Note: The Broadway Cooler sold for $480,000, including the buyer's premium to New York collector, Adam Weitsman and it will almost certainly be heading to the
New York State Museum in Albany, New York.
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There's no surprises with this tremendous piece of nineteenth century stoneware, known as the
Broadway Water Cooler because of the remarkable incised and impressed decoration of a New York City street scene of Broadway, which has been consigned to
Crocker Farm's current auction in Sparks, Maryland. The timed auction ends this Friday May 1, 2020, followed by callbacks for the top four bidders, which could be challenging in itself, depending on how many serious bidders are involved. At the time of posting this article, the bidding currently stands at $280,000 (plus buyer's premium); many are anticipating where the final price will end, whether it will break all American pottery records, and if the new owner will be a museum or a private collector. To my knowledge, the record for a piece of American pottery was set a few years ago when a
circa 1765-69 porcelain teapot attributed to John Bartlam's (1731-1781) production at the Cain Hoyt Factory in South Carolina sold for over $800,000 (including buyers premium),
now displayed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This water cooler is stamped twice, "
W.H. FARAR & CO. / GEDDES, N.Y.," and dated 1846, depicting an 1846 celebration at the Sons of Temperance National Hall Headquarters in Manhattan. It is also stamped, "
SALINA DIVISION. NO. 86 / SONS OF TEMPERANCE," located in part of present-day Syracuse, New York, the city in which the cooler was made by William H. Farrar. Farrar who had recently arrived from Vermont in 1839, established the small pottery in Geddes in 1841, along the western edge of Syracuse. He was a member of a great family of stoneware potters found in northern New England and Canada.
According to Crocker Farm, "
The image depicts the celebration of the Great National Jubilee of the Order of the Sons of Temperance, a fraternal organization, founded on the principal of abstinence of alcohol in New York City in 1842."
Some may even draw some comparisons behind the meaning of this piece of pottery and the temperance jugs manufactured later in the 1800s, especially in the Midwest, including those made by Cornwall (1814-1890) and Wallace (1828-1896) Kirkpatrick in Anna, Illinois. Although, I find it fascinating in what I consider to be the three best pieces of American stoneware (excluding some of the stoneware made in Edgefield, South Carolina) all having ties to New York City. Those three pieces include this water cooler, a
temperance jug made in 1871 by the Kirkpatrick brothers for caricature artist, Thomas Nast (1840-1902), owned by the
New York Historical Society, as well as a
punch bowl attributed to John Crolius Jr. (1755-1841) in Manhattan, made as a special commemorative gift for the Crane Family of Cranetown (now Montclair), New Jersey, owned by the
American Folk Art Museum. The bowl is inscribed, "
Elisabeth Crane May 22, 1811," and its form was probably copied from Chinese export porcelain examples. Interestingly, the international sale records for pottery are largely held by Chinese porcelain.
Although, it is fascinating to learn that this massively important piece of American pottery was unknown until recently to the general public. This is an extremely rare situation, where a piece of pottery of this magnitude is available outside of a museum setting. It also makes me wonder about the possibilities of what is yet still to be discovered today.
The Broadway Water Cooler
The Broadway Water Cooler
Stamped Twice, "W.H. FARAR & CO. / GEDDES, N.Y.," and Dated 1846
Decoration Depicts a New York City Street Scene of Broadway
Also Depicts the Sons of Temperance National Hall Headquarters in Manhattan
Stands 26" Tall
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm Auctions of American Redware & Stoneware
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
