A Red Earthenware Jar Inscribed "John Dunes / keep it fore you sake / September first 1835"

Some people may recognize this red earthenware jar as an object that has been sold publicly in the last decade; it is inscribed, "John Dunes / keep it fore you sake / September first 1835." A similar object was referenced by Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins in Early New England Potters and Their Wares from the collection of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts - however some of her information actually came from Frederick Sherman Fairchild's (1874-1940) book Early Connecticut Artists and Craftsmen, published in 1925.

According to Watkins, "Frederick Sherman Fairchild in Early Connecticut Artists and Craftsmen mentions J. Duntze as a New Haven potter. He is probably the man who marked a dark brown jar in the Old Sturbridge Village collection "John Dunes / keep it fore you sake / September first 1835.""

Nevertheless, Old Sturbridge Village acquired the jar that sold a few years back for their permanent collection. I have also handled this jar since its acquisition by the musuem, and it may very-well have been made in Connecticut, but the overall form, manufacture, size, rounded foot, thickness of the clay, glaze color and incised decoration certainly resembles red earthenware manufactured in Essex County, Massachusetts and Lyndeborough, New Hampshire in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century.

Ever since the day I studied this object, I have wondered whether the name "John Dunes" was the potter or a reference to a person named John Dunes whom the jar may have been made for. In fact, there were people born with the surname Dunes living in Essex County during this period. I would think it would also be unusual to find red earthenware production in New Haven as late as 1835 in consideration of the successful local stoneware industry that had materialized, along with the well-established red earthenware industry located about 30 miles southeast in Norwalk, Connecticut.

It should also be noted that the overall form of this jar closely resembles a style manufactured by Peter Clark (1743-1826) in Lyndeborough in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century; Clark was also an Essex County trained potter, who migrated to Braintree, Massachusetts in the 1760s, and later Lyndeborough, only a matter of months before the American Revolution began at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 18, 1775.

Red Earthenware Jar Inscribed "John Dunes / keep it fore you sake / September first 1835"

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Inscribed "John Dunes / keep it fore you sake / September first 1835"

Past Publications Suggest a New Haven, Connecticut Origin

But the Form Also Appears Like it Could be from Essex County, Mass.
Circa September 1, 1835

Stands 6 1/2" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

 Jar is Inscribed "John Dunes / keep it fore you sake / September first 1835"

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

 Jar is Inscribed "John Dunes / keep it fore you sake / September first 1835"

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

 View of the Round Footed Base

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

View of the Interior

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

Essex County, Mass. / Lyndeborough, NH

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Likely Made in Essex County, Mass. or Lyndeborough, NH

Stands 6" Tall

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Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Peter Clark in Lyndeborough, NH

Circa 1790-1810

Stands 7" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

John Duntze Stoneware, New Haven, CT

Four Gallon 19th Century Stoneware Jug

John Duntze - New Haven, CT

Stands 15" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Lewis Scranton

Another View of the John Duntze Jug

Lewis Scranton Collection - Killingworth, CT

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Photo Courtesy: Skinner

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

A Remarkable Example of 19th Century Stoneware in the Collection of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins is probably most known today for Early New England Potters and Their Wares, but she also wrote books on other subjects in American antiques, including somewhat of a followup to her landmark book, called Early New England Pottery, which was published in 1959 through Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. This 23 page booklet was published as part of Old Sturbridge Village's booklet series and highlights some of the wonderful examples of pottery in the museum's collection.

Among those objects is one of my all-time favorite pieces of stoneware, an early-nineteenth century  jug attributed to New England, which is decorated with an incredible incised two-masted schooner with nine people inside and an American flag. The scene is further embellished with cobalt blue decoration, and really transforms this object into an excellent example of nineteenth century American folk art.

According to Watkins, "At first the shapes of stoneware jugs and pots were exceedingly good. The earliest pieces tended to a slender ovoid form and were attractive enough in themselves to require little decoration. The first attempts at embellishment were designs such as a fish, bird or a flower incised by hand and generally, although not invariably, touched with blue slip. This colored slip, compounded with cobalt, was also swashed around the handles or ears of the vessels. An extremely handsome example of incised decoration may be seen in a jug in Old Sturbridge Village's collection; on this jug the elaborate design has been deeply colored with blue and makes a striking appearance indeed."

Wonderful New England Stoneware Jug

Early-19th Century Stoneware Jug Attributed to New England

Possibly Made in Connecticut

Circa 1800-1830

Stands 10 1/2" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

Another View of the Jug

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

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

Hervey Brooks' 1802-1873 Account Books and Day Books from Goshen, Connecticut

It has been almost one month since I wrote about Daniel Clark's (1743-1826) 1789-1826 diary from Lyndeborough and Concord, New Hampshire, which is owned by the New Hampshire Historical Society; Lura Woodside Watkins also wrote about this diary in Early New England Potters and Their Wares, stating that because of this book, Clark's career is likely the most detailed of any potter employed in New England in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. This book is a remarkable time capsule seeing that Clark actually jotted down some kind of information or account every single day during the period that his diary was used.

According to Watkins, "The story of Daniel Clark stands out vividly than that of any New England potter, save for Hervey Brooks of Goshen, Connecticut...whereas, Brooks also kept accounts of his business from the year 1802 until his death in 1873."

The site of the Hervey Brooks (1779-1873) pottery was added to the National Register of Historic Plates in 1993, and the account books and day books are owned today by Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

According to the Connecticut Historical Society, "Hervey Brooks was an American potter and farmer who made red earthenware in Goshen for more than one half century. His production provided domestic wares for an isolated countryside and contributed to an informal system of sales, barter and trade that characterized the rural economy of the period. While few records of this trade exist, Brooks left behind extensive documentation of his business transactions and daily responsibilities that provide historians a unique look at the life of a nineteenth century farmer-potter.

The life of a farmer-potter meant that Brooks did not have the luxury of spending all his time perfecting his craft. In fact, from 1828 until 1864 Brooks only fired his kiln one day per year because life on the farm also involved sawing lumber, blacksmithing, carpentry, and a host of other responsibilities that kept him from his pottery.

When Brooks passed away in 1873, he left behind account books and day books. He also left a largely intact manufacturing facility that provided archaeologists with new insight into the tools, materials and processes that went into his production of red earthenware."

Note: There are other journals and day books known from New England potters today, such as John Parker's 1747-1761 Charlestown, Massachusetts day book, as well as Abraham Hews' 1780-1794 Weston, Massachusetts day book, both owned by the Baker Library at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Maine State Museum also owns John Corliss' nineteenth century account book from Days Ferry, Woolwich, Maine.

Hervey Brooks' Pottery in Goshen, CT

Hervey Brooks' Potter's Day Book from 1822 - Goshen, CT

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Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

Hervery Brooks' 19th Century Pottery Wheel

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Photo Courtesy: Litchfield, CT Historical Society

19th Century Red Earthenware Pot Made at the Hervey Brooks Pottery in Goshen, CT

Stamped "H BROOKS"

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Photo Courtesy: Litchfield, CT Historical Society

 19th Century Red Earthenware Stove Pipe Made at the Hervey Brooks Pottery in Goshen, CT

Stamped "H BROOKS"

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Photo Courtesy: Litchfield, CT Historical Society

 19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Pan

Attributed to the Hervey Brooks Pottery in Goshen, CT

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Photo Courtesy: Litchfield, CT Historical Society

 19th Century Red Earthenware Pan Made at the Hervey Brooks Pottery in Goshen, CT

Stamped "H BROOKS"

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Photo Courtesy: Litchfield, CT Historical Society

19th Century Slip-Script Red Earthenware Pan 

Made at the Hervey Brooks Pottery in Goshen, CT

Inscribed in Slip "HB 1858"

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Photo Courtesy: Litchfield, CT Historical Society

Other New England Potter's Day Books and Diaries

 Daniel Clark's 1789-1826 Diary from Lyndeborough, NH and Concord, NH

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Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Historical Society

 John Parker's 1747-1761 Day Book from Charlestown, Mass.

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Photo Courtesy: Baker Library, Harvard University

Abraham Hews' 1780-1794 Day Book from Weston, Mass.

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Photo Courtesy: Baker Library, Harvard University

John Corliss' 19th Century Account Book from Days Ferry, Woolwich, ME
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Photo Courtesy: Maine State Museum

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

A Reassembled Black Glazed Red Earthenware Bowl Found in Southern New Hampshire

A few years ago, I reassembled the remains of a late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century black glazed red earthenware bowl found in southern New Hampshire. It was presumed the bowl was also likely made in New Hampshire. I never really gave it much thought, thereafter. But it dawned on me yesterday that its production closely resembled a circa 1790-1820 handled red earthenware bowl from William Pecker's Pottery in Merrimacport, Massachusetts, which I included in a feature story I wrote for the October 2013 issue of the New England Antiques Journal, entitled, Buried in Merrimacport: William Pecker, his pots and his kiln.

Until yesterday, it was to my knowledge that the bowl published in the New England Antiques Journal was the only surviving form of its kind known from the Pecker Pottery. However, that may have all changed.

I compared these bowls yesterday, and aside from the handle, they certainly appear like they may have been manufactured by the same potter. The overall shape, the footed base, the flared rim, the refinement, the production of the interior and the size of each bowl appears to suggest that they may have been produced by the same potter; as a result, this black glazed bowl could potentially be a style of production that has not previously been attributed to William Pecker's business.

A Comparison of Red Earthenware Bowls

(Left) Reassembled Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl

Found a Few Years Ago in Southern New Hampshire

(Right) Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl

Attributed to William Pecker's Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

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Another View of the Black Glazed Bowl

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Another View of the Bowl Attributed to the William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

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 Another View of the Bowls

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 Another View of the Bowls

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View of the Interiors

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

New Discoveries: Artifacts from William Pecker's Circa 1790-1820 Pottery Operation in Merrimacport, Massachusetts

Yesterday morning, my niece Alexis and myself visited an area along the Merrimack River in Merrimacport, Massachusetts, which every once in a while turns up artifacts from the late-eighteenth and nineteenth century red earthenware and stoneware potteries in Merrimacport, Massachusetts. We timed our short trip from Newburyport, Massachusetts perfectly yesterday, visiting the shoreline exactly at low tide, and we were not disappointed.

These objects represent some of the artifacts we discovered; included is the top of a two gallon stoneware jug made at William Pecker's circa 1790-1820 pottery. The artifact reveals some cobalt decoration, but it's also great to see the capacity mark. Directly below this mark would have been a stamp exhibiting Wm. Pecker's name. I have also demonstrated below how this would have appeared based on a two gallon Pecker stoneware jug from my personal collection.

Some of the other artifacts that we discovered include stoneware kiln furniture, red earthenware kiln furniture, stoneware sherds and a kiln brick. These objects were all previously removed from a hill in Merrimacport, as a result of storm erosion - so I am certain they are from production in Merrimacport, as opposed to objects that were either discarded locally into the river years ago or washed ashore from another nearby community, also located along the Merrimack River.

I also want to note that through the years, we have recovered probably a few dozen different red earthenware glaze colors related to the Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport. I have not seen the vast majority of these glazes on any known surviving objects from this business, which really demonstrates how studying the remains from a potter's business can reveal a much more in-depth view of the operation, as opposed to the information that can be obtained only from studying surviving objects.

Note: Some of these objects will be displayed next year in a room exhibit at the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts, highlighting the circa 1790-1880s potteries in Merrimacport, Massachusetts. The display will run from the summer of 2019 until the summer of 2020. Some of the exhibit will include upwards of one-hundred stoneware artifacts from William Pecker's operation, such as kiln furniture, kiln bricks, wasters and sherds.

Top of a Stoneware Jug

My Niece Alexis Showing Off the Top of a Stoneware Jug

This Artifact was Made at William Pecker's Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1280

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Another View of the Artifact

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Another View of the Artifact

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Another View of the Artifact

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View of the Two Gallon Capacity Mark

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View of the Interior Glaze

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Comparing the Artifact to a Surviving Two Gallon Stoneware Jug 

Made by William Pecker in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

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Comparing the Artifact to a Surviving Two Gallon Stoneware Jug 

Made by William Pecker in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

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Comparing the Artifact to a Surviving Two Gallon Stoneware Jug 

Made by William Pecker in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

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Stoneware Kiln Furniture

Stoneware Kiln Furniture from the William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

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Red Earthenware Kiln Furniture

Red Earthenware Kiln Furniture Probably from the William Pecker Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

Probably Circa 1790-1820
Although the Chase Family Also Operated Kilns in Merrimacport from 1820-1880s
But the Location Where This was Found Suggests it is More Likely from the Pecker Pottery

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Another View of the Kiln Furniture

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Stoneware Sherds

Stoneware Sherds from William Pecker's Pottery in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

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Another View of the Stoneware Sherds

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Another View of the Stoneware Sherds

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Kiln Brick

Kiln Brick Likely from William Pecker's Production in Merrimacport, Mass.

Likely Circa 1790-1280

Another View of the Kiln Brick

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

A Comparison of Glazes from Various Potteries in New England, New York and Pennsylvania

We had a friendly conversation yesterday in an antique pottery group on Facebook about glazes and whether or not they can be used to attribute a specific piece of red earthenware to a certain pottery. I am certainly guilty of doing this when I began studying red earthenware more than a decade ago; however, I have learned that it is all about the form. It's also typically not just about one characteristic in the form; it's about the overall form. For instance, a handle is not always good enough with red earthenware to make a specific attribution; the handles in Essex County, Massachusetts and coastal New Hampshire are all very similar. This idea also likely holds true for other areas of production elsewhere in the country.

I wanted to show this picture in order to demonstrate why making an attribution on just a glaze is risky. This picture shows 11 pieces of red earthenware that date from the late-eighteenth century to the mid-to-late-nineteenth century, which exhibit similar glaze colors. These wares represent production from various potteries in Essex County, Bristol County, Massachusetts, West Hartford, Connecticut, Norwalk Connecticut, Long Island and Pennsylvania.

I have also learned that I should not say that a certain pottery, area or region never produced a certain style or color of glaze. Time-and-time again, archaeology and studying the remains of potter's sites has proven that surviving objects only represent a small percentage of what was actually produced. I have been surprised more times than I can remember by studying this information.

But it should also be noted that the type of glaze I have shown below was also manufactured in New Jersey, southwest Virginia/northeast Tennessee and likely other areas, as well. There are many other glaze colors that are just as diverse; there is even a connection with certain colorful glazes that span production from Maine, Vermont, Western New York and Ontario. There are also styles that were produced in Europe, as well as America and Canada. There is even the spotted green glaze way too often attributed to Gonic, New Hampshire and Galena, Illinois, which is a style of glaze that was produced all over America, Canada and elsewhere in the world.

American Red Earthenware with Similar Glaze Colors

Production from Various Potters from Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts

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

19th Century Red Earthenware Inkwell that Sold Yesterday in Woodsville, New Hampshire

It was about two weeks ago that Steenburgh Auctions sold some red earthenware owned by New Hampshire collector Michael George, as part of a sale in Woodsville, New Hampshire. The highlight of the collection was absolutely a wonderful nineteenth century southern Maine red earthenware handled pot, decorated with a glaze that was almost like the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century marbled glazes, from domestic and foreign manufacturers that are so desired today. In fact, I wrote about two late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century American examples a few months ago, which are currently on display in the Art of the Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Each example was gifted to the museum in 1987 by Massachusetts author Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potter and Their Wares).

However, that was not the end of the utilitarian pottery - Steenburgh Auctions held another sale yesterday, also in Woodsville, which included another nice example of red earthenware. This inkwell was likely manufactured somewhere in northern New England in the 1800s, although I cannot say with complete certainty whether it was made in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont.

Nevertheless, I have studied a variety of inkwells owned by museums and private collectors that are attributed to various nineteenth century potteries in northern New England.  One example that I have always admired is owned by the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, which is attributed to the Farrar family in Middlebury, Vermont. But I have also handled other inkwells from other potteries, including the waster that I have posted below.

This black glazed inkwell waster was recovered about five years ago by Rick Poore from the site of the Bickford family pottery dump in Buxton, Maine, circa 1825-1880. While the form is not an exact match, there are certainly some obvious similarities to the example that just sold at Steenburgh Auctions.

Northern New England Red Earthenware Inkwell

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Inkwell Likely Made in Northern New England

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Photo Courtesy: Steenburgh Auctions

Red Earthenware Inkwell Waster Recovered in Buxton, ME

19th Century Red Earthenware Inkwell Waster

Recovered from the Site of the Bickford Pottery in Buxton, ME

Circa 1825-1880

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Photo Courtesy: Rick Poore 

 Another View of the Inkwell Waster

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Photo Courtesy: Rick Poore 

  Another View of the Inkwell Waster

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Photo Courtesy: Rick Poore 

 Another View of the Inkwell Waster

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Photo Courtesy: Rick Poore 

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