A Remarkable Circa 1776 Pennsylvania German Sgraffito Red Earthenware Bowl

While touring the red earthenware and stoneware collection last month at Winterthur Museum in Delaware, I took a few minutes to examine a remarkable Colonial eighteenth century sgraffito red earthenware bowl, possibly from southeastern Pennsylvania. The bowl was displayed in a dimly lit room, exclusively decorated with Pennsylvania German wares, including a number of remarkable frakturs.

This bowl is smaller, but its use may be related to the larger formed red earthenware punch bowl that I wrote about last week in the collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. That bowl was attributed to New Jersey and inscribed with possible initials, "I F" and the date, "1769," having been manufactured in a time of some of the most memorable moments in American history.

However, the fact that this bowl is entirely covered with sgraffito on the exterior and interior makes it quite a rare object today. Most American sgraffito wares from the eighteenth or nineteenth century are typically only inscribed on one surface.

The decorative features found on this bowl include various abstract designs, commonly found on sgraffito wares from this region, as well as tulips. But it was another characteristic that caused me to pause and look at this object for a few minutes. Written on the interior of this bowl is what appears to be the date, "27th May / 1776," along with what may be initials, "I H."

It certainly might be unrelated to an object made in Pennsylvania, but it may not as well, seeing that May 27, 1776 is a significant date in Massachusetts history. According to the City of Malden, Massachusetts, located six miles north of Boston, "While the rest of the colonies still debated about such a declaration, the residents of Malden voted unanimously and decisively on May 27, 1776 to instruct their representative, Ezra Sargeant (1728-1810) to share with the Continental Congress in Philadelphia that "if they should declare America to be a free and independent republic, your constituents will support and defend the measure, to the last drop of their blood, and the last farthing of their treasure."

These were the instructions handed to Mr. Sargeant by the inhabitants of Malden in May of 1776:

To Mr. EZRA SARGEANT.

Sir -- A resolution of the honourable House of Representatives, calling upon several towns in this Colony to express their minds with respect to the important question of American Independence, is the occasion of our now instructing you. The time was, sir, when we loved the King and the people of Great Britain with an affection truly filial. We felt ourselves interested in their glory. We shared in their joys and sorrows. We cheerfully poured the fruits of all our labour into the lap of our mother country, and without reluctance expended our blood and treasure in their cause.

These were the sentiments towards Great Britain while she continued to act the part of a parent state. We felt ourselves happy in our connection with her, nor wished it to be dissolved; but our sentiments are altered. It is now the ardent wish of our souls that America may become a free and independent State.

A sense of unprovoked injuries will arouse the resentment of the most peaceful. Such injuries these Colonies have received from Britain. Unjustifiable claims have been made by the King and his minions, to tax us without our consent. These claims have been prosecuted in a manner cruel and unjust to the highest degree. The frantick policy of Administration hath induced them to send fleets and armies to America, that by depriving us of our trade, and cutting the throats of our brethren, they might awe us into submission, and erect a system of despotism in America which should so far enlarge the influence of the Crown as to enable it to rivet their shackles upon the people of Great Britain.

This plan was brought to a crisis upon the ver memorable 19th of April. We remember the fatal day! the expiring groans of our countrymen yet vibrate on our ears! and we now behold the flames of their peaceful dwellings ascending to Heaven! we hear their blood crying to us from the ground for vengeance! charging us, as we value the peace of their manes, to have no further connection with a King who can unfeelingly hear of the slaughter of his subjects, and composedly sleep with their blood upon his soul! The manner in which the war has been prosecuted hath confirmed us in these sentiments; piracy and murder, robbery and breach of faith, have been conspicuous in the conduct of the King’s troops; defenceless towns have been attacked and destroyed: the ruins of Charlestown, which are daily in our view, daily remind us of this; the cries of the widow and the orphan demand our attention; they demand that the hand of pity should wipe the tear from their eye, and that the sword of their country should avenge their wrongs. We long entertained hopes that the spirit of the Britishnation would once more induce them to assert their own and our rights, and bring to condign punishment the elevated villains who have trampled upon the sacred rights of men, and affronted the majesty of the people. We hoped in vain. They have lost their love to freedom; they have lost their spirit of just resentment. We therefore renounce with disdain our connection with a kingdom of slaves. We bid a final adieu to Britain.

Could an accommodation be now effected, we have reason to think that it would be fatal to the liberties of America; we should soon catch the contagion of venality and dissipation, which hath subjected Britons to lawless domination. Were we placed in the situation we were in 1763: were the powers of appointing to offices, and commanding the militia, in the hands of governors, our arts, trade and manufactures would be cramped; nay, more than this, the life of every man who has been active in the cause of his country would be endangered.

For these reasons, as well as many others which might be produced, we are confirmed in the opinion, that the present age will be deficient in their duty to God, their posterity and themselves, if they do not establish an American republic. This is the only form of government which we wish to see established; for we can never be willingly subject to any other King than he who, being possessed of infinite wisdom, goodness and rectitude, is alone fit to possess unlimited power.

We have freely spoken our sentiments upon this important subject, but we mean not to dictate; we have unbounded confidence in the wisdom and uprightness of the continental congress: with pleasure we recollect that this affair is under their direction: and we not instruct you, sir, to give them the strongest assurance that, if they should declare America to be a free and independent republic, your constituents will support and defend the measure, to the last drop of their blood, and the last farthing of their treasure.

Attest.

Sam. Merrit, town-clerk

18th Century Pennsylvania German Sgraffito Bowl

18th Century Pennsylvania German Sgraffito Red Earthenware Punch Bowl

Inscribed on the Interior "27th May / 1776 / I H"

Circa 1776

Stands 3 1/8" Tall

Measures 7 7/8" in Diameter

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

Another View of the Bowl

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

View of the Interior

Inscribed "27th May / 1776 / I H"

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

Another View of the Interior

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

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The Red Earthenware and Stoneware from Morgantown, West Virginia Published by the Smithsonian Institution in June of 1899

As I wrote in an article posted over the weekend, "Dr. Walter Hough (1859-1935) is an important name that should be widely known today, for his efforts in preserving West Virginia's pottery industry in Morgantown, especially the Thompson family pottery, largely thanks to Mrs. Dorcas Haymond, a daughter of potter, John W. Thompson."

Much of this information was published by Dr. Hough in 1899, when he wrote a narrative for the Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution Showing the Operations, Expenditures and Condition of the Institution for the Year Ending June 30, 1899, titled, An Early West Virginia Pottery.

Furthermore, this report is possibly difficult to find today, based on how it was distributed; "Of the report of the Smithsonian Institution, ten thousand copies; one thousand copies for the Senate, two thousand for the House, five thousand for distribution by the Smithsonian, and two thousand for distribution by the National Museum."

Nevertheless, these are the plates that were published, along with Dr. Hough's report, courtesy of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Some of the surviving pieces shown below were also illustrated in the article I posted over the weekend.

I should also mention that this article was created in a printable format, should anyone reading this story want to keep these pictures and descriptions for their own archives.

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

Dr. Walter Hough and His Preservation of the Wares Manufactured in Morgantown, West Virginia

According to an article written by Dan Horvath and Richard Duez for the 2004 issue of Ceramics in America, titled, The Potters and Pottery of Morgan's Town, Virginia: The Earthenware Years, 1796-1854, "The pottery produced in what is now Morgantown, West Virginia, is remarkable in several ways. Its decorative elements are diverse and often innovative, as are some of its forms. Its history is recorded more fully than that of most American pottery. And, through the efforts of Dr. Walter Hough, a Morgantown native who became an assistant curator of the Division of Ethnology at the U.S. National Museum, many early specimens, including potter tools, were collected in the nineteenth century and donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C."

Dr. Walter Hough (1859-1935) is an important name that should be widely known today, for his efforts in preserving West Virginia's pottery industry in Morgantown, much like Albert Hastings Pitkin (1852-1917), Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-1982), Edwin Atlee Barber (1851-1916), Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker (1843-1916), Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), Emily Johnston (1851-1942) and Roberts Weeks DeForest (1848-1931), along with so many more individuals, who devoted their efforts to specific areas of eighteenth and nineteenth century American pottery production.

According to a memorial, written by archaeologist, Neil M. Judd (1887-1976) for Volume 38 of the American Anthropologist, published in the winter of 1936, "Doctor Hough was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, April 23, 1859, the son of Lycurgus S. and Anna Fairchild Hough. He received his schooling at the Morgantown Academy and the Preparatory School of West Virginia Agricultural College; from West Virginia University he obtained his B.A. degree in 1883, his M.A. in 1884, and his Ph.D. in 1894

By far the greatest portion of Doctor Hough's half century with the National Museum was spent in the laboratory. His was the chore, first of cataloguing specimens, then of preparing data for the copyists, next of surpervising these and other routine tasks. He joined the staff at the height of the exposition era, when nations, states, and cities were vying for each other in commemorating historical events of greater or lesser moment. For these expositions the Congress usually provided a building and authority for the commission in charge to draw heavily upon the national collections for exhibition material. Casual inspection of its annual reports indicate that the Museum participated in no fewer than 16 expositions between 1892 and 1926, and in the preparation of exhibits Doctor Hough had an active part.

But the wide range of his interests is only partially illustrated by his published works. He was an authority of old English, French, Italian and American china, on old lace, on violins and pianos. His interest in violins and pianos naturally came from an inherent love of music, while his interest in china and pottery was awakened by an early study or aboriginal American pottery, the methods of its manufacture, and his efforts, in 1895-96 to reproduce pieces in kind. Few of his friend's knew that Doctor Hough's two hobbies were wood carving and painting; that several very credible Native American portraits, modeled by him in 1889, still hang in his home. Few knew that he possessed more than passing knowledge of the history of art and the distinguished characteristics of the old masters. So broad was his reading and so retentive his memory, that he frequently astonished his subordinates by a remarkable ability to immediately name the culture and place of origin of almost any curio brought in for identification by chance visitors."

Furthermore, like Albert Hastings Pitkin in Connecticut, Dr. Hough was among the first wave of true collectors and preservationists in America, as evident in a report he wrote in 1899, describing and cataloguing many of the pieces of Morgantown red earthenware and some stoneware, he had acquired for the museum, published in the Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, Part 2. As part of this report, 32 different types of red earthenware and stoneware are described in detail, together with their provenance; the forms include a whisky flask, ointment jars, pitchers, preserve jars, spice bottles, a sugar purifier, molasses jars, jugs, a churn, a jar or caddy, a fat-lamp, muffin rings, a cream pitcher and flowerpots."

But he also documented two bottles for slip-painting in the report, which based on extant examples, as well as archeology, was a prolific style of decoration applied in Morgantown in the 1800s. Some of the styles even incorporated the application of tulips, often using a combination of the colors, green, yellow and black. Some of the wares from this region were even marked by the manufacturer, probably used as a means of advertising.

According to Dr. Hough, "The first potter in Morgantown, after the Native Americans, whose sherds are scattered along the countryside, was called by his apprentices "Master" Foulk. Of him, nothing more can be learned, nor can the date of his enterprise be fixed beyond that it was before 1785, neither do any of his wares exist at the present day.

About the year 1785, James Thompson with his son, John W. Thompson, then four years old came from Bel Air, Maryland to Morgantown. John was later apprenticed to "Master" Foulk," learning the trade and succeeding to Foulk's business.

This pottery was probably the first established west of the mountains, and arose from the increasing needs of the settlements growing around the frontier forts, so remote from the seacoast markets and almost without roads and transportation. Early in the nineteenth century, domestic pottery, which had been hauled all the way from Baltimore, sold on the frontier at three levys a gallon, equivalent at this day to 72 cents. 

There was also an early market for the wares of Morgantown, and a great part of the product of the pottery was sent in keel boats and flatboats to various points down the Monongahela River above Pittsburgh and into the wilderness.

The first wares made in Morgantown, included teapots, cups and saucers, dishes and other tableware. Unfortunately no specimens of this ware remain, but fragments show its character. Following this came more colorful wares, with the surviving specimens being interesting and beautiful."

Although, I have been fortunate, seeing that I have viewed the West Virginia material in the collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian, as well as handled some of the archaeology. Some of the slip-decoration produced in this region is absolutely prolific, such as a pitcher (see below) that many consider to be an iconic example of Morgantown's production.

Dr. Hough described this pitcher in detail, when his report was published in 1899, "Terra-cotta body glazed outside and within resembling Flemish gray. This glaze was called "China glaze" by the potter; its composition is not known at present. Horizontal rows of alternate green and black circles have been painted on over the glaze and fused, forming a bizarre ornamentation. The body of the vessel is ovoid, the spout bent in the neck; the handle is very broad, and the pitcher presents a quaint, old-fashioned appearance (Gift of Mrs. Dorcas Haymond)."

Aside from the red earthenware, I also noticed an unusual brand of stoneware production (see below) from Morgantown, kept at the Smithsonian, that Dr. Hough also documented in 1899. I'm not sure the extent that this type of production is known today, but both of the noted objects are flowerpots, and decorated on the exterior with pinecones, as well as attributed to the Thompson Pottery in the late-nineteenth century. These objects were a gift of Mrs. Dorcas Haymond, whom a number of the objects came from in the collection of the National Museum of American History. "Gray salt glazed stoneware. The outer surface is overlaid with clay representations of various pine cones in low relief, taken from molds made from the subjects" The museum also owns a small Morgantown stoneware pitcher with applied leaf decoration on the exterior.

The information published by Dr. Hough, basically came directly from the source, as he wrote at the end of his report, "The writer is much indebted for the historical information in the above paper to Mrs. Dorcas Haymond, a daughter of John W. Thompson."

Dr. Walter Hough (1859-1935)

Dr. Walter Hough (1859-1935)

Assistant Curator for the Division of Ethnology at the Smithsonian

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Drawing of Dr. Walter Hough

Drawn by Artist C. Allen Sherwin

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Morgantown, West Virginia Red Earthenware Pitcher with Decoration in Relief

19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher

Attributed to the Thompson Pottery in Morgantown, West Virginia

Circa 1850

Stands 9 3/4" Tall

Described in Detail in a Report Written by Dr. Hough in 1899

Dr. Hough Described the Large Relief Decoration as a "House Surrounded by Trees"

Published in the 2004 Issue of Ceramics in America

Gift of Mrs. Dorcas Haymond

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Morgantown, West Virginia Red Earthenware Jar with Roulette Decoration

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Attributed to Morgantown, West Virginia

Likely Circa 1840-1854

Described in Detail in a Report Written by Dr. Hough in 1899

This Roulette Decoration was Documented by Dr. Hough

A Matching Roulette Decoration is Published in the 2004 Issue of Ceramics in America

Gift of Mrs. Dorcas Haymond

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Morgantown, West Virginia Red Earthenware Pitcher with Spotted Decoration

19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher

Attributed to the Thompson Pottery in Morgantown, West Virginia

Circa 1820-1854

Stands 9 3/4" Tall

Described in Detail in a Report Written by Dr. Hough in 1899

Published in the 2004 Issue of Ceramics in America

Gift of Mrs. Dorcas Haymond

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Another View of the Pitcher

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

View of the Handle

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Another View of the Handle

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

View of the Interior

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Some of the Decoration

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

More of the Decoration

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

View of the Base

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Morgantown, West Virginia Stoneware Flowerpots

 19th Century Stoneware Flowerpot In Hand and Resting Flowerpot

Attributed to the Thompson Pottery in Morgantown in the Late-19th Century

The Exteriors Decorated with Molded Pine Cones

Described in Detail in a Report Written by Dr. Hough in 1899

Flowerpot In Hand: Gift of Mrs. Clara Hough

Flowerpot Resting: Gift of Mrs. Dorcas Haymond

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

A Closer View of One of the Morgantown, WV Stoneware Flowerpots with Acorn Decoration

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Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

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