditional terracotta forms and exotic Old World styles in the 1870s right up through the turn of the twentieth century. There is still more to be learned about the garden forms that were produced during this period. These forms are discussed in the New England Antiques Journal article.

Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) wrote about the potter, Edwin A. Rich - whom allowed the business to experiment in ways most companies were not allowed because of his skill, creative mind and ability to form wares behind the potter's wheel. It is my belief there was a lot of experimentation that happened at the Beverly business while Rich was employed at it. The experiments are really what are surprising when unexpected forms, glazes and painted wares surface today. The forms really transcended from the traditional utilitarian wares most earthenware potters are known for, into new forms, ideas and amazing results.  Charles Lawrence really embraced the idea of reproducing Old World styles into his product line.

This next shard in an unusual glaze in the manner in which it is decorated. The exterior appears to have been painted yellow, while the interior is a brown albany glaze on a red body. I have never seen any other evidence that albany glazes were used in Beverly. I also don't know of many redware potters who used an Albany glaze. Its mostly seen on stoneware products. 

It appears Lawrence Pottery used a handful of colors to paint their products after 1870. Albany glazes and paint are unusual techniques from traditional utilitarian redware potters. The shard was found about a block from where the original business was located in Beverly.

Yellow Painted Redware Shard Found in Beverly, Ma

Unusual Color

Ca. 1870-1890

An Albany Glazed Interior is Very Rare from Lawrence Pottery and Really Any Early Redware Potter

I have also found Lawrence Pottery made large outdoor urns in the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s - similar to the earlier European styles. Some stand upwards of two-to-three feet tall. The Beverly business is a rather fascinating company when its accomplishments are viewed today. There is plenty more to be read about Charles Lawrence in the January 2014 edition of the New England Antiques Journal.

Much More to Come...including reports about hybrid potters who crossed over from the utilitarian earthenware movement into Art Pottery, South Danvers shards and terracotta products. Please stay tuned!

A Comparison of New England, Canadian and French Potters with the Green Glazes and Forms of Early Earthenware

I have always found it interesting seeing the comparison of vibrant green glazes used in Southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Pennsylvania to the the country French potters. For example, a green glazed storage jar recently sold at Willis Henry Auctions at a sale held in Plymouth Massachusetts. The straight-sided jar is one of only a handful known in this form. It was made by one of the dozens of potters who worked in either Berkely, Somerset or Taunton, Massachusetts. It probably dates between 1800 and 1840. The green glaze and form are some-what comparable to forms made by country potters in France. There is a great understanding that German and English forms were heavily applied in America in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century, but forms and glazes used in rural parts of France were also seen. I am not sure if its is a coincidence or if there is a relationship, but the French green storage jar seen in the photo below is defiantly a form associated with potters from Maine to Pennsylvania. It is most often related to New England potters.

Green Glazed Southeastern Massachusetts Redware Jar

Ca. 1800-1840

Photo Courtesy: Willis Henry Auctions - Marshfield, Ma

French-Made Green Glazed Earthenware

All Ca. 19th Century

Photo Courtesy: Country French Kitchens, Fernandez, Gibbs Smith, 2008

If you notice the French storage jar in the center of the photo, its idea is similar to the jar made in Southeastern Massachusetts, but they are both contrasting when you look at how each was made. The Massachusetts jar is thinly potted while the French jar is much heavier. The French form's thickly potted manner is also comparable to green vases sometimes attributed to John Alld in Hollis, Maine and the potters who worked in Dublin, New Hampshire (Chesham County). If you continue to look at that photo, you'll notice jugs with carrying handles similar to the redware harvest jug I wrote about last summer (report); however, I am still not convinced it is a French potter - and for discussion purposes, let's say I am correct. 

18th or Early 19th Century Redware Harvest Jug

Found in Maine

The use of kaolin clay (white) was pointed out to me by a well-known Cape Cod antiques dealer last summer. This type of production was regularly seen by European potters, but its also seen on products of many eighteenth century American potters. I have seen it on shards of colonial potters in Philadelphia - New York City - Boston - Charlestown, Massachusetts - Portsmouth, New Hampshire - Essex County Massachusetts - and Newburyport, Massachusetts. There are slip decorated or marbleized plates typically associated with late eighteenth or early nineteenth century Dorchester, Massachusetts which even show kaolin under the glaze. It is a technique that I personally do not see much use of from nineteenth century American potters, but it was used by earlier potters. That doesn't mean it wasn't used in the nineteenth century - it just means it wasn't as popular as it was with colonial potters. John Tabor actively used the product in New Hamsphire in Maine with kaolin pipes he produced in the nineteenth century, but its a product that was not used as much when the 1800s began. It was used with slip decoration - and that, too was a product that declined in many areas after the American Revolution.

Notice the Kaolin Clay (White) Under the Green Glaze

The harvest jug was found in rural Maine - so I do question how a possible French-made jug like this, ended up in a barn in rural Maine. It it were eighteenth century - then it is possible a shipload of French products were dropped off at a military fort where a small community had developed around. That sometimes happened in Maine, when the land was still governed by Massachusetts. Many forts emerged during the French and Indian War that needed supplies, but I do not think that is the case.

What also strikes me as unusual - is the amount of kiln furniture still stuck to the bottom of the harvest jug. Nineteenth century products do not usually have this kind of excess still attached to the vessel. Colonial products certainly do since nearly everything that emerged from the kiln whole was sent to the marketplace. It seems potters were cleaner with their products after the American Revolution into the nineteenth century. I would think this idea was also true with European potters. It is my belief that if this is a French product - it was not sent to America as part of an export system - rather, it traveled with a French person who migrated to America. I have never read or heard of country French potters exporting their products to America especially after the American Revolution. I think it may be far fetched to say it traveled with someone, too.

Kiln Furniture Stuck to the Bottom of Redware Harvest Jug

Another possibility is the jug was made by an immigrant French potter, who took their trained heritage to America - and that's what I think may be happening with this jug. There were many French-Canadian potters who worked in Canada that drew inspiration from their Old World heritage. Similar carrying handles are seen with earthenware made in Quebec and it has even been attributed to Maine potters. There is not enough of a collective understanding with how all the Maine potters approached the potter's business. For every well-documented potter, there are others where virtually nothing is known of their work. The northern part of Maine has a strong French-Canadian influence. There had to have been potters who worked up there that not much is known of today. I also know products from Western New York and Vermont potters have been found in Northern Maine. I think the same lack of understanding can stand true with the country potters in Canada. 

Canadian, Maine or French Redware Storage Jar

Missing Original Lid

Found in a Long Term Quebec Context

Ca. 1750-1760

Dark Green Glaze

Photo Courtesy: Early Canadian Pottery, Webster, 1971

The manner in which the bottom of the handle has been applied (wide to narrow point) is seen by New Hampshire and Maine potters. It is even seen on some redware pitchers made in Southeastern Massachustts. This particular back handle is different than all of the jugs attributed to France that I have examined and read about. It's not how handles were usually applied by French country potters, but the spout is similar. Its also interesting to point out that most of these country French products were thickly produced, which is similar to many of the products made in Northern New England.

Unusual Handle Attachment in the Manner it Ends in a Sharp Point

The color of the interior glaze is also worth a discussion since the green dots are also seen on nineteenth and twentieth century products from New Hampshire, Maine, Nova Scotia and Quebec (search past reports). The dots were probably caused from an abundance of copper in the clay; however, in this particular instance the green dots on the harvest jug may have been from the green exterior glaze that somehow dripped onto the interior glaze.  This particular interior cream glaze with green dots is exact to glazes on products made in nineteenth century in Nova Scotia.

 Worn Away Interior Glaze in the Main Part of the Jug

Cream and Green Spotted Interior Glaze Remains Intact Around the Neck

The form on this next jar is comparable to potters in Nova Scotia and Maine potters, like Joseph Philbrick in Skowhegan, Maine where a narrower base was used to compliment its wider shoulders. If you also notice, the glaze and green dots on this jar is identical to the interior glaze used on the redware harvest jug. The form is attributed to Nova Scotia in the book, Early Canadian Pottery. I have not been able to find a comparable form made in France, which leads me to believe it was not made in France. If that is the case - I find the interior glaze on the harvest jug to be suspect to a non-French potter. The storage jar is currently for sale at Brentwood Antiques in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. The Portsmouth, New Hampshire dealer told me he found it in Maine. I wonder if its only a coincidence that both of these forms with similar glazes were found in Maine - or if I should view it as an actual indicator of a northern New England or a Canadian potter. I am also curious to know if the green dots were near a green glazed vessel in the manufacturing of products? These green dots are slightly different to those seen in Southern Maine and Western New Hampshire.

I actually believe the green dots are from the clay, glaze and kiln heat reacting - but it is interesting to point out all the possibilities. I feel the harvest jug and the storage jar were made in the same area by potters who were related to traditional French techniques - but whether it is an actual French potter - I'm not completely sure about that.

19th Century Redware Storage Jar

Notice the Cream Glaze and Green Dots - Nearly Identical to the Harvest Jug's Interior Glaze

 Interior Glaze Similar to the Harvest Jug's Interior Glaze

Clay Color of Jar and Harvest Jug Are Very Similar

I think there are arguments for French, Canadian and Maine potters with the harvest jug. I am not yet convinced either way. I think there are legitimate cases that can be had for each area. The form probably originated in France, but there are a number of characteristics which lead me to believe the style transcended across the Atlantic Ocean - where it was then used by a potter who worked in Northern New England or the French areas of Quebec or Nova Scotia. I feel the harvest jug is also late eighteenth century or early nineteenth century. I also wonder if the use of green glazes in America (both dark and light green) originated with French styles rather than German or English influences. There isn't much discussion about how French potters influenced the American potter's industry. There had to have been some kind of influence. The French really placed a heavy focus towards the use of green glazes by its country potters similar to many of the country American potters. I personally find that fascinating. I'm hopeful there is some sort of connection.

Much More to Come…

The Cabinetmaker, Samuel Wing of Sandwich, Massachusetts and His New England Made Redware Jar

Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts owns a wonderful collection of early American redware - most of which, if not all - was made by New England potters. The collection is mostly made up of nineteenth century examples. As part of the collection, is a very interesting green ovoid shaped storage jar with unusual applied lug handles. The jar was donated as part of an important collection of American antiques that had descended through the Wing family of Massachusetts. Asa S. Wing gifted his great-grandfather's possessions (Samuel Wing) to Sturbridge Village in 1965. The jar exhibits a rare form, with unusual handles and two nicely applied incised rings around the upper half of the body. There was a lid that sat inside the neck of the jar at one time. Like many lids, it was probably dropped, broken and later discarded. The jar does display some body damage. It is not known how it happened beyond having more than the usual expected wear.

Late 18th or 19th Century Redware Storage Jar

Made Before 1854

Descended Through the Wing Family of Massachusetts

Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, Ma

Both Sides of Jar

Great Pine Green Glaze

Wonderful Handles, Incised Circles, Great Proportion and Form

Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, Ma

Samuel Wing was born in Sandwich, Massachusetts on October 12, 1774. He was of Quaker faith. By the nineteenth century, Samuel was a respected local cabinetmaker. I found it really interesting to read the majority of his clients purchased "good Green colored" chairs as opposed to those that were painted black. Coincidentally, it's the same color green as the jar above. I wonder if there is a connection or if its merely a coincidence. Could he have possibly owned a green jar to go along with the green chairs he often made in his shop? Green also just may have been a color of choice.

It is my understanding that most of the possessions donated to the museum were once used in Samuel's business. While the jar was most likely used in the household for some kind of storage need - I wonder if there is any chance it was used in his shop. Aside from a cabinetmaker, Samuel also reportedly owned a farm, where he sold produce and meat. He was also involved with the cotton and lumber industries.

Upon Samuel's death in 1854, his possessions remained with the Wing family and continued to descend through family members into the twentieth century. There were a number of pieces of furniture that were actually made by Samuel. Forms included chairs, beds, yarn wheels, tables and knife boxes. The emphasis stood with country style furniture. Very few of the of the original possessions were ever discarded over more than a hundred years of Wing family ownership - before the entire collection eventually ended up in Sturbridge.

The jar reminds me of some early nineteenth century forms made in Southern Maine, possibly by John Alld in Biddeford. The idea of this possible attribution comes from other known forms, but I also could be wrong as you'll see if you keep reading. Alld was a respected potter in Hollis, Maine, but before he worked there - he was employed in Biddeford. The manner in which the handles have been applied is similar to other known forms attributed to potters in Portland and Southern Maine.

The question I would ask is that if the jar were a product of the country potters in Southern Maine - how did it travel south into Samuel Wing's ownership before his death in 1854? Samuel reportedly also made supplies for the whalers who worked on Cape Cod and New Bedford, Massachusetts. He produced wooden oars, clamps and mallets. Could one of the whalers have purchased the jar in their travels to Northern New England - before it then eventually came into the home of Samuel Wing? Perhaps, but it's more likely the jar was purchased locally.

It's possible the jar was exported from Maine to Cape Cod, but it seems like an unlikely route considering the strength of the redware industry in Southeastern Massachusetts, which probably supplied most of Cape Cod on a regular basis. It may have been an irregular route the potters of Southern Maine occasionally made. A Maine potter may have even contracted with a local merchant, who was able to purchase earthenware further north at a cheaper rate than what was quoted from the area's potters in Massachusetts.

There have been some examples of nineteenth century Maine redware seen in archaeological districts in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Portsmouth is a border community to Maine - the idea of exporting redware into this area may have been a similar approach like the green jar of discussion. Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) wrote of the idea of Long Island earthenware making its way onto Cape Cod in the nineteenth century. Its possible Cape Cod was a hotspot for many potter's products throughout New England since a true industry did not exist. The industries were located further west in Berkley, Taunton, Somerset and Scituate.

The potters, Daniel Parker, Benjamin Parker and Noah Bradford did work in Barnstable, Massachusetts in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Not a lot is known of their work; however this may be an example of their output, which would indicate Maine style forms were made in Southern Massachusetts. There was only about a ten mile distance between the Parker-Bradford Pottery and Wing's business - making this a potential in the jar's origin. Shards from the Parker-Bradford Pottery show thickly potted wares that almost resemble products used for industrial purposes. The green jar is thickly potted - so there may be a connection. The Parker-Bradford shards are shown in Brian's Cullity's book, Slipped and Glazed: Regional American Redware.

The jar's form is typically associated with Maine, but similar jars were also made in Vermont and Western New York. The glaze color was applied by some potters in New Hampshire. Could this jar be an earlier maker, possibly an eighteenth century form from a potter in Southern New England who is not entirely understood today? It's unlikely to me, but anything is possible. Could the jar be from the Parker-Bradford Pottery or another local potter? Local makers usually do make sense in an area that mostly saw local distribution. I personally view the jar as a Maine maker at the moment, but it is interesting knowing that it was used by Samuel Wing in Sandwich sometime before 1854. The idea of possibly attributing it to the Parker-Bradford Pottery is also exciting. I am not sure there is anything associated with this business beyond the shards Brian Cullity displayed in the redware exhibit he put on at the Sandwich Museum in 1992. The book accompanied the exhibit. If that were the case - the jar may be the only form currently attributed to the Parker-Bradford business of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It seems exciting to me!

Here is the link to the jar on Old Sturbridge Village's website.

For more reading on Samuel Wing - I suggest the March 1968 volume of the Magazine Antiques.

I hope to bring more information about this jar in the furture. It could potentially hold a lot of new information to a nearly unknown Cape Cod business where new attributions can be built from - or its merely a very rare piece of early Maine redware.

Please stay tuned for more!