Rookwood 
 Pomry ^ 
 
 (Cincinnati « « « • 
 
Rookwood’$ Ristory « 
 
 The Pottery was founded in 1880 by Mrs. 
 Maria Longworth Storer, who named it Rook- 
 wood, after her father’s country estate near the 
 city. In 1883 Mr. W. W. Taylor assumed the 
 active direction of the works as the partner of 
 Mrs. Storer. Upon her retirement in 1890 
 she transferred her interest to Mr. Taylor, who 
 formed the present company, and under his 
 direction as president the present buildings 
 were finished in 1892. They crown the sum- 
 mit of Mt. Adams, one of the city hills, and 
 while remarkably picturesque in themselves, 
 they command in every direction beautiful 
 views of the river, the city and its suburbs. 
 
 The Pottery is managed on lines opposite to 
 the prevailing factory system, as the effort is to 
 attain a higher art rather than cheaper pro- 
 cesses. Absolutely no printing patterns are 
 used nor any duplicates made. A spirit of 
 freedom and liberality has prevailed in order 
 
to cultivate in every way individual artistic 
 feeling among the workers employed. 
 
 The decorators comprise both men and 
 women, and are drawn mainly from the Art 
 Academy of Cincinnati. The decorations are 
 entirely on the moist clay before any firing, the 
 colors being mixed with clay and becoming 
 part of the ware itself. The pieces, after 
 decoration, are fired into biscuit and the 
 various glazes are applied in subsequent firings. 
 These methods while necessary to produce the 
 beautiful underglaze effects of Rookwood are 
 rarely used elsewhere as they increase so largely 
 the risks and expense of manufacture. 
 
 The clays in use for all purposes are entirely 
 American and mainly from the Ohio Valley. 
 These native clays from the start inclined the 
 color quality toward yellows, browns and reds, 
 and the decorative medium lent itself to a 
 rather luxuriant style of ornament in rich 
 arrangements of warm color, all of which the 
 transparent glazes merge in deep, mellow tones. 
 
As the command of material has strengthened, 
 the beauty of the ware has steadily gained in 
 a harmony of all the elements which com|>osc 
 it, until form, color, decoration and glaze 
 combine to produce those things of beauty 
 which elude all attempts to imitate and make 
 Rookwood a complete novelty in the world 
 ceramics. It would be an error however to 
 infer that Rookwood is limited to a warm 
 yellow, or red tone, for even dark pieces have 
 often been relieved with deep rich greens and 
 blues, and there has latterly developed an im- 
 portant series of light arrangements in what 
 are known as ‘‘Aerial Blue,’^ “Iris” and “Sea 
 Green.” But in each of these we find the 
 same mellow tone, the same brilliant glaze, as 
 pleasant to the touch as to the eye, — the same 
 essential characteristics of Rookwood. 
 
H Ui$it to Rookwood « 
 
 Rookwood is open to visitors daily, except 
 on the afternoon of Saturday, which is always 
 a half holiday. The ride from the Cincinnati 
 Postoffice on the Zoo and Eden Park line takes 
 less than ten minutes, including the elevation 
 of the car on the Mt. Adams Inclined Plane, 
 one of the experiences a visitor to Cincinnati 
 is likely to seek. It is also over this road one 
 reaches the Art Museum in Eden Park, as 
 well as the Zoological Garden. 
 
 Attendants are always present to explain the 
 complicated processes through which the ware 
 passes. One sees the preparation of the clay 
 and watches the potter at his wheel or other 
 workmen casting the clay in molds. Then the 
 decorated ware in the clay and in biscuit, and 
 the great kilns are to be inspected. Finally when 
 the visitor sees the endless variety of finished 
 work it is with better understanding of the ex- 
 treme and costly risks incurred in its production. 
 
Rookwood marks « 
 
 Impressed in the clay. The 
 regular mark from 1882, the 
 date changing each year, un- 
 til 1886. 
 
 'This mark was adopted in 1886. 
 
 i 
 
 The flame at the top indicates 1887. 
 
 The addition of a flame each 
 year makes the 1895 mark and 
 so on. 
 
 It is also oustomary for purposes of record, to stamp on 
 the bottom of each piece a shape number with a letter 
 indicating size, and another letter referring to the color of 
 the clay used in the body of the piece, W for white, etc. 
 The decorators also cut their initials in the clay on the 
 bottom of pieces painted by them. 
 
 ROOKWOOD 
 
 1882 
 

 
 
 
 9fM 
 
 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/rookwoodpotteryOOrook