Two Excellent Examples of Bristol County, Mass. Red Earthenware Acquired Today in Brimfield, Massachusetts

While visiting the antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts earlier today, I was fortunate to bring home four wonderful examples of New England lead glazed red earthenware. Both of these pieces were made at the industry in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts in the late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century.

The jar is an object that I am very lucky to have added to my collection, which is from the private collection of Sheffield, Massachusetts antiques dealer Sam Herrup. I think the glaze speaks for itself, which is absolutely awesome!

The form of the black-glazed jug is wonderful, with a greenish colored interior glaze, which was found in the booth of New Hampshire antiques dealer and auctioneer, Josh Steenburgh. This from is among the best styles of jugs produced anywhere in New England in the eighteenth or nineteenth century.

Red Earthenware from Bristol County, Mass.

My Niece Alexis with the Bristol County Jar

See Article for More Information

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

Made at the Industry in Bristol County, Mass.

Stands 7 3/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

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

Made at the Industry in Bristol County, Mass.

Stands 6 5/8" Tall

See Article for More Information

View of the Interior Glaze

See Article for More Information

View of the Handle

See Article for More Information

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

Absolutely Spectacular Slip-Decorated Pitcher Made in Beverly, Mass. Acquired Today in Brimfield, Massachusetts

While visiting the antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts earlier today, I was fortunate to bring home four wonderful examples of New England lead glazed red earthenware. This pitcher was also acquired from Shelburne, Vermont antiques dealer Brian Bittner, who recently discovered it during a house call in Vermont.

The pitcher was actually covered in calcium around the edge and inside of the rim, which I first thought was glaze loss. But upon closer inspection realized what it was, and I removed most of the calcium this evening.

The pitcher was made at the Charles A. Lawrence pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts, likely in the 1860s or 1870s; I have never seen this form from the Lawrence pottery before, and am quite thrilled to have acquired it. The use of slip-decoration is absolutely spectacular! Be sure to check out the style that the green glaze was applied on the front of the pitcher.

Beverly, Mass. Red Earthenware Pitcher

 19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Pitcher

Attributed to the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Recently Found in Vermont by Antiques Dealer, Brian Bittner

Circa 1870s

Stands 5 5/8" Tall

See Article for More Information

 Another View of the Pitcher

See Article for More Information

 Another View of the Pitcher

See Article for More Information

View of the Handle

See Article for More Information

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

Wonderful Middlebury, Vermont Red Earthenware Jar Acquired Today in Brimfield, Massachusetts

While visiting the antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts earlier today, I was fortunate to bring home four wonderful examples of New England lead glazed red earthenware. This jar was acquired from Shelburne, Vermont antiques dealer Brian Bittner, who found the jar in a Vermont estate.

The jar was likely made by Edward William Farrar (1807-1845) in Middlebury, Vermont, and it is similar to objects owned by Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, the Art Institute of Chicago, among other museums and private collections.

Middlebury, Vermont Jar

 My Niece Alexis with the Middlebury, Vermont Jar

Acquired Today from Shelburne, VT Antiques Dealer, Brian Bittner

See Article for More Information

 19th Century Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Jar Attributed to Middlebury, VT

Likely Made by Edwin William Farrar (1807-1845)

Circa 1830

Stands 10 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

 Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

View of One of the Handles

See Article for More Information

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

The Carolyn and Peter Lynch Collection Now on Display at the Peabody Essex Museum

Yesterday, I visited the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts to view the newly opened exhibit, A Passion for American Art: Selections from the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Collection. The exhibition includes 33 paintings and sculptures, 125 pieces of decorative art and more than 30 pieces of furniture.

According to the curator of the exhibit Dean Lahikainen, "For almost half a century, Carolyn and Peter Lynch shared an extraordinary life together, traveling widely and exploring American art and culture. Their intellectual curiosity and love of people, nature and places they chose to call home were the primary catalysts for their passionate collecting. The couple were active participants in the groundswell of interest in collecting American art that followed the bicentennial in 1976 and assembled a diversified collection of American paintings, sculpture, furniture, and decorative art spanning three centuries.

Their broad-ranging collection includes spectacular, classical furniture from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia; works by American impressionist masters, Childe, Hassam, and Frederick Carl Frieseke; modern sculpture master Sam Maloof; Marblehead folk painter, J.O.J. Frost and pioneering landscape painter, Martin Johnson Heade. Also included are works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Winslow Homer, William Bradford, and John Singer Sargent. By embracing an organic approach to collecting and by freely integrating multiple subjects, time frames, and media, the Lynches created lively conversations about artistic creativity, regional styles and evolving traditions in America."

Among my favorite ceramic objects displayed in the exhibit was a wonderful collection of eighteenth century blue and white Chinese porcelain, many of which were miniatures displayed inside a twentieth century model of a Chinese porcelain shop.

Although there was also a great selection of pottery made in Marblehead, Massachusetts from 1904-1936, revealing how wonderful a large group of these wares appear when grouped together. The colors and designs really speak to the beauty of this type of pottery.

Note: The exhibit runs from May 11 until December 1, 2019.

A Passion for American Art: Selections from the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Collection

Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass.

 See Article for More Information

 18th Century Chinese Blue & White Porcelain

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Essex Museum

18th Century Chinese Blue & White Porcelain Miniatures

The Chinese Porcelain Shop was Made in the 20th Century

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Essex Museum

 Information Displayed with the Chinese Porcelain

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Essex Museum

 Collection of 20th Century Marblehead Pottery
Circa 1904-1936

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Essex Museum

 Another View of Some of the Marlbehead Pottery

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Essex Museum

  Another View of Some of the Marlbehead Pottery

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Essex Museum

Information Displayed with the Marblehead Pottery

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Peabody Essex Museum

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

An Excellent Example of Nathaniel Rochester Pottery Found Yesterday in Central Massachusetts

Thanks to Long Island collector and scholar Gary Hammond, I learned about this wonderful nineteenth century lead glazed red earthenware jar with a dramatic use of slip-decoration, which I purchased yesterday in central Massachusetts. The jar is attributed to Nathaniel Rochester's pottery in Rochester, New York, circa 1818-1831, and decorated with three sides of multi-colored slip-decoration. The jar was also reportedly recently found at a local estate sale.

But Rochester was not actually the potter; it is documented today he offered some of his property in the Village of Rochester in 1818 to be used as a pottery. The potter or potters who worked at the Rochester pottery produced some of the earliest wares in the Western New York region. Although to my knowledge, the name is not known of the potter or potters employed here, but they were clearly skilled in their craft by what is known about this pottery from both archaeology and surviving objects.

According to the Genesee Country Village and Museum, "After the American Revolution, when land in Western New York opened up for settlement, men and women left their rocky farms in New England and moved west. Pennsylvanians and Marylanders migrated from the south. 

The pioneers who rushed to clear and develop the rich frontier were all hoping to improve their lot. Some would turn back. Some would be struck by Genesee Fever, a form of malaria. Some would move on to Ohio and Michigan. But many would stay.

In 1801, Colonel Nathaniel Rochester left his comfortable circumstances in Hagerstown, Maryland, to move north to 155 acres in Dansville, New York, that had been bought on his trip to the Genesee Country in September 1800. The perilous 275-mile journey north through almost impassible mountains took three weeks.

On horseback the Colonel led a procession of carriages bearing the younger children and women of the household and three great Conestoga wagons with household goods, his ten slaves and some of his neighbors who came along to help. The Colonel moved north, he said, "to escape the influence of slavery, to set his slaves free and to rear his family in a free state."

In Dansville, Colonel Rochester purchased from David Scholl a plank house, believed to have been built around 1797 - and once settled in Dansville, he purchased most of the water rights at Canaseraga Creek. Colonel Rochester erected a large paper mill and a gristmill. In the meantime, he began to survey the 100 acre-tract at the falls of the Genesee River that he and his colleagues had purchased in 1803.

After five years in Dansville, Colonel Rochester moved to a large farm in East Bloomfield, New York, and continued his work laying out what would become the Village of Rochester. In 1818, he and his family finally moved near the falls into a house with a large garden and grounds sloping down to the river. In 1824, he erected a brick house on higher ground where he resided for the rest of his life."

Nathaniel Rochester Pottery Jar, Rochester, NY

 My Niece Alexis with the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery Jar

See Article for More Information

 19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery in Rochester, NY

Circa 1818-1831

Stands 7 3/8" Tall

Found Yesterday in Central Massachusetts

See Article for More Information

 Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

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

A Pair of 19th Century Stamped Red Earthenware Jars from Connecticut that Sold Yesterday at Garth's in Ohio

Some interesting pieces of American red earthenware sold yesterday at Garth's 13th annual Ohio Valley Americana Auction in Columbus Ohio. Although the objects that really piqued my interest were two nineteenth century Connecticut jars, both of which had been stamped by the potter.

The first jar was marked by Hervey Brooks (1779-1873), a country potter employed outside of Hartford, Connecticut who is known to have marked some of the wares he made "H. BROOKS." But I do not believe I have seen an object of his before marked on both the vessel and the the lid, such as the case with this jar - and I have studied a lot of Brooks' material, including all of the wares owned by Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

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."

Hervey Brooks Jar, Goshen, CT

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made by Hervey Brooks in Goshen, CT

Both the Lid and Jar are Stampd "H. BROOKS"

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Garth's Auctions

View of the Lid with the "H. BROOKS" Stamp

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Garth's Auctions

The second Connecticut jar that sold yesterday at Garth's in Ohio was marked "T.O. GOODWIN," a stamp sometimes applied by Thomas O'Hara Goodwin (1796-1880) in West Hartford, Connecticut in the early-nineteenth century.

According to the West Hartford Historical Society, "Early on, grist saw, and carding mills along with blacksmith shops, tanneries and general stores emerged around the (West Hartford) community to support and help drive agriculture. One of the first major industries to arise centered on the pottery and brick works. Extending from Hartford to Berlin is a sizable deposit of fine clay. 

In 1770, Ebenezer Faxon came from Massachusetts and settled in what would become the Elmwood section of West Hartford. There he established a pottery on South Road (what is today New Britain Avenue) which took advantage of the local geographical landscape. Nathaniel Seymour later followed, but it was Seth Goodwin (1772-1828), however, who helped to establish a pottery dynasty. Goodwin started his pottery works around 1798. For over a hundred years, the Goodwin name would be associated with West Hartford Pottery - producing utilitarian items such as jugs for the gin manufactured in local distilleries, to terra cotta designs and fine china. The Goodwin Company employed up to 75 people in its heyday in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. The Goodwin Brothers Pottery Company (as it came to be known) burned for the third time in 1908 and never recovered."

Thomas O'Hara Goodwin Jar, W. Hartford, CT

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made at the Goodwin Pottery in W. Hartford, CT

Stamped "T.O. GOODWIN"

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Garth's Auctions

View of the "T.O. GOODWIN" Stamp

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Garth's Auctions

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

19th Century Pitcher from Prince Edward Island Recently Found in Pennsylvania

As I promised in a post from earlier this week, here are better pictures of the wonderful circa 1880-1898 lead glazed red earthenware pitcher from Prince Edward Island in Canada, which was just recently found in Pennsylvania. I have wanted to own one of these pitchers for years, but have discovered that they are quite difficult to find outside of the Prince Edward Island Museum's collection.

Interestingly, the museum owns a few pitchers in this form, some of which are marked "PEI POTTERY." The coggle wheel decoration is what I really enjoy from this pottery, a style of decoration found on various forms made on Prince Edward Island. Although, it's not an exact match, but the impressed decoration somewhat resembles some English stoneware made in the 1800s, which may have served as a source of inspiration for this decoration.

According to information posted by Paul Slater in an Antique Canadian Pottery Group on Facebook, "The PEI Pottery was established in early 1880 by Frederick W. Hyndman as a business venture (he wasn't a potter by trade, but rather was listed as an insurance agent in the 1881 census). He hired Oswald Hornsby to supervise the construction of the pottery site and to become its foreman. 

The pottery produced a variety of red earthenware pieces, from traditional containers to whimsies. But unfortunately the business struggled early on due to the small size of the local market, as well as cheap English imports, so by October 1885 Hyndman listed the business for sale. 

In July 1886, with no buyers having stepped forward, Hyndman leased the pottery to Hornsby and another partner. Hornsby remained at the helm until leaving in 1896/97 when his son Frank took over; however, by early 1898 the pottery closed its doors permanently."

Prince Edward Island Pitcher

 My Niece Alexis Holding the Prince Edward Island Pitcher

Recently Found in Pennsylvania

See Article for More Information

 19th Century Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Pitcher

Attributed to the PEI Pottery on Prince Edward Island

Circa 1880-1898

Stands 7 3/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

 Another View of the Pitcher

See Article for More Information

 View of the Impressed Decoration

See Article for More Information

 View of the Handle

See Article for More Information

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

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