at 1 I lift A. « Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/potteryporcelainOObarb_0 Relief Tile Plaque Modelled by Mr. W. W. Gallimore Frontispiece THE Pottery and Porcelain OF THE UNITED STATES AN HISTORICAL REVIEW OF AMERICAN CERAMIC ART FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY BY EDWIN ATLEE BARBER, A.M., PH.D. HONORARY CO'KATOR OK THE DEPARTMENT OF AMERICAN POTTERY AND PORCELAIN IN THE PENNSYLVANIA MUSEUM ; MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETIES OF PENNSYLVANIA, WISCONSIN, AND VIRGINIA, ETC. WITH 223 ILLUSTRATIONS G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK LONDON 27 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 24 BEDFORD STREET, STRAND S% Jhtickerbotker §wi8 1893 COPYRIGHT, 1893 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Entered at Stationers' Hall, London By G. P. Putnam's Sons Electrotyped, Printed and Bound by Ubc IRmcfeerbocfecr press, IRew Jl>orfe G. P. Putnam's Sons PREFACE. FOREIGN writers would have the world believe that the United States can boast of no ceramic history. Even our own chroniclers have, singularly enough, neglected a branch of our industrial progress which is not altogether insignificant nor devoid of interest. On the contrary, it can be shown that the fictile art is almost as ancient in this country as in Great Britain, and has been developed in almost parallel, though necessarily narrower, lines. The need of a history of the Pottery Industry in America has long been felt, and has led to the prepara- tion of the present volume, which, it is hoped, will be found to possess some interest to the student of ceramics, as well as to the collector. The author claims that his work is not a mere compi- lation, but has been based almost entirely upon thorough personal investigations. Some of the time-honored fal- lacies which have been perpetuated by compilers have been omitted from this record, and special care has been taken to avoid the use of statements which could not be substantiated. This result could only be reached by patient and systematic research, by a thorough study of iii IV PRE FA CE. the products of the potteries of the United States, and by consultation with intelligent potters in the leading establishments of the land. Much of the material con- tained herein appears for the first time, and will doubtless form the basis for other histories which will follow later. It does not come within the scope of this volume to include the history of every pottery which has been estab- lished since the time of Columbus, or which is now in operation in this country. Such a detailed review would, even if desirable, be manifestly impossible in an under- taking of this compass. The main purpose of the work is to furnish an account of such of the earlier potteries as, for any reason, possess some historical interest, and of those manufactories which, in later days, have produced works of originality or artistic merit. Confining myself necessarily to these limits, I have endeavored here to present a condensed but practically complete record of the development of the fictile art in America during the three centuries which have elapsed since the first settle- ment of the country. I beg leave to express my sense of indebtedness to all who have contributed in any manner to the information contained herein, and I desire particularly to extend my thanks to Prof. Edward S. Morse, Mr. D. F. Haynes, Prof. Isaac Broome, Mr. W. W. Taylor, Mr. L. W. Clark, Hon. J. Hart Brewer, Prof. William H. Holmes, Dr. Marcus Benjamin, and Mr. Edward Lycett, for val- uable assistance and advice, and to the publishers of the Popular Science Monthly for the use of cuts which appeared in my articles in that journal on American PRE FA CE. V Pottery and Porcelain. Toward those who have refused or withheld information we shall not be uncharitable. The illustrations used in the following pages are, for the most part, entirely new, and have been made from fully identified examples. I have endeavored to select from the numerous treasures of art which have been placed at my service those which, in my judgment, best illustrate the various classes of wares produced in this country. I am highly gratified to be able to call the attention of lovers of art to the remarkable progress which has been made in ceramic manufacture in our midst within the past fifteen years, and if my efforts shall result, in any measure, in the breaking down of that unreasonable prejudice which has heretofore existed against all American pro- ductions, I shall feel that I have been abundantly re- warded. America, within the next few decades, is destined to lead the world in her ceramic manufactures, and the future student will be entitled to know something of the earlier struggles of the art in this country. E. A. B. West Chester, Pa., Sept. i, 1893. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. page Processes of Manufacture ...... i CHAPTER II. American Wares and Bodies ...... 16 CHAPTER III. Aboriginal Pottery ........ 24 CHAPTER IV. Early Brick- and Tile-Making ..... 46 CHAPTER V. Early Potting in America (17TH Century) 53 CHAPTER VI. Potteries of the Eighteenth Century .... 59 CHAPTER VII. Operations during the First Quarter of the Present Century ......... 107 CHAPTER VIII. The American China Manufactory . . . . .126 CHAPTER IX. The Pottery Industry from 1825 to 1858 .... 154 CHAPTER X. East Liverpool, Ohio ....... 192 vii Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XI. PAGE Trenton, N. J. . . . . . . . .211 CHAPTER XII. Potteries Established between 1859 and 1876 . . . 244 CHAPTER XIII. Cincinnati, Ohio ........ 273 CHAPTER XIV. Development of the Ceramic Art since the Centennial . 304 CHAPTER XV. Tobacco Pipes ......... 338 CHAPTER XVI. Ornamental Tiles ........ 343 CHAPTER XVII. Architectural Terra-Cotta CHAPTER XVIII. American Marks and Monograms CHAPTER XIX. Tiles for Decorative Effect CHAPTER XX. Concluding Remarks • 385 • 399 • 4i5 • 423 Index • 433 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Relief Tile Portrait of Edwin Atlee Barber . . . Frontispiece 1 — The Boyce Clay Press, with Twenty-Four Chambers . . 2 2 — Old-Fashioned " Throwing-Wheel " ...... 4 3 — " Kick-Wheel " (as now used) 5 4 — "Jigger" 6 5 — Indian Pot, Pennsylvania. Collection Wyoming Historical and Geological Society . 26 6 — Indian Vessel, Pennsylvania. Collection Wyoming Historical and Geological Society 27 7 — Clay Pipe (Onondaga), New York 28 8 — Vase from Connecticut. James Terry Collection ... 29 9 — Modern Cherokee Pot. Bureau of Ethnology .... 30 10 — Mound Vase, Georgia -33 11 — Head Vase, Arkansas 34 12 — Corrugated Water-Jar, New Mexico. James Terry Collection 36 13 — Archaic Pueblo Jug, Arizona 37 14 — Double-Handled Mug, Utah 38 15 — Ancient Water- Jar, Arizona 39 16 — Ancient Pottery Olla, Arizona 39 17 — Ancient Pueblo Bowl, St. George, Utah 39 18 — Pottery Dipper, Montezuma Canon, Utah 40 19 — Coiled and Painted Bowl, Cibola 41 20 — Fragment of Ancient Pueblo Pottery. Painting of Antelope . 41 21 — Moulded Frog Ornament 42 22 — Modern Zuni Meal Jar 43 23 — Zuni Indian Water Vessel ........ 43 24 — Zuni Coiled Jar 43 25 — Modern Pueblo Water Vessel, Cochiti, N. M. . . . 44 26 — Pennsylvania Roofing Tiles (Eighteenth Century) ... 49 27 — Stoneware Money-Bank. R. C. Remmey 64 ix X ILL USTRA TIONS. PAGE 28 Slip-Engraved Dish, Pennsylvania, 1762. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum 68 29 Tea-Caddy, Sgraffiato Ware. James Terry Collection . . 69 30— Large Slip-Decorated Dish, Pennsylvania, 1769. Pennsylvania Museum Collection 7 1 3I Two-Handled Puzzle Mug. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum 74 32— Sgraffiato Dish, Made in Pennsylvania in 1796, by John Leidy. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum .... 75 33 — Slip-Decorated Vegetable Dish, Made by John Leidy, Pennsyl- vania, 1797 . 76 34 — Sgraffiato Dish, Pennsylvania, 1826. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum 78 35 — Slip Pitcher and Sugar-Bowl. Made by John Nase about 1830. Barber Collection 79 36 — Deep Slip Dish. John Nase, 1847. (Barber Collection) Penn- sylvania Museum 80 37 — Dull-Finished Sgraffiato Dish. Made by John Nase about 1847 81 38 — Sgraffiato Plate. Made by Frederick Hildenbrand about 1830 82 39 — Sgraffiato Plate. Made by Jacob Scholl, Montgomery County, Pa., 1831 83 40 — Sgraffiato Jars. Made by Jacob Scholl, about 1830 ... 85 41 — Slip Dish. Made by Benjamin Berge, about 1830. Barber Collection 86 42 — Pottery Flower-Vase. Made by Charles Headman, 1849. (Bar- ber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum 87 43 — Terra-Cotta Jardiniere and Pedestal. A. H. Hews & Co. 89 44 — White Ware Fruit-Basket, Blue Decoration. Made in Phila- delphia about 1770. Pennsylvania Museum of Art . . 98 45 — Pottery Money-Bank, Norwich, Ct. James Terry Collection 103 46 — Albany Stoneware. Collection of Mr. S. L. Frey. Made about 1809 113 47 — Fancy Jug. " Carlsbad " Mug. Water Keg, Central New York Pottery 114 48 — Porcelain Vase, New York, 1816 115 49 — The Old Pottery, Jersey City, N. J 119 50 — Toby Ale Jug. Made by D. & J. Henderson. Collection of A. G. Richmond ........... 120 51 — Hunting Pitcher. Designed by Daniel Greatbach, Jersey City Pottery 121 ILL USTRA TIONS. xi l'AGE 52 — "Worcester" Vase, Jersey City Pottery. Decorated by Mr. Edward Lycett 122 53 — "King" Vase, Jersey City Pottery, Decorated by Mr. W. Lycett . . . . . , . . . . . 123 54 — The Old Water-Works, Philadelphia, Used as a China Manu- factory in 1825 • 129 55 — Tucker Creamer. Sepia Decoration 130 56 — "Grecian" Pitcher. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum 133 57 — Portrait of Judge Joseph Hemphill 134 58 — Hemphill Pitcher, with Portrait of Washington. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum 136 59 — Vase, Napoleon at the Burning of Moscow. Mr. Ferdinand J. Dreer 137 60 — Small Covered Flower-Vase, Sepia Landscape. Mrs. R. C. Hemphill. 141 61 — Water-Pitcher, Decorated in Relief. Mrs. R. C. Hemphill . 142 62 — Hemphill Vase. Collection of Hon. James T. Mitchell. . 142 63 — Hemphill Vase, with Painting of a Shipwreck .... 143 64 — Hemphill Porcelain Tableware. Collection of Mr. W. S. Negus 144 65 — Christening-Bowl. Mrs. Thomas W. Marshall .... 145 66 — Tucker & Hemphill's China Manufactory. Philadelphia, 1832- '38. From a Vase Owned by Mrs. Thomas Tucker . . . 146 67 — Large Porcelain Vase, Over-glaze Decoration in Gold and Colors. Owned by Mrs. Thomas Tucker .... 147 68 — "Vase-Shaped" Pitcher, Over-glaze Decorations in Colors and Gold. Pennsylvania Museum ....... 148 69 — Cologne Bottle, Raised Decorations, Gold Tracery. Mrs. Thomas Tucker 149 70 — Night-Lamp Decorated with Rural Scene in Colors. Mrs. R. C. Hemphill . . . 152 71 — Bennington Parian. Blue Pitted Ground 167 72 — White Parian. U. S. Pottery 168 73 — White Granite Ware. U. S. Pottery 169 74 — Rockingham Monument. Made at Bennington, Vt., 185 i . . 171 75 — Flint Enamelled Ware, Bennington Factory . . . . 174 76 — O'Connell Pitcher . 176 77 — Porcelain Pitcher. Raised Decoration. American Porcelain Manufacturing Company, Gloucester, N. J 184 78 — Porcelain Pitcher, Made by the Southern Porcelain Company about 1861. Owned by Mrs. Edward Willis .... 188 xii ILL US TRA TIONS. PAGE 79— Parian Jug. Southern Porcelain Co., Kaolin, S. C. Mrs. J. Stoney Porcher l8 9 80— The Old Bennett Pottery, East Liverpool, 193 8i _Sage-Green Marine Pitcher. E. & W. Bennett, 1853 ... 196 82 Recent Productions of the Edwin Bennett Pottery Company . 197 83_PoRTRAIT OF MR. EDWIN BENNETT I98 84— Thin China Tete-a-Tete Set. Knowles, Taylor, & Knowles Company 202 85— Decorated Thin China Chocolate Pot. Knowles, Taylor, & Knowles Company 203 86— Small Vase, Relief Decoration. Exhibited at Chicago Fair . 204 87— Large Vase, Blue Ground, Gold Decorations. Chicago Fair . 205 88 — Portrait of Col. John N. Taylor 206 89 — Portrait of Mr. John Moses 214 90 — Belleek Vase, Jewelled Decorations. Ott & Brewer Company . 216 91— Belleek Vase. Ott & Brewer Company 216 g 2 — White Granite Jardiniere. Ott & Brewer Company . . . 217 93 — Portrait of Hon. John Hart Brewer 219 94 — Base-Ball Vase. Modelled by Broome 221 95 — Pastoral Vase and Bracket. Modelled by Broome . . . 222 96 — Parian Bust — Cleopatra. By Broome 224 97 — Vases. Burroughs & Mountford Company 225 98 — "Ivory" Vase, Royal Worcester Style. Greenwood Pot- tery Company .......... 227 99 — Semi-Porcelain Plate, Cobalt-Blue Border and Gold Printed Tracery. International Pottery Company .... 230 100 — Semi-Porcelain Tableware. International Pottery Com- pany 231 101 — Shell and Cupid Pitcher — Belleek. Willets Manufacturing Company 233 102 — Large Vase, Chrysanthemum Decoration. Willets Manufac- turing Company 234 103 — Belleek Tray, Dresden Decoration. Willets Manufacturing Company . 235 104 — Works of the Willets Manufacturing Company, Trenton, N. J 235 105 — Egg-Shell Porcelain — The "Engagement" Cup and Saucer. Ceramic Art Company 236 106 — Carved Vase. Ceramic Art Company 237 107 — Two-Handled Cracker Jar. New England Pottery Company 246 ILL USTRA TIONS. xiii PAGE 108 — Semi-Porcelain Vase. New England Pottery Company, 1889 247 109 — Jardiniere. New England Pottery Company .... 248 1 10 — Chocolate Jug. New England Pottery Company . . . 249 in — Decorated Coffee-Pot, Dark-Blue Ground. J. E. Jeffords & Company *. . . , . 251 112 — Bone-China Mug, Raised Decorations. Union Porcelain Works, 1864 ........... 253 113 — The Liberty Cup. Modelled by Muller. Union Porcelain Works 255 114 — Greenpoint Porcelain Vase, in Embossed Gold and Jewel Work. Grotesque Lizards in Mat Gold .... 256 115 — Tete-a-Tete Set. Union Porcelain Works .... 257 116 — Bust of Edwin Forrest as William Tell. Union Porcelain Works 258 117 — Greek Reproduction, Chelsea Keramic Art Works. Boston Museum of Fine Arts 261 118 — Chelsea Faience. Barber Collection 262 119 — A "Dengler" Vase, Red Ware, Modelled Designs. Boston Museum of Fine Arts ......... 263 120 — Inlaid, Hammered, and Embossed Pottery. Chelsea Keramic Art Works 264 121 — Crackle Vase. Boston Museum of Fine Arts .... 265 122 — Plaque Representing "Spring." Designed by H. C. Robert- son, 1879 266 123 — Terra-Cotta Boar's Head. Phcenixville Pottery. (Barber Collection), Pennsylvania Museum 268 124 — Majolica. Phcenixville Pottery 269 125 — White- Ware Pitcher. Phcenixville, Pa. ..... 270 126 — The Witch-Jug. Hampshire Pottery. J. S. Taft & Company, Keene, N. H 271 127 — Vases by Mrs. Maria L. Nichols, 1880 278 128 — Porcelain Vase, Underglaze Decoration. By Mrs. M. L. Nichols, 1878. Cincinnati Museum of Art .... 278 129 — " Ali Baba" Vase, Underglaze Decoration. Miss M. L. Mc- Laughlin, 1880. Cincinnati Museum of Art .... 279 130 — White Clay Vase, Underglaze Decoration. Miss Clara Chip- man Newton, 1880 280 131 — Moorish Vase, Inlaid Decoration. Mrs. C. A. Plimpton, Cin- cinnati Art Museum 281 xiv ILL US TRA TIONS. TAGE 132— Stone Jug, Incised Decoration. Miss Laura A. Fry, 1881. Cin- cinnati Art Museum 282 I33 _Portrait of Miss M. Louise McLaughlin 283 134 — Old Rookwood 28 5 135— Portrait of Mrs. Maria Longworth Storer .... 286 136— Rookwood Plate, Printed Decoration 287 I37 _ Large Pottery Bowl, Underglaze Decoration. By Mrs. Maria L. Nichols, 1882. Cincinnati Museum of Art ... 288 138 — Group of Rookwood Vases 289 I 3 g — DULL-FlNISHED VASE. DECORATED BY MR. A. R. VALENTIEN. PENN- SYLVANIA Museum, Philadelphia 291 140 — Mug. Decorated by E. P. Cranch 293 141— Tile from Isaac Abbott Set. Painted by E. P. Cranch. Rook- wood Pottery 294 142 — Hand-Painted Tile. Rookwood Pottery 295 143 — Ram's Horn Flower-Basket. Rookwood Pottery . . . 296 144 — Vase. Decorated by Mr. Shirayamadani. Pennsylvania Museum 297 145 — The New Rookwood 298 146 — " Hungarian Faience." Cincinnati Art Pottery Company . . 300 147 — Canteen-Shaped Vessel, "Kezonta" Ware. Cincinnati Mu- seum 301 148 — Fan-Shaped Vessel, " Kezonta" Ware 302 149 — Bennett Faience. Wm. Lycett Collection .... 306 150 — Bennett Faience. Wm. Lycett Collection 307 151 — Portrait of Mr. Edward Me akin Pearson 306 152 — Mazarine Blue and White Pitcher, Raised Gold Decoration. Wheeling Pottery Company 310 153 — " Canton China " Pitcher. Steubenville Pottery Company . 312 154 — " Canton China " Vase. Steubenville Pottery Company . . 313 155 — Faience Vase. FaIence Manufacturing Company. By Mr. Edward Lycett ......... 314 156 — Porcelain Vase. Faience Manufacturing Company. By Mr. Edward Lycett . . . 315 157 — Faience Vase. Faience Manufacturing Company. By Mr. Joseph Lycett 317 158 — Fine Faience Vase, " A Flight of Storks." Decorated in Gold and Bronze on an Ivory Ground. Faience Manu- facturing Company 318 159 — Portrait of Mr. David Francis Haynes 321 160 — " Severn " Ware. Chesapeake Pottery 323 ILL USTRA TIONS. xv PAGE 161 — Castilian and Alsatian Semi-Porcelain Toilet Ware. Ches- apeake Pottery 324 162 — Useful and Decorative Semi-Porcelain Wares. Chesapeake Pottery 325 163 — " Merchant of Venice" Vase. Chesapeake Pottery . . . 326 164 — Montessan Semi-Porcelain Toilet Set. Chesapeake Pottery . 327 165 — Lamps and Vases. Chesapeake Pottery 328 166 — Porcelain Clock. Chesapeake Pottery 329 167 — Moorish Vase Designed by Miss Fannie Haynes. Collection of the Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Philadelphia . . . 330 168 — " Calvert " Vase. Chesapeake Pottery 331 169 — Pauline Art Pottery, Edgerton, Wis. 333 170 — Lonhuda Pottery 336 171 — Glazing Rack for Pipes. Gibble Pottery 340 172 — Terra-Cotta Pipe Heads. A. Peyrau, N. Y. Collection of Jerome B. Gray .......... 341 173 — Some of the First Fancy American Tiles. Hyzer & Lew- ellen . 364 174— A " Low " Tile 346 175 — View of the Low Art Tile Works, Chelsea, Mass. . . . 347 176— An F. S. A 348 177 — Plastic Sketch, by Arthur Osborne. "The Milky Way" . 349 178 — Tile Stove 350 179 — Panel for Soda Fountain 351 > 180 — Portrait of Hon. John G. Low 352 181 — Encaustic Tile Design ......... 354 182 — "Old Age" 355 183 — Intaglio Portrait. Modelled Tile 356 184 — Six- by Eighteen-Inch Panel — "Swallows" .... 356 185 — Twelve- by Eighteen-Inch Panel — "Summer." Designed by Herman Mueller ......... 357 186 — Ten-Piece Panel — Six-Inch Tiles, 12 x 30 Inches. Designed by Herman Mueller 357 187 — Fifteen-Piece Tile Design, 18 x 30 Inches. By Herman Mueller. American Encaustic Tiling Company 358 188 — View of the New Works of the American Encaustic Tiling Company, Zanesville, Ohio 360 189 — Six-Inch Relief Tile. U. S. Encaustic Tile Works . . . 361 190 — Bacchanalian Panel. Nine by Eighteen Inches. Designed by Mr. W. W. Gallimore. Trent Tile Company . -. . 363 xvi ILL USTRA TIONS. PAGE iqi— y -Nine- by Eighteen-Inch Panel — "Fishing Boys." Designed by W. W. Gallimore. Trent Tile Company .... 364 IQ2— y -Relief Panel—" Mignon." By Scott Callowhill, after Lefebvre ........... 368 y *y -Intaglio—" February fill Dyke." By Scott Callowhill, after Leader ............ 369 104— y* -Beaver Falls Stove Tiles 369 195- -Six-Inch Relief Tile— " Sappho." By Broome .... 370 196— -Passion-Flower Panel. By Broome 371 197— -Relief Panel — " Music," from Painting, Poetry, and Music Facing. By Broome 372 198— -Dado in Romanesque Style. Beaver Falls Art Tile Com- pany 373 199— -" King Lear " 375 200— -"Winter." Modelled by Mersman 376 201— •" Daughters of the Sea" Facing. Modelled by Mersman 377 202— -Portion of Five-Foot Frieze in Loggia of the Rockafeller Mansion, Tarrytown, N. Y 379 203— -Panel after the French. Robertson Art Tile Company . 381 204— -Panel Modelled by H. C. Robertson after Dork 382 205— -The Wilkes Screw Tile Press 383 206— -Panel in Warehouse, Jersey City, N. J., Perth Amboy Terra- Cotta Company 387 207— -Three Kilns. Perth Amboy Terra-Cotta Company . 389 208— -Bas-Relief in the St. Anthony Club-House, Philadelphia, Pa. Perth Amboy Terra-Cotta Company ..... 39° 209— -Military Panel, G. A. R. Memorial Hall, Wilkes Barre, Pa. New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company 39 1 210— -Panel in Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York. New York Archi- tectural Terra-Cotta Company 392 211— -Panel in Residence of Mr. George Alfred Townsend, Gapland, Md. New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company 393 212— -Works of the New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Com- pany, Long Island City, N. Y 394 213— -Medallion of General Winfield S. Scott 395 214— -Floral Panel. Stephens, Armstrong, & Conkling 396 — ' y 215- -Medallion of Columbus 397 216— -Finials. Indianapolis Terra-Cotta Company .... 398 217- -Light-Blue Double Panel, Oxidized Silver Frame. Low Art Tile. Designed by Arthur Osborne .... 417 ILL USTRA TIONS, xvii PAGE 218 — "Sappho." Purple-Gray Glaze, in Ivory Frame and Pink Plush Border. Beaver Falls Art Tile Company. De- signed by Prof. Isaac Broome ...... 418 219 — Olive-Green Glaze in Old Ivory Setting. Low Art Tile. De- signed by Osborne 419 220 — Pastoral Panel in Dull Finish. Glaze of Pale Claret, Framed in Old Ivory. Trent Tile Company. Modelled by Gallimore 420 221 — " Spring " Panel. Pale Apple-Green Glaze ; Framed in Pinkish White. American Encaustic Tiling Company. Designed by Herman Mueller 420 222 — Three-Tile Panel — "Twilight." Blue Glaze, Cream White Frame. United States Encaustic Tile Works. Designed by Miss Ruth Winterbotham 421 > CHAPTER I. PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE, PREPARATION OF POTTERY CLAYS. THE methods formerly used in this country in pre- paring the clay for the potter's hand were of the most primitive character. The crude material was simply thrown into a tank or pit and manipulated with a spade or paddle, then taken out in large lumps and cut through and through with a fine wire stretched between the two hands of the workman, the pebbles and other for- eign substances being picked out as the work progressed. In 1835 a patent was issued to Adam Weber, of Womelsdorf, Berks Co., Pa., for a contrivance for Puri- fying Potters Clay, consisting of a hollow metal or wooden cylinder with a wire sieve placed across the bot- tom, through which the moist clay was forced by means of a block or piston, fitting the cylinder closely, and worked by a lever, the gravel being left on the wire netting inside of the tube. A similar apparatus is still employed in some of the potteries where coarse earthen- ware is made. 2 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Slip-kilns were formerly employed to dry the clay. The materials were first mixed with water to the consist- ency of cream, and then passed through a fine sieve, after which the slip was subjected to heat until sufficiently dried to be fit for use. I have in my possession a drawing of the old-fashioned slip-kiln used at the Phila- delphia china factory of Messrs. Tucker & Hemphill, in 1832. This consisted of a long, horizontal brick fire-box, at one end of which were built three partitions or pans, one after the other, in which the slip was poured, and flues passing around the sides furnished the heat neces- sary to dry the clay to the proper consistency. PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE. 3 To-day most of the clay used in potting is carefully washed before being shipped to the manufacturer, and the flint and feldspar are finely ground at the quarry. These materials, in due proportions, are placed in tanks called " plungers," with the necessary amount of water, and worked, tons at a charge, by machinery, in a short space of time. The mass is then sifted and afterwards forced through canvas bags held in what is termed a " press," the surplus moisture thus being expelled. An improved hydrostatic press, made by Mr. A. J. Boyce, of East Liverpool, Ohio, and now used in many potteries with great success, is shown in the accompanying illustra- tion. TOOLS AND MACHINES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY. The potter's wheel used well into the present century was a clumsy and primitive affair. It consisted of a perpendicular beam, generally about two feet in height, surmounted by a circular disk a foot or so in diameter. At the lower extremity of the beam or axis was a horizontal wooden wheel, four feet across, possess- ing four inclined iron spokes which extended from the beam to the rim of the wheel, which the workman pushed around with his feet. He sat on a framework behind the wheel, while in front were piled the lumps of clay to be manipulated. This contrivance was termed a " kick- wheel." A great advance was made in potters' machinery a few years later, or in the first quarter of the present 4 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. century, when the " throwing-wheel " was introduced into the more prominent factories. This was composed of a plate or disk which was revolved by means of a belt which passed around two spindles and extended to a large ver- tical fly-wheel operated by a crank in the hands of a second person. This upright wheel usually measured four, five, or more feet in diameter, depending on the rate of velocity desired, the larger the wheel, the greater the 2.— Old-fashioned " Throwing-Wiieel." speed to be attained. The revolving plate at which the potter sat was often ten or more feet from the crank- wheel, and the apparatus was therefore cumbersome, be- sides requiring the services of an extra hand. This device was a great improvement over the old " kick-wheel," as it secured uniformity of motion and enabled the operator to devote his entire attention to his work. This style of wheel, in time, was superseded by the more simple PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE. form which is worked by a treadle with the left foot of the operator, and is«still used in many of the smaller pot- teries. The subjoined engraving represents one of these " kick-wheels," as made at the present time by Messrs. Taplin, Rice, & Co., of Akron, Ohio. This firm also manufactures a power-wheel, such as is now operated in the larger factories, which is so constructed that the velocity can be regulated by a foot lever. "Jiggers" and "jollies" now greatly facilitate the 3. — "Kick-Wheel" (as now used). manufacture of circular and swelled vessels, such as jars, jugs, crocks, cuspidors, and umbrella jars. A "jigger" is a machine which carries a revolving mould, in which the clay is shaped by a " former," which is brought down into the mould and held in place by means of a lever. We give on page 6 an illustration of one of the jiggers made by Mr. Peter Wilkes, of Trenton, N. J. A is the jigger- head or receptacle in which the mould is placed, which is screwed fast to the revolving spindle. B is a stationary iron column on which the frame or sleeve C slides up or 4. — " Jigger." 6 .A PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE. 7 down. D is an iron fork which prevents the frame C from turning. E is the former or profile which shapes the interior of the vessel. The lever or pull-down, above the horizontal bar F f gives a transverse motion, and forces the former toward the side of the mould, i and 2 are adjustable collars which are fastened by screws ; 1 reg- ulates the distance to which the collar or frame Cmust be lowered to give the proper thickness to the bottom of the vessel, while 2 acts as a stop to prevent the frame from being thrown up too high. A "jolly" is a somewhat similar contrivance, consist- ing of a revolving disk or wheel on which the mould is placed. This is used principally for making plates, saucers, and articles termed " flat ware," its speed being regulated by a lever pressed by the foot of the workman. The potter's lathe is a machine similar to the power- lathe used for wood turning, excepting that it can be re- versed by pressure of the operator's foot. A wooden block, made of the proper size for the cup or other article that is to be turned, is screwed to the spindle of the lathe. Other labor-saving machines have been applied to the making of pottery to some extent, but, owing to the nature of the materials used, it seems probable that the greater part of the work must always be largely done by hand. MOULDS AND MOULD-MAKING. The plaster-of-Paris moulds which are so generally used in the manufacture of pottery are made from a finely prepared plaster, and the mould-maker in a modern pot- 8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. tery is an important personage. The model for any piece of ware, a jug for instance, having been designed and fin- ished, is taken in hand by the mould-maker, who makes a mould from it that will part in the middle. This is called the "block mould," and is carefully preserved. From this a "case" is made, which is a replica in plaster of the model. From this " case " as many working moulds as may be required can be made. Plaster-of-Paris moulds are used in the manufacture of all wares except such as are " thrown." PROCESSES. Throwing. — When a vessel is made by hand on the potter's wheel, the process is called throwing. This is the oldest method of pottery-making employed by civilized man and is still in use in many potteries. A lump of clay, of the proper weight for constructing a particular kind of vessel, is thrown on the revolving disk, and into this the potter thrusts his thumbs, and by drawing them outward and upward the plastic clay is rapidly thrown into the form of a vessel, the walls being drawn up be- tween the fingers and thumbs. A wet sponge is then pressed against the inside of the revolving clay to smooth the lining, and a small piece of leather is held against the outside surface to render it perfectly regular and to make the walls of uniform thickness. By manipulating the clay in this manner, the thrower can draw it up into any desired form, after which a fine wire is passed across the disk to cut the bottom of the vessel loose, when it is lifted PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE. off and placed on a board to dry, and the process is then repeated. Turning. — When the ware has sufficiently dried, it is placed on the spindle blocks of the lathe, and the turner, with a thin steel tool, shaves the vessel to the proper thickness, then, reversing the lathe, he burnishes it until the surface is even and smooth. Incised ornamentation is sometimes added by the use of a small wheel, bearing an engraved device on the edge, called the " runner," which is held in a frame. When placed against the piece of ware, while the lathe is running rapidly, the design is im- pressed around the circumference of the vessel. A deft hand is required to do this work. Pressing. — In making plates, saucers, and other flat ware, the workman, who is called a " presser," throws a thin " bat " of clay upon the mould which forms the face of the piece. This is placed on the revolving " jigger," and the back is shaped by a tool which is pressed upon it. The piece is then set aside to dry, after which it is taken from the mould, the edges trimmed, and it is ready for firing. In making hollow pieces, such as pitchers, covered dishes, and pieces of similar shape, the clay is carefully pressed into the mould, made in two parts, which are then brought together. The interior is then smoothed and the seams of the mould are covered with a strip of clay which is worked off smoothly and the mould is set aside until the plaster has absorbed sufficient moisture to allow the piece to be safely removed. The handles, knobs, or spouts, which have been made in other moulds, are then POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. fitted to the ware and fastened by slip. Then the vessel is smoothed and finished and sent to the " green room " to dry. Casting. — This process consists in filling a hollow mould, which is divided into two parts and held together by a strap, with liquid clay or slip, which is allowed to stand the proper length of time and then emptied out. The porous plaster having absorbed a portion of the mois- ture from the slip, which is in direct contact, retains a thin shell the exact shape of the mould, which in a short time can be readily removed. In the manipulation of large vessels, where the weight of the shell would cause it to fall out when the mould is turned over to empty the slip, a method has been devised in Europe for forcing com- pressed air into the interior of the mould to take the place of the slip as it passes out, and thus hold the shell in place. By the method of casting, mould seams are partially avoided and a greater uniformity of thickness and even- ness of surface are obtained. Thin wares, such as Bel- leek china, are usually made by the casting process. KILNS. The construction of pottery and porcelain kilns, or ovens, as they are usually termed in England, has changed but little in the past fifty years. They are conical struc- tures, built solidly of red brick, with a lining of fire-brick, and are generally about sixteen feet in diameter inside, and about the same in height to the crown or ceiling, above which the walls are narrowed and drawn upward like a chimney to furnish a draft for the fires. The ex- PROCESSES OF MANUFA CTURE. terior of the kiln is bound by a series of heavy iron hoops or girdles to give it greater strength. Around the base, at equal distances, are the fire-boxes or chambers which communicate by openings with the interior above and be- low. These vary in number, from eight to ten or more, according to the size of the kilns, which in some cases are considerably more than sixteen feet in diameter. In some of the Western kilns slight modifications have been made in the fire-chambers for the employment of natural gas, which is used quite extensively for fuel instead of coal. Kilns used for the manufacture of hard porcelain are somewhat different, consisting generally of two stories, the upper one being used for baking the biscuit, which requires less heat than is necessary for the glazing, which is after- wards accomplished in the lower story where the heat is more intense. Thus while a lot of ware is being baked the first time in the upper portion of the kiln, another lot of ware, which has already passed through the first firing, is being glazed below. This is the reverse method usually employed in burning earthenware and soft porcelain, which are either fired longer in the biscuit, at the same temperature, or are subjected to a greater degree of heat in the first firing. METHODS OF FIRING WARES. Ware that is to be burned in the kiln is protected by placing it in boxes or " seggars," sometimes called " sag- gers," made of buff-colored fire-clay. These are made of different shapes and heights, suitable for different forms of vessels. The ware is placed in these in layers of white POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. sand. The first seggar, filled with the "green " ware, is then placed in the bottom of the kiln close to the side. Around the rim of the seggar a strip or "wad " of moist clay is then laid, after which another seggar is carefully placed on top, forming a cover for the one below. In this manner the seggarsare piled to the crown of the kiln, the "wads " or cushions of clay helping to steady the pile, or "bung," as it is called, and preventing the smoke and fumes from coming into contact with the ware inside. Other tiers of seggars are placed close to each other until the interior of the kiln is full, after which the doorway is bricked up and plastered over with clay to make it perfectly tight. The fires are then started and raised to the requi- site degree of heat necessary to bake the biscuit. The length of time for firing varies, according to the body or composition of the ware, from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, usually the latter and sometimes even longer. When the biscuit ware is ready to be glazed the " dip- per" immerses it in a tub filled with the glaze, which is of the consistency of cream, and, after shaking off the surplus liquid, passes it to a boy who places it on a board at his side. The ware is then carried to the glost kiln for the second firing. In placing the pieces in the seggar, great care must be exercised to prevent them from touching, be- cause when the glaze melts in the heat of the kiln they would stick together and be ruined. The larger pieces are placed in the bottoms of the seggars, on coarse sand or finely broken flint, but flat pieces must be supported, one above another, by fire-clay pins with sharp, triangular edges, which are inserted though holes in the walls of the PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE. seggar. Stilts, which are three-armed pieces of clay with points on both sides, fired hard, are also frequently em- ployed to keep apart certain articles. DECORATION. Pottery and porcelain are decorated either over the glaze, or under the glaze. In over glaze decoration, veri- fiable colors are applied to the glazed surface of the finished ware and are fixed at a comparatively low tem- perature in the enamelling kiln, which does not injure or destroy them. In underglaze decoration the colors are placed on the ware either in the " green " or unfired state, or on the biscuit before it is glazed, and must be sub- jected to a heat sufficiently intense to fuse the glaze which is afterwards applied. The colors which will stand this great heat are limited in number and are more liable to change in the kiln ; consequently the manipulation of underglaze colors requires considerable experience and skill to produce certain and satisfactory results. Decorations may be hand-painted ox printed, and both methods may be employed either before or after the ware has been glazed. In the printing process which is used extensively at the present time, the designs are engraved on copper plates and transferred to the surface of the ware. Mineral colors, which have been mixed carefully with a prepared printing oil, are used to print the design on linen-tissue paper, which is then laid upon the ware and rubbed with a piece of soft flannel until it adheres evenly and firmly. In a few hours the paper is plucked from the ware and the printed design is then touched up 1 4 PO TTER Y AND PORCELAIN. with color by hand, and gold lines are then frequently applied. In the underglaze process the print is usually washed off, instead of being removed by plucking, and then the ware is fired in the enamel kiln sufficiently to burn the oil out of the color. It is then dipped in the glaze and sent through the glost kiln. Gold decorations can be added after the glost firing, if desired. A quality of decoration, equal in durability to under- glaze work, is often obtained by printing on the glaze with underglaze colors and then firing- the ware a second time in the glost kiln, which produces an effect that is difficult to distinguish from real underglaze printing. The raised gold work, seen on various grades of ware at the present day, is produced by tracing over a free- hand or printed design, which has been placed upon the glazed ware, with a yellow paste which gives the relief. This is fired in the decorating kiln and afterwards covered with either bright or dull gold and then fired again. Majolica ware is decorated by applying colors mixed with the glaze, with a brush, or by dipping, or by both methods ; the colors being soft blend easily at a tem- perature somewhat higher than the usual enamel or over- glaze heat, and thus beautiful effects are often secured. By the same method, soft or bone porcelain may be deco- rated by painting on the dry glazing before the latter has been fired. In so-called Barbotine, and some other styles of decoration, the colors are applied to the ware in the clay state or when partly fired, and a finish akin to that of majolica ware is thus secured. Rich mazarine blue, and some other brilliant colors, PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE. are obtained by laying the color on the glost ware and then firing in the glost kiln. This process is repeated, in many cases, several times before the depth and even- ness of color desired are secured. The beautiful king's blue of the Sevres porcelain is obtained by applying the color to the biscuit ware, which is afterwards subjected to the intense heat of the " sharp fire." CHAPTER II. AMERICAN WARES AND BODIES. / .^AR THEN WA RE is a term commonly used for / «/ all kinds of pottery wares suitable for household purposes, not strictly porcelain. Qucensware is a name given to an ivory- or cream- colored ware, first made by Josiah Wedgwood for Queen Charlotte about i 762. The word is still used generally in the Middle and Southern States as a generic term applied to all kinds of household pottery wares. Faience, as defined by Webster, is " a collective name for all the various kinds of glazed earthenware and porce- lain." This term was probably first used in this country about 1876 to designate a decorative ware made in France from coarse materials, finely modelled and enriched with painted slip decoration under the glaze. It is now applied to underglaze pottery made in this country, nota- bly the Rookwood pottery of Cincinnati, the faience of Chelsea, Mass., and the Lonhuda ware of Steubenville, Ohio. The name was also used in connection with a line of vitreous, colored wares, made by Mr. D. F. Haynes of Baltimore, Md., in 1883. Red Earthenware is made of a good quality of brick 16 AMERICAN WARES AND BODIES. i7 clay, being- usually of a red or reddish-brown color. It is often glazed inside, and sometimes all over, with a lead glaze, which reveals the red color of the body. It is also frequently covered with a dense black glaze. Flower- pots, bean-pots, pie-plates, and roofing-tiles are familiar examples of red ware. Formerly such ware was rudely decorated with colored slips, or coated with yellow clay and embellished with incised designs. Of late years it has been wrought into cuspidors, jardinieres, and umbrella- stands, japanned or painted in various colors with floral and other decorations, when it is sometimes called lava ware. Terra-Cotta. — Under this head may be gathered many grades of pottery, from the soft Albert ware, which is lightly fired and sold in the biscuit state, in ornamental forms for decorating, to the drain-pipe, which is essentially a stoneware. Architectural terra-cotta is very highly esteemed for building purposes. This is made largely of vitreous clays, and is usually of a dark-red color, but often of a rich cream tint, and also pure white. It is non- absorbent and very durable, withstanding fire, great pres- sure, and the corroding action of the elements. Its decorative character in detail work or in massive designs gives it great value with the architect. Fancy chimney- pots, garden vases, and other ornamental articles are closely allied to architectural terra-cotta in body. Stoneware is made from bluish clays which vitrify at a strong heat, and is glazed by throwing common salt into the kiln when the ware is nearly fired. Stoneware often shows great beauty, and, decorated with cobalt blue, 2 i8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. ornamented on the lathe, or etched with a dull point when soft, reveals artistic merit. It is strong, non-absorbent, and seen generally in crocks, jars, jugs, beer-mugs, drain- pipe, and chemical apparatus. Yellow Ware is manufactured from natural buff-colored clays, and covered with a transparent glaze. It is fre- quently decorated with bands of white or brown slip, and is used chiefly for baking purposes, in the form of nappies, bowls, pipkins, and the like. Rockingham Ware, as made in the United States, is simply yellow ware covered with a dark-brown glaze, and often mottled by spattering the glaze before it is fired. The name was first applied to pottery made in England about 1 796, at the Swinton works, which were located on the estate of Charles, Marquis of Rockingham. The wares made at this place were claimed to be of superior quality, and to have received their mottled-brown color from repeated firings. Majolica Ware derived its name from a peculiar lustred ware thought to have originated in the island of Majorca. The term was afterwards used to designate the brilliantly glazed and enamelled wares of Italy. Very beautiful ma- jolica wares have been made, within the past twenty years, by English and Continental potters. Later, the manu- facture was undertaken by European and American pot- teries, but the quality was gradually cheapened and degraded, until the article became a drug on the market. Cream-Colored Ware y known as " C. C." ware by the trade, because of its yellowish tint in former years, is the cheapest grade of reliable white ware. It is now made AMERICAN WARES AND BODIES. of excellent quality, almost equal in appearance to the higher grades of goods, and is used for cooking and table purposes. White Granite, often called Stone China, or Ironstone, known as " W. G." by dealers, is a solid, serviceable ware, of a bluish tint, more largely used in the United States than any other grade of crockery. It is made of the materials common to all white wares, and to some porce- lains. Flint, feldspar, kaolin or china clay, and ball or marl clay enter into its composition. This is made into toilet, dinner, and tea sets and many other useful articles, both plam and decorated. Semi-Porcelain, also known as Paris Granite or " P. G.," Opaque China, and by various other names, is much the color of French china, and the best brands are so nearly akin to porcelain as to show translucency in the very thin parts. It is largely wrought into the finer grades of articles for family service, and decorated for dinner, tea, and toilet sets, often in an elaborate manner. Porcelain, or China, is always easily recognized by its vitreous fracture, fine grain, non-absorbent quality, and, unless very thick, by its translucency. It has for centuries commanded the admiration of men and is the highest de- velopment of the potter's art. In firing, it is brought so near to the melting point that great durability is secured and, ordinarily, immunity from crackling of the glaze, or " crazing," as it is termed. 1 In so-called soft porcelain, bone dust or phosphate of lime is largely used. 1 The Crackle ware of the Chinese and Japanese is subjected to certain processes to produce this effect. 20 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. The thin porcelain, called Bellcck, takes its name from a town in County Fermanagh, Ireland, where it has been made for a number of years to great perfection. It is noted for its great thinness, light weight, and its beautiful, iridescent or pearly glaze, variously tinted. It is now made in the United States of excellent quality. The body is akin to Parian. Parian derives its name from its resemblance to a beautiful, ivory-tinted marble found in the island of Paros. It is a fine grade of porcelain, the ingredients being thoroughly ground together. It is usually moulded by the " casting " process, in the same manner as most thin china, and possesses the translucency and vitreous nature of porcelain, but is seldom glazed. The porcelains of Europe and the East have been divided by ceramic writers into two classes, — hard paste and soft paste. This would seem, in a great measure, to be too arbitrary a classification for our American wares, since the degrees of difference are often so slight that it is impossible to determine where soft porcelain commences and hard porcelain ends. By a gradual process of evolu- tion the lines of distinction are entirely obliterated, and we find that porcelain is made of every degree of hardness, from the softest bone china to the hardest ware with no trace of animal or vegetable substances. The tests which have been recommended by the books are, therefore, of little value in deciding this vexed question, but it may be well to enumerate these various tests and state the reasons why they cannot always be relied upon. ist. The File Test. — It has been stated that hard AMERICAN WARES AND BODIES. porcelain, sometimes called natural porcelain, ox pate dure, cannot be scratched with a file. As a matter of fact, a good file will mark the hardest porcelain. This test, therefore, is unreliable. 2D. The Foot Test. — It is held by some that the ap- pearance of the foot, or that portion of a vessel upon which it rests while being fired, is an indication of its hardness, and when rough and unglazed the piece is hard paste. In many instances soft porcelain presents the same appearance, because the glaze has been removed from the foot to prevent adhesion to the bottom of the sagger in which it is fired. This test, therefore, cannot be depended upon. 3D. The Fire Test. — This, in the hands of an expe- rienced person, would be decisive, but, as it might result in the destruction of a valuable piece of ware in the in- tense heat of the kiln, it is impracticable. 4TH. The Chemical Test. — The action of acids upon porcelain, in a finely powdered state, would reveal the presence of phosphate of lime, which, in the form of bone ash, enters largely into the composition of soft porcelain, sometimes called artificial porcelain, or pate tendre, but the collector will hardly care to subject a rare specimen to the disintegrating process in order to decide the question. 5TH. The Color Test. — If on holding a piece of ware to the light it shows a mellow ivory tint, it may be consid- ered strong evidence that there is sufficient bone in its composition to entitle it to be classed as soft porcelain ; but should the color possess a bluish tone it would in- 2 2 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. dicate a hard or vitreous body. Where, however, the proportion of bone is small, this test would prove un- satisfactory. 6th. The Fracture Test. — Should accident befall a piece of porcelain and the fractured edge present a glossy, vitreous appearance, extending quite through the ware, making it difficult to determine where the glaze that covers the outside begins and where it ends, it may with confidence be called hard paste. If, on the contrary, the fracture shows a granulated surface and seems dry and chalky, or upon touching it to the tongue reveals a slightly absorbent quality, and the glaze shows distinctly at' the margins as thin layers of glass, it may safely be called a soft paste. When there is only a small proportion of bone, however, the body will be found to glisten to some extent, and this test, therefore, is not always conclusive. A connoisseur, by the touch, the color, the weight, and the general appearance, may, with some degree of certainty, be able to decide to which class a piece of porce- lain belongs, but in many cases it may be quite impossi- ble to settle this point without destroying the piece. There seems to be no conclusive test by which the collector can always distinguish hard porcelain from soft. Nor do we consider this a matter of any great importance. If the object under consideration possesses genuine beauty of form, or real merit in the decoration which has been placed upon it ; if it has historical value, or represents some particular phase in the ceramic development of any country or locality, it loses none of its interest because the owner or the practical potter is unable to decide in which AMERICAN WARES AND BODIES. 23 group to place it. The knowledge of the exact propor- tion of bone contained in its composition cannot add or detract from its real value as a work of art, and such ques- tions may properly be left for the investigation of the practical manufacturer. CHAPTER III. ABORIGINAL POTTERY. JT is not deemed advisable to enter at this time into any extended consideration of aboriginal and pre- historic fictile productions of the United States, a field which has already been so fully covered by the publica- tions of the Smithsonian Institution, our public museums of archaeology and ethnology, and various scientific societies, and the numerous monographs by the author and others, which have appeared in the magazines of the past twenty years. We may, however, very properly devote a few pages to a brief review of the art as prac- tised by the native races of this portion of North America. We are confronted at the outset with the difficulty of classifying the potteries of aboriginal tribes, the solution of which must necessarily involve us in the consideration of ethnic relations, which does not come within the scope of the present work. For the sake of convenience, we shall divide the territory now embraced in the United States into three great bands, extending from north to south, or approximately so, commencing on the extreme east with the Atlantic Slope, then passing to the Missis- sippi Valley, thence to the belt west of the Continental 24 ABORIGINAL POTTERY. Divide, each of which is marked by a distinct and charac- teristic culture status. In taking up these several divisions of native ceramic art, we shall find that, while we are compelled to ignore, to some extent, the chronological sequence, the successive stages of development of the art followed the geographical arrangement from east to west. Thus we have three groups of pre-Columbian pottery, beginning with the crude manufactures of the Eastern States, advancing to the more artistic wares of the mounds, and ending with the highest native development of the ceramic art in the United States, as exemplified in the creations of the Pueblo or house-building tribes of the far West. Having adopted this classification, let us proceed to the consideration of these three divisions in the order named. I. INDIAN POTTERY OF THE ATLANTIC COAST. The nomadic tribes w 7 hich were found in possession of the country by the first white settlers, in the sections now known as the New England, Middle, and Southern At- lantic States, had scarcely progressed beyond the first stages of savagery. Their implements were fashioned from stone, and their utensils consisted of rude steatite pots, mortars dug out of rough bowlders, and a few earthern vessels. These latter were moulded by hand from coarse clay, intermixed with sand and broken shells, and being imperfectly baked, and consequently of an extremely friable nature, were easily destroyed. For this reason, few entire examples of their handiwork in clay have descended to us. Broken fragments, however, are 26 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. plentiful among the debris of abandoned camps, and these serve to show the shapes of vessels and give us an idea of the primitive style of ornamentation employed in their manufacture. In form they were generally spherical, usually possessing a circular orifice or heavy collar, but sometimes surmount- ed with a square, triangular, or pentag- onal mouth. The decoration consisted of incised lines scratched in the clay with a stick or stone, or more elaborate markings produced by the impressions of fish vertebrae, cords or thongs, and in- dentations made by the thumb or finger- nail. Occasionally a moulded head or face 5.— Indian Pot, Pennsylvania. was added in relief. Collection Wyoming Historical and . . Geological Society. Perfect specimens Ot this ware, found on the Atlantic Slope, and now preserved in public and private collections, are comparatively rare. Perhaps the most valuable and interesting series of such pots is that in the collection of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., two of which ABORIGINAL POTTERY. 27 are here figured. The first is a globular vessel, seven inches in height, and is one of the most perfectly pre- served examples known. It was found in a cave in Wyoming Co., Pa., in 1856. The entire surface is covered with thong markings, except around the neck, where are horizontal lines which may have been made with a flint or bone implement (iu. 5). The second ex- ample is a fine illus- tration of this type of vessel. It meas- ures thirteen inches from base to lip and possesses a scalloped frieze two and a half to three inches in depth. This unusual- ly large specimen was discovered among the rocks in Wayne County, Pa. The ornamentation is of an entirely different character from that of the former. The spherical body is devoid of any attempt at embel- lishment, while the surface of the heavy rim is covered with incised lines and notches (111. 6). A somewhat similar pot, in the extensive collection of Mr. James 6. — Indian Vessel, Pennsylvania. Collection Wyoming Historical and Geological Society. 28 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Terry, at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, differs in the form of the frieze, which is triangular at the mouth. This is perhaps as fine a ceramic relic of the Lenni-Lenape Indians as can be found. It was discovered many years ago at Bushkill, Pa., and is eight inches high, the frieze being nearly one-third the height of the vessel. The Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, and other tribes of Indians in New York State made vessels of a some- 7- — Clay Pipe (Onondaga), New York. what similar nature, of which a few perfect examples have been found in ancient remains, which have been assigned to the first half of the seventeenth century. Of these, the most curious are the so-called toy cups, from Mohawk sites, some of which measure scarcely an inch in diameter. Clay smoking pipes are frequently met with among the relics of the Eastern tribes. Examples of the trumpet form, with curved stem, and often moulded heads of birds ABORIGINAL POTTERY. 29 and animals, are common in certain localities in the State of New York. Rev. W. M. Beauchamp, who has made a special study of these interesting objects, furnishes the accompanying illustration of a characteristic form from an Onondaga site near the town of Pompey, supposed to belong to the latter half of the seventeenth century. The bowl and stem are in one piece (111. 7). A vase over four- teen inches in height and eleven in diameter, with pentagonal mouth, also in the Terry collec- tion, is a beautiful ex- ample of elaborate dec- oration. The incised markings cover every portion of the surface and are so arranged as to produce a most pleas- ing effect. In this speci- men, which was found at East Windsor, Con- necticut, we have a chef-d 'ceuvre of eastern Indian art. It is remarkable for its large size and excellent condition (111. 8). The modern Cherokee Indians of North Carolina continue the manufacture of an earthenware similar in material, form, and decoration to the ancient vessels already described. A characteristic example of recent work, made by women at the East Cherokee Reservation, 8. — Vase from Connecticut. Terry Collection. POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. and owned by the Bureau of Ethnology at Washington, is represented in Illustration No. 9, which has been fur- nished by Mr. W. H. Holmes, who states that the diameter at the rim is nine inches. The interior is finished with a black polish produced by smother firing. The outside is of a brownish color of baked clay and covered with incised pattern made by means of an engraved stamp. Many quaint allusions are made by the early historians to the custom of smok- ing among the Indian tribes of North America. One chron icier wrote in the sev- enteenth century, that the Floridian "salvages" pos- sessed " a kinde of herbe dryed, which, with a cane and an earthen cup in the end, with fire and the dryed herbes put to- gether, do sucke thorow the cane the smoke thereof, which smoke satisfieth their hunger, and therewith they live foure or five dayes without meate or drinke." This " cornet of claie," which was a common accessory to the accoutrements of every warrior, is described by another as "a little pan, hollowed at the one side, and within 9. — Modern Cherokee. Bureau of Ethnology. ABORIGINAL POTTERY. whose hole there is a long quill or pipe, out of which they suck up the smoak which is within the said pan, after they put fire to it with a coal that they lay upon it." The smoking utensils described by these writers were pipe bowls made for the insertion of a separate reed stem, and not, as in the case of the New York examples, fashioned with head and stem in one piece. In the old Indian remains of Pennsylvania and New Jersey both forms are found. II. MOUND-BUILDERS' POTTERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Earthen vessels from the mounds are far more numerous and consequently present much greater variety in form and design. In general, it may be said, the texture of the clay is finer and the baking has been more thorough and uniform. The most typical form of mound vessel is probably the spherical water bottle, simple in outline, with elongated neck. Jars, basins, and urns, however, have been found in great numbers, and the modifications and variations of these are almost limitless. Many are truth- fully moulded after human, animal, and vegetable models, while others of more simple form are embellished with incised geometrical devices, in which the spiral or volute decoration is conspicuous. Not infrequently pieces are found which show traces of having originally been covered with a dark red pigment, and while some archaeologists make a distinction between the painted and unpainted wares in point of time, and possibly of origin, there seem to be no sufficient grounds for separating the two. On the contrary, both varieties of ware have been found in the 32 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. same mound and evidently represent the same era of American art. The stone graves of Tennessee have yielded an abun- dance of pottery, which is similar in all essential points to the vessels taken from the mounds. In the absence, there- fore, of conclusive evidence of a different origin or period of manufacture, we shall include them all under one gen- eral head. The subject of Mound-Builders' pottery is too vast to properly review in a work of this nature. All that can be here attempted is a brief description of a few characteristic and striking forms. We must leave the comprehensive treatment of this branch of American ceramics to others who are making the subject a special study. Every student of pottery is familiar with the great collections of mound vases which are preserved in the public museums of our principal cities. Cincinnati, Cambridge, Washington, New York, Davenport, St. Louis, and Philadelphia, all possess valuable series of these objects, and many private collec- tions throughout the country include examples of greater or lesser interest. In Illustration 10 we have a modification of the water bottle form, a vase with three legs terminating in well- moulded human heads, from a mound in Richmond County, Georgia. This piece is seven and a half inches high and is a Tennessee type. It has a plain, slightly polished surface, but was probably painted in colors origi- nally. For the illustration of this curious example, I am indebted to Mr. W. H. Holmes of Washington, D. C. Another exceedingly interesting piece is a vase in the ABORIGINAL POTTERY. form of a human head, from Pecan Point, Arkansas. The face is coated with a light yellowish-gray slip, the remain- der of the surface being colored red. Incised lines occur on the face to represent tattooing, and the closed eyes and parted lips were evidently intended to convey the idea of death. This is not a pleasant object to look upon, but as a work of aboriginal art it possesses con- siderable merit (111. 11). The oldest smoking pipes, of which we have any knowledge, were made by the builders of the mounds, who ex- pended an enormous amount of time and labor and exercised a surprising degree of skill in the production of curious receptacles for the smoking material. These objects were usually fashioned from the hardest stones, and io.-mound vase, Georgia. were frequently carved to represent certain birds and animals. They were made in one piece, the bowl rising from the centre of the curved base or platform, one end of which served the purpose of a handle, whilst the other projection formed the stem. Clay pipe-bowls have also been discovered in some of the mounds, which are pre- sumably of a more recent origin. 34 PO T TER Y A ND FOR CEL A IN. To the same people may be attributed the large earthen vessels bearing impressions of textile fabrics, found in Gallatin County, 111., and elsewhere, which are supposed to have been employed by their makers in the manufac- ture of salt. ii. — Head Vase. Arkansas. The theory, which has been recently advanced, that the Indians were the builders of the mounds of the Mis- sissippi Valley, and consequently that the makers of the rude pottery of the Atlantic Coast were the descendants of the authors of the mound vases, cannot be discussed here, nor can it have any bearing on the classification which we are forced to adopt, which is a geographical, rather than an ethnical, one. ABORIGINAL POTTERY. 35 III. PUEBLO POTTERY OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. Of an entirely different character is the ceramic ware made by the ancient house-building races of the far West and still produced by their modern descendants, the Pueblo, Zuni, and Moqui Indians of New Mexico and Arizona. Throughout the ancient ruins of this section, and extend- ing from the western borders of Colorado, through Utah to the Gila River, embracing the valleys of the Rio Grande, the San Juan, and the Colorado, sherds and vessels, in all stages of entirety, are found in astonishing abun- dance. Three distinct varieties were manufactured, — one, a corrugated ware, formed by the spiral coiling of ropes of plastic clay and afterwards indenting the surface with thumb marks or covering it with basketry or woven fabrics, which left their impress on the yielding material ; the second, a red painted ware ; the third, a whitish ware, coated with white or red clay, and painted in vari-colored designs. Of the first class, the most common vessels were the large urns in which the makers stored their meal or buried the incinerated bones of their dead. Remark- ably well preserved examples of this type have been dis- covered in the canons and cliffs of this section, carefully hidden away in recesses where they have remained unmo- lested until taken from their resting-places by some en- thusiastic explorer. An exceedingly perfect specimen of this class, fifteen inches in height, which is entirely covered with an indented design produced by an ingenious arrange- ment of thumb pressures in the coils of clay, was discov- ered by Mr. Charles McLoyd of Durango, Colorado, in the winter of 1890-91, in the ruins of a cliff house in Grand 36 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. Gulch, Southern Utah. This vessel, when found, was filled with corn. This form of urn is frequently met with among the ruins of this section, and a number of remark- ably fine examples may be seen in the superb collection of the National Museum. In some instances the impressed designs have been produced by the application of textile fabrics or the use of shells, stones, and sticks. Rarely the coiling method was employed in the manufacture of ves- sels of more elaborate form, as in a remarkable water- bottle from New Mexico, in the Terry collection. This is in the form of an animal, possibly intended to represent the Rocky Mountain sheep or the antelope. The red painted variety is made of a gray clay, considerably harder and more thoroughly burned than the coiled ware, and covered with 12.— Corrugated Water-Jar, New Mexico, a coating of dark red Tames Terry Collection. i • coloring matter. 1 he surface is usually glossy, the result, probably, of burnishing with smooth pebbles. Geometrical devices are frequently painted on the surface in black. The third variety, which is by far the most abundant, is made of a finer clay, mixed with pounded shells, quartz, or flint. In color the body is a light gray-white, some- times almost approaching in quality and appearance the yellow or Rockingham body of the civilized potter. This ABORIGINAL POTTERY. 37 is greatly superior to any other ware produced by native tribes in the United States, it is generally covered with a fine white wash or slip, polished by burnishing, and decorated with geometrical figures applied in black, red, and buff. The colored designs, while crude, were some- times wonderfully well executed. The vessels of the ancient Pueblos excelled the productions of all other abo- riginal peoples in the United States in the variety of shapes. Mugs, pitchers, jars, urns, dippers, bottles, and bowls formed but a small portion of the fictile products of this section. Illustration 13 will convey an excellent idea of the older wares of this class. The original, which measures six or seven inches in height, was found in the ruins of the Canon de Chelly, Arizona. The form is crude, the outlines irregular, and the decoration poorly executed in black. From this same site, how- ever, the writer, some years ago, in connection with Mr. William H. Jackson, photographer of the United States Geological Survey, unearthed a number of fine specimens of similar ware, of superior workmanship. A form which is frequently met with in the San Juan valley is the mug with double handle, as shown in Illus- tration 14. In this example, which comes from the vicinity of Provo, Utah, the design is more carefully drawn. A very interesting discovery was made during the winter of 1891 and 1892 by Mr. Charles McLoyd, of Duran- 13. — Archaic Pueblo Jug, Arizona. 38 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. go, Colorado, who spent six months exploring the canons of the San Juan and Colorado rivers. In a dry cave in Southern Utah he found a large coiled vase, covered with a flat stone, which contained a number of perfect pieces of earthenware undecorated and unturned. One of these specimens is now before me. It is a double-handled cup, three and a quarter inches in height, of a buff-colored clay, hardened by the heat of the sun. Being in an un- finished condition, these examples will throw con- siderable light upon the methods of manufacture as practised bythis ancient race. The presence cf so many entire vessels in one place is evidence that they were stored away for future burning, and afterwards forgotten. A water jar from the Canon de Chelly, about ten inches in diameter (111. 15), is decorated in white and black. The body of the vessel is covered with a series of diagonal lines, between which the meander, or " walls of Troy " design forms the embellishment. A large olla, or jar, from the ancient province of Tu- sayan, Arizona, exhibits a different style of ornamentation, which consists of white figures on a black painted ground. This interesting piece is in the collection of Mr. T. V. Keam. The form of this specimen is somewhat unusual 14. — Double-Handled Mug, Utah. 15.— Ancient Water-Jar, Arizona. 16. — Ancient Pottery Olla, Arizona. 17. — Ancient Pueblo Bowl, St. George, Utah. 39 40 PO TTER Y A ND POP CELAIN. in this section, and belongs to the type represented by the steatite ollas, which have been found so abundantly in California, where pottery was made to a very limited extent by the former inhabitants, and only of the very rudest character (111. 16). An example of the best ware made by the ancient Pueblos is shown in Illustration 17. It is a bowl or basin, of symmetrical shape, made of the grayish-white body, with polished and painted interior, from an ancient tumulus, near St. George, Utah. The design is regular and won- derfully well executed. A common form of pottery found among the remains of this interesting people is the dipper, or ladle-shaped vessel, which was extensively used for filling the water jars, and may have been employed as a drinking-cup. These were provided with straight handles, which were usually decorated in colors, and sometimes provided with a perforation at the end for suspension. The interior of the bowl generally received decorative treatment also, and in many instances the painted designs are most elaborate and ornamental. The specimen represented in Illustration 18 was found in Montezuma Canon, Utah. Some of these utensils possessed hollow handles, such as are in use at the present day by the Moqui Indians of Arizona, the purpose being to permit the water to be emptied from the bowl through the hollow tube in filling water jars. -Pottery Dipper, Montezuma Canon, Utah. ABORIGINAL POTTERY. 4i Occasionally pieces are met with which combine the principles of coiling and painting. A bowl, of archaic 19. — Coiled and Painted Bowl, Cibola. form, from Cibola, shows a corrugated or coiled exterior surface, with the usual thumb indentations, and a polished white interior, with geometrical designs in black (111. 19). 20. — Fragment of Ancient Pueblo Pottery. Painting of Antelope. 42 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. The painting of animal figures was sometimes at- tempted by the ancient potters, though examples of this style are comparatively rare. A curious illustration of this class of ware is a fragment, with conventional paint- ing of antelope, picked up by the writer in the ruin district of the Rio San Juan (111. 20). In rare instances pieces have been discovered which possess moulded figures of reptiles and other subjects, as in the fragment of the neck of a vessel, on which is a modelled representation of a frog, which I discovered in ^ ^ Southwestern Colorado, now deposited in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (111. 21). The modern house-building Indians of Arizona and New Mexico continue to make pottery after the ancient methods. Frog Ornament. The ware, while inferior in body, is more elaborate in design and considerably richer in forms and variety of embellishment. Animal representations, both moulded and painted, are the rule rather than the excep- tion. A most characteristic form of vessel which is com- mon to the Moquis, Pueblos, and Zunis, is the meal jar, decorated with black, red, and buff paintings of deer, elk, and birds, on a white ground. The annexed engraving (111. 22) shows a representative example of this type, from Zuni, with figures of deer and birds, surrounded with decorative designs. In depicting the former, the mouth is almost inva- riably connected by a passage extending to the stomach (?). Water bottles in the forms of birds, beasts, and rep- tiles, and in imitation of the human form, are made in ABORIGINAL POTTERY. 43 great profusion by the Zuni potters. An effigy bottle, representing a mother owl with three little ones perched on her back, is a characteristic representative of this class (111. 23). The owl seems to have been a favorite subject 23. — Zun t i Indian Water Vessel. 24. — Zuni Coiled Jar. 44 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. with the native designer. The deer, elk, and bear were also represented, and among the more recent productions the domestic fowl, cow, and hog figure largely. The modern Zunis also practise the coiling method to some extent in making their pottery, as may be seen in Illustration 24, which shows a jar or pot with corrugated surface and serpent-like, relief ornaments on opposite sides. The Indians of Cochiti, as in all of the nineteen Pueblo villages of New Mexico, manufacture ware of a similar character. A water vessel, here figured (111. 25), in form of a bird, with painting representing a hunt- ing scene, is an average production of the present day. It will be seen by a study of the foregoing illustrations that the artistic instinct was strongly developed in the village Indians of the Southwest. The simplicity of decoration, as shown in the tasteful combinations and variations of the fret and scroll, the triangle, and other elementary designs, the presence of a semi-glazed or. polished surface, and their utilitarian forms entitle these productions to the highest place among the fictile manu- ABORIGINAL POTTERY. 45 factures of American races. Such results could only have been reached by the intelligent and well-directed efforts of a sedentary people, who had for centuries remained in one place and had attained a high degree of proficiency in the useful arts. We are indebted to the Bureau of Ethnology for the majority of the illustrations of Pacific Slope pottery used in this chapter. CHAPTER IV. EARLY BRICK- AND TILE-MAKING. THE belief that all of the bricks which were used in the construction of houses in this country previous to the middle of the eighteenth century were imported from Europe is widespread but erroneous. It is true that bricks were brought from Holland to New York in the seventeenth century, and some of the ancient build- ings in the New England States and Pennsylvania were built of bricks procured from Great Britain, yet it is equally certain that brick-making had become an estab- lished industry in America a few years after the arrival of the first white settlers. It is stated by Dr. J. Leander Bishop, in his History of American Manufactures, that bricks were burned in Virginia as early as the year 1612, and so rapid was the development of this art that " tyle- makers " in this new Colony were living well by their trade in 1649. Two years previous to the latter date, brick- and tile-making were being carried on in New England as independent callings. Daniel Pegg and others manufac- tured bricks in Philadelphia in 1685, and, shortly after, numerous brickyards were in operation along the shores of the Delaware. Many residences throughout the coun- 46 EARLY BRICK- AND TILE-MAKING. 47 try, particularly in certain sections of Pennsylvania, were built of brick early in the eighteenth century. The cost of importing these supplies from England and transport- ing them to the rural districts, far removed from tide- water, would have been prohibitory. That building-bricks were extensively manufactured here previous to 1753 is indicated by a statement of Lewis Evans, of Philadelphia, who wrote to a friend in England in that year: " The greatest vein of Clay for Bricks and Pottery, begins near Trenton Falls, and extends a mile or two in Breadth on the Pennsylvania side of the River to Christine ; then it crosses the River and goes by Salem. The whole world cannot afford better bricks than our town is built of. Nor is the Lime which is mostly brought from White Marsh inferior to that wherewith the old castles in Britain were formerly built." When burned, as formerly, in " clamps," the bricks formed their own kiln, piled on edge, a finger's breadth apart, to allow the heat to circulate between. Those which came in direct contact with the wood-fire in the kiln were blackened and partially vitrified on the exposed ends ; while the opposite extremities, which were farthest from the heat, were only partially baked, and consequently too soft for external use. The bricks which were uni- formly surrounded by heat came out red. To utilize all of the bricks produced, the black ends of the former were laid outward in the wall, thus combining utility with orna- mentation. Many of the older buildings were constructed in this manner, the black binders and red stretchers alter- nating, each layer breaking joints with that immediately 4 8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. above and below. This method of laying bricks was the most common in use and was known as the Flemish bond. The first roofing tiles used in America were in all probability brought from Holland. Peter Jagou built three houses on the Burlington Islands in the Delaware River, about 1668, of brick and tile. In 1670 he was plundered by the Indians and his dwelling was destroyed. Amono- the ruins of one of these structures Dr. Charles C. o Abbott discovered, in November, 1891, some red and yellow bricks and examples of curled or " pan " tiles which were apparently of Dutch workmanship, though Prof. Edward S. Morse, who has devoted much time to the study of the roofing tiles of the world, has suggested to me that as there is no evidence that these were imported, they may have been made in this country. In his instruc- tive article on Roofing Tiles, published in The American Architect and Building News, of April 23, 1892, Prof. Morse, referring to the flat roofing tile which has been found extensively in Eastern Pennsylvania, makes use of the following statement : " As the form of this tile and its dimensions correspond to the average flat tile seen in Germany, it is almost certain that the tile was introduced by the early German emigrants to that region." Flat terra-cotta roofing tiles were made to a consider- able extent in certain parts of this country, particularly in the German settlements of Eastern Pennsylvania, early in the last century, and were commonly used on smith-shops and out-buildings, but rarely on dwellings. The art was brought from Germany, where the same methods of man- ufacture are, to some extent, still practised. In this con- EARLY BRICK- AND TILE-MAKING. 49 nection the statements furnished by Prof. Morse possess considerable interest. He says : " The making of flat tiles, as I saw it near Wurtzburg, was of the simplest de- scription. An iron frame having the outline of the tile to be made was the only important implement involved in the process. This frame represented the mould. The table upon which this rested consisted of a thick piece of 26. — Pennsylvania Roofing Tiles (Eighteenth Century). plank, over which was spread a piece of woolen cloth, one edge of which was nailed to the lateral edge of the plank, while the opposite edge of the cloth had secured to it an iron rod, the weight of which kept the cloth drawn smoothly over the plank. The iron frame was now placed upon the cloth and clay was packed into it with the hands, and then pounded down with a wooden mallet such as a moulder might use. A straight-edge was used to scrape 4 5o POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. away the superfluous clay, a little mass being left at the head of the tile which was afterwards shaped into the nib which was to hold the tiles to the laths or battens. This being done, a square piece of board notched at one end to admit the nib was placed on the frame. The workman then grasped the iron rod attached to the free end of the cloth, and with the other hand holding the board in its place, lifted the cloth and inverted the whole thing, transferring the soft tile to the board. The iron frame was then re- moved, and the board with its unbaked tile was placed in the sun to dry." Such was substantially the method re- sorted to by the early tile-makers in this country, with the difference that rain grooves were added to the upper sur- face of the tile by the finger of the workman before the clay had dried. The grooving, however, was not always accomplished in this primitive manner. Mr. Solomon Grimly of Schwenkville, Pa., informs me that his grand- father, in describing the process employed by the Mont- gomery County (Pa.) tilers in the early part of the eigh- teenth century, stated that the frame or mould in which the tile was formed was grooved in the bottom and into this the clay was pressed and the superfluous material was cut away by passing a strong thread or wire across the top, a lump being left at the upper margin which was drawn up with the fingers to form the catch or knob. The uni- formity of grooving which is sometimes noticed in tiles from the same source would seem to prove this statement to be correct. The knob was not always, however, formed in this manner, as examples have been found in other localities EARLY BRICK- AND TILE-MAKING, 51 which show conclusively that the protuberance had been made separately, and afterwards attached to the tile. Mr. Grimly has sent me a specimen of this character, which he attributes to one Hiester (or Hiister), who is said to have made tiles in Upper Salford township, Montgomery Co., Pa., about 1735. At Bethlehem, Pa., the Moravians made similar tiles about 1 740, or earlier, until well into the present century. Mr. Robert Rau, of Bethlehem, has presented me with some interesting examples taken from an old building which was erected about 1 760. At many small potteries in Lancaster County, Pa., roofing tiles have been made for upwards of a hundred and twenty-five years, and on an old smithy near the village of Bird-in-Hand one of the tiles which covered the roof bears the date 1769, which covers the entire surface, having been traced in the moist clay by the finger of the workman. Such tiles have been found in the debris of an old smith-shop, which was built in 1799, at Cope's Bridge, on the Brandywine, near West Chester, Pa., which, while probably made by an English Quaker, are of the usual German form. Throughout the greater portion of Eastern Pennsylvania the flat tile is found. The writer possesses specimens from many localities, which vary slightly in size and style of grooving in the productions of different potteries. They measure thirteen to fourteen inches in length, six and a half to seven in width, and five eighths of an inch in thickness, and are broadly and shallowly grooved, for the purpose of allowing the rain to flow off, with a knob or hook at the upper margin of the under side for attachment. Mr. Jacob Swope, of Bird-in- 52 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Hand, was making tiles in 1820, and in Bucks County, Pa., they were manufactured, of finer clay and somewhat smaller size, as late as 1850. In the German settlements of Pennsylvania, tiles from the old buildings are still in demand for lining baking-ovens, as they are considered superior for this purpose to fire-bricks, on account of their thorough burning. CHAPTER V. EARLY POTTING IN AMERICA. THE potter's art was probably first practised in this country by the earlier emigrants in Virginia. Numer- ous small potteries sprung up to supply the modest needs of the simple-minded inhabitants, which furnished coarse earthenware utensils for culinary and other pur- poses. While such crude wares were made to a consider- able extent, no record of any one of the primitive kilns, which were insignificant affairs, has descended to us. The older chroniclers seem to have completely ignored, as unworthy of note, the existence of an art in their midst which had already become familiar to them before leaving their native soil. Previous to 1649 there were a number of small potters in Virginia who carried on a thriving business in the communities in which they operated ; and the first Dutch settlers in New York brought with them a practical knowledge of potting, and are said to have made a ware equal in quality to that produced in the ancient town of Delft, — hardly a white ware, but such as could be produced from the natural clays which abounded in the country. Prof. Isaac Broome, of the Beaver Falls Art Tile Works, informs me that the remains of an old kiln 53 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. fire-hole, saved from the ravages of time by being thor- oughly vitrified, still exist a mile or two below South Amboy, N. J., supposed to be a relic of the earlier pottery ware made on this continent, and most probably built by the Dutch to make stew-pans and pots. Among the immigrants of the seventeenth century were pot-makers, who had learned their trade in the mother-country, and Gabriel Thomas, who came from England, states in his Description of Philadelphia, pub- lished in 1697, that " great encouragements are given to tradesmen and others. . . . Potters have sixteen pence for an earthern pot which may be bought in England for fourpence." Gilbert Cope, of West Chester, Pa., has discovered in his genealogical researches that one Joshua Tittery, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, came over to Pennsylvania in the year 1683, in the employ of the " Society of Traders," as a glass-maker, and in his will he calls himself a potter. As early as about 1690 Philadelphia had at least one potter and one tobacco-pipe maker. FIRST WHITE-WARE MANUFACTORY IN AMERICA. Dr. Daniel Coxe, of London, one of the Proprietors, and afterward Governor of West New Jersey, was prob- ably the first to make white ware in the Colonies. While he did not come to America himself, he caused a pottery to be erected at Burlington, N. J., previous to the year 1685, through his agent, John Tatham, who, with Daniel Coxe, his son, looked after his large interests here. We are indebted to Mr. John D. McCormick, of Trenton, for EARLY POTTING IN AMERICA. calling attention to the following reference to this pottery, in the inventory of property offered for sale in the Jerseys, supposed to have been written about 1688, in the Raw- linson manuscripts, in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford, England, which has been carefully transcribed from the original and forwarded to me by the obliging librarian : " I have erected a pottery att Burlington for white and chiney ware, a greate quantity to ye value of 1200 li have been already made and vended in ye Country, neigh- bour Colonies and ye Islands of Barbadoes and Jamaica where they are in great request. I have two houses and kills with all necessary implements, diverse workemen, and other servants. Have expended thereon about 1* M 1 1. 1 In the same MS., fol. 46, are " Proposalls made by Daniell Coxe proprietary and Governor of ye provinces of East and West Jersey in America : " The above mencioned Daniell Coxe being resolved to sell his interest in Land and Government of the Colo- nies of East and West Jersey. The land amounting . . . unto one million of Acres (etc). " Itt is believed a thousand pounds per Annum cleere of all charges the said Daniell Coxe hath likewise at Bur- lington two houses and kill with all necessary materialls and implements with diverse servants who have made a greate progresse in a Pottery of White and China ware above 1 200 li worth being already made and vended in the Coun- try neighbour plantations and the Islands of Barbados Jamaica &c. and well managed will probably bee very 1 MS. Rawlinson, c. 128, fol. 30, b. 56 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Advantagious to ye undertakers D : C: haveing expended thereon to bring it to perfeccion allmost 2000 li." It is recorded that in 1691 Dr. Coxe sold to the " West New Jersey Society" of London, consisting of forty-eight persons, his entire interests in the Province, including a dwelling-house and " pottery-house" with all the tools, for the sum of ,£9,000 sterling. John Tatham bought of Dr. Coxe, in 1689, fourteen acres of land in Burlington. In 1690 he was elected Gov- ernor of East and West New Jersey, and subsequently erected in Burlington a "great and stately palace." It is possible to gain some idea of the nature of this "white and chiney ware" by examining the statements of Dr. Plot, a contemporary, who published his Natural His- tory of Staffordshire in 1686, as quoted by the late Mr. Llewellynn Jewitt, in his Ceramic Art of Great Britain : "The greatest pottery they have in this county is carried on at Burslem, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, where for making their different sorts of pots they have as many different sorts of clay . . . and are distinguish^ by their colours and uses as followeth : — "1. Bottle clay, of a bright whitish streaked yellow colour. " 2. Hard fire-clay, of a duller whitish colour, and fully intersperst with a dark yellow, which they use for their black wares, being mixt with the " 3. Red Blending clay, which is of a dirty red colour. " 4. White clay, so called it seems, though of a blewish colour, and used for making yellow-color'd ware, because yellow is the lightest colour they make any ware of." 1 1 Page 97, vol. i., London, 1878. EARLY POTTING IN AMERICA. In 1685 Thomas Miles made a white "stoneware" of pipe-clay procured at Shelton. A few years after this, it is said that a potter named Astbury made " crouch " and " white stone " ware in the same town, on which he used a salt glaze. 1 It is probable that the " chiney " of the Burlington pottery was in reality a cream-colored ware or a w r hite stoneware somewhat similar to that made about the same time in England. It is not unlikely that the clay was brought from South Amboy, as Dr. Coxe owned considerable land in that vicinity. This clay has since been extensively employed in the manufacture of fine stone-ware. Mr. Francis B. Lee, son of the Clerk of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, has recently discovered the pleadings in a case apparently relating to the old Burlington Pottery, to which my attention has been called by William Nelson, Esq., correspending secretary of the New Jersey Histori- cal Society, as published in the American Potters Journal of April 1, 1892. This reference seems to establish the fact that this pottery was in operation at least as early as 1685. I n examining a court book in and for Burlington jurisdiction, Mr. Lee found, in the records of a Court of Sessions (12 m. 20-22 days, 1685), a suit brought by James Budd against Edward Randall ("Acc' on debt"), reported as follows : " The deed or Indenture of agreem't betweene Plain't & deft Read & proved, & also ye bond of Two Hundred pounds from ye deft to ye Plain't for p'formance, also read and proved. 1 This was made of tobacco-pipe clay mixed with flint, and was superior to anything produced in England before. 5 8 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. " Mary Budd Attested sayth that shee being at Lon- don before ye Deft came away shee was told by an honest woman there who had some concerne amongst ye Potters at London that she feared ye Pott works here would come to nothing, for that the said deft Randall & ye other p'sons who were to come to manage ye same works had not skill to p'fect it. " Wm. Winn Attested sayth that hee can finde noe Clay in the Countrey that will make white ware ; And further sayth that Edward Randall, the deft, is as good a workman as James Budd ye plaint can finde in England. " The Jury bring in this determination (vizt.) wee can give noe fynall determination of ye matter until materialls requisite shall come from England to prove ye skill of ye deft. " Whereupon the Bench order that the said Edward Randall recinde ye Concerne of ye said James Budd until fitt materialls be sent for from such place in England as ye said Edward Randall shall appoint." From this it would appear that Randall, who was brought to America by James Budd to manage the Bur- lington works, was, for some reason, either because of lack of skill or the impossibility of procuring suitable clay, un- able to fulfil his contract to manufacture white ware up to that time. Later, as Dr. Coxe states, a great quantity of the ware was successfully manufactured here. The exact location of the old Coxe pottery is not known. It was probably situated somewhere between Burlington and Trenton, not necessarily in the former town, but somewhere in the county. CHAPTER VI. POTTERIES OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. EARLY OPERATIONS IN THE CAROLINAS. ACCORDING to tradition, china clays were sent to Europe from North Carolina more than two centu- ries ago. The Indians are said to have carried it from the Smoky Mountains to the coast, " under the name of Unakah," as Mr. W. A. H. Schreiber of Webster, N. C, informs me, which was " their name for Smokies (meaning white), still called Unaka in Mitchell Co. and Unakoi in Cherokee." Previous to the middle of the last century, and before the manufacture of porcelain had been attempted in America, English potters were using china clays procured in this country. Mr. Llewellynn Jewitt, in his Ceramic Art of Great Britam, informs us that a patent was taken out in 1744, by Edward Heylyn, of the parish of Bow, in the county of Middlesex, merchant, and Thomas Frye, of the parish of West Ham, in the county of Essex, painter, for the manufacture of china-ware ; and in the following year they enrolled their specification, in which they state that the material used in their invention " is an earth, the produce of the Chirokee nation in America, called by the 59 6o POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. natives unaker." In 1878 and 1879, Mr. William Henry Goss, proprietor of the extensive porcelain works at Lon- don Road, Stoke-on-Trent, contributed to the English Pottery and Glass Trades Review a series of notes on Mr. Jewitt's work. In December of the former year he wrote : "The specification of this patent is of startling interest. Who would have thought, until Mr. Jewitt unfolded this document to modern light, that the first English china that we have any knowledge of was made from American china- clay ? Let our American cousins look out for, and treasure up lovingly, specimens of the earliest old Bow-ware after learning that." 1 Then follows the specification in full, as given by Mr. Jewitt, and Mr. Goss continues : " This 'unaker,' the produce of the Chirokee nation in America, is decomposed granitic rock, the earth or clay resulting from the washing being the decomposed felspar of that rock. It is curious that it should have been imported from among the Chirokees when we had mountains of it so near as Cornwall ; unknown, however, to any ' whom it might concern ' until Cookworthy discovered it twenty-four years later than the date of the above patent." William Cookworthy was acquainted with American clays as early as 1 745, for in a letter to a friend, dated fifth month, thirti- 1 It may be interesting to note that John Dwight, in 1671, took out a patent for the manufacture of " porcelaine " or transparent earthen-ware, and Mr. Jewitt remarks : " To Dwight, therefore, it will be seen by these patents, the credit of being the first inventor and maker of porcelain in England belongs. His name is thus one entitled to lasting honour as the pioneer of one of the best, most beautiful, most successful, and most flourishing arts ever practised in our kingdom." Mr. Charles Cooper, in an article, published in the Gentle7iiati 's Magazine of August 1892, states that John D wight's patent for the manufacture of porcelain was dated April 23, 1671, and informs us that the old Dwight pottery is still in operation in Church St., Fulham. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 61 eth, of that year, quoted by Mr. Jewitt, he writes : " I had lately with me the person who hath discovered the china-earth. He had samples of the china-ware of their making with him, which were, I think, equal to the Asiatic. 'T was found in the back of Virginia, where he was in quest of mines ; and having read Du Halde, discovered both the petunse and kaulin. 'T is the latter earth, he says, is the essential thing towards the success of the manufacture. He is gone for a cargo of it, having bought the whole country of the Indians where it rises. They can import it for £1$ per ton, and by that means afford their china as cheap as common stoneware. But they intend only to go about 30 per cent, under the company." We must not conclude from this statement that the ware which Cookworthy had seen had been made in America. It is much more probable that the pieces were some of those produced at the Bow works, within the year that had just passed, from the recently discovered American materials. In 1765 and 1766 South Carolina clays were sent to the Worcester china works, and the Bristol works, for trial, but the results were not satisfactory. Miss Eliza Meteyard informs us, in her Life of ' Josiah Wedgwood, that "as early as 1766, a Mr. Bartlem, a Staf- fordshire potter, who had been unsuccessful in his own country, emigrated to South Carolina, and commencing his trade there, induced various workmen to follow him." 1 In a letter to Sir William Meredith, Wedgwood thus expresses his alarm at this circumstance : "The bulk of 1 See vol. ii., p. 475. 6 2 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. our particular manufactures are, you know, exported to foreign markets, for our home consumption is very trifling in comparison, to what is sent abroad ; & the principal of these markets are the Continent & Islands of North America. To the Continent we send an amazing quan- tity of white stoneware & some of the finer kinds, but for the Islands we cannot make anything to rich and costly. This trade to our Colonies we are apprehensive of losing in a few years, as they have set on foot some Pottworks there already, and have at this time an agent amongst us hiring a number of our hands for establishing new Pottworks in South Carolina ; having got one of our insolvent Master Potters there to conduct them. They have every material there, equal if not superior to our own, for carrying on that manufacture ; and as the neces- saries of life, and consequently the price of labour amongst us are daily advancing, it is highly probable that more will follow them, and join their brother artists and manu- facturers of every Class, who are from all quarters taking a rapid flight indeed the same way ! Whether this can be remedied is out of our sphere to know, but we cannot help apprehending such consequences from these emigra- tions as make us very uneasy for our trade and Posterity." 1 The apprehensions of the great potter seem to have been groundless, as the early venture to which reference is made proved abortive and " disaster and death were the results." In the same year, however, Wedgwood procured samples of the Carolina clays, from the country of the Cherokees, some 300 miles from Charleston, which, 1 Hid., vol. i., p. 367. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 63 proving satisfactory after trial, were for several years after used by him in larger quantities. Subsequently he im- ported clays from Florida, which he seems to have preferred to the former. 1 Mines of fine kaolin are now being worked in Jackson County, N. C, which furnish clay for the best china made at Trenton, N. J., and East Liverpool, Ohio. This kaolin contains some oxide of cobalt which imparts to the ware a bluish tint, so desirable in fine porcelain bodies. MANUFACTURE OF STONEWARE. A stoneware factory was started in New York, at " Potter's Hill," near the " Fresh-water Pond," back of the old City Hall, in or about 1735, by John Remmey, who came from Germany. On an old map of New York City, printed in 181 3, entitled, " A Plan of the City and Environs of New York as they were in the years 1742, 1743, and 1744, Drawn by D G in the 76th year of his age, who had at this time a perfect and correct recol- lection of every part of the same," Remmey & Crolius' pottery is marked. John Remmey died in 1762, but the business passed through three generations of Remmeys, all of the name of John, and was discontinued about 1820. Later on, Joseph Henry Remmey, a great-grandson of the founder, moved to South Amboy, N. J., with some of the machinery of the old factory, and established a pottery there. His father, John Remmey the third, owned one of 1 Richard Champion, of the Bristol Porcelain works, arrived in South Carolina Dec. 6, 1784, and settled at Camden, S. C, as a planter. He did not, however, en- gage in the manufacture of pottery or porcelain in this country. See Two Centuries of Ceramic Art in Bristol, by Hugh Owen, 1873. 64 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAJN. the largest libraries in New York in his day, and possess- ing literary tastes, wrote and published, in 1799, Egypt as It Is, and contributed numerous editorials to the news- papers of that period. These facts have been furnished me by Mr. John F. Remmeyof Brooklyn, a son of Joseph Henry Remmey, from records in his possession. About 1 8 10, Henry Remmey, a brother of John Remmey the third, and grandson of the orig- inal John Remmey, went to Philadelphia and soon afterwards embarked in the stoneware business, which has been contin- ued to the present time, the proprietor of the works now being Mr. Richard C. Remmey, one of his great-grand- sons. The Philadelphia works have grown to ex- tensive proportions, ten large kilns being now in use. Here are manufac- tured chemical bricks of superior quality , and stone and porcelain-ware of every description, for chemical purposes, some of the vessels having a capacity of two hundred to five hundred gallons. These productions have obtained almost -Stoneware Money-Bank, R. C. Remmey. THE EIGH TEEN TH CEN TURY. 65 a world-wide reputation for hardness and durability. Mr. Remmey is now making preparations for the manufacture of porcelain bath-tubs and other large designs. Much of the clay used at these works is obtained at Woodbridge, N. J. In addition to these specialties, the factory pro- duces an extensive line of salt-glazed household utensils, such as mugs, pitchers, spittoons, jugs, crocks, and money- banks. The decoration is such as is usually found on similar wares ; — cobalt blue designs beneath the glaze, — in addition to which a more artistic style of ornamentation is employed to some extent, consisting of incised devices touched with blue. The quality of these various products is unsurpassed and the large quantity of goods manufac- tured here places this factory in the front rank of such establishments in this country and abroad. SLIP-DECORATED AND SGRAFFIATO WARE. Perhaps there are no products of the potter's art more interesting to the antiquary and the collector than the rude "slip-decorated" pieces which were made in Eng- land and Germany during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Among the most prominent of the earlier British slip-potters were Thomas and Ralph Toft, who, with others of less renown, have left some of these primi- tive productions, in the forms of dishes, drinking-cups, candlesticks, and miniature cradles, which are now eagerly sought by collectors, fine examples of which may be seen in the Museum of Practical Geology and the South Ken- sington and British Museums of London, as well as in a 5 66 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. number of private cabinets in England. 1 The decoration consists of childish designs, representing royal personages, lions, unicorns, birds, beasts, and flowers, executed by tracing liquid clays, or " slips," of different colors, on common red or buff pottery, through a quill attached to a hand-box, the flow of the diluted clay being controlled by means of a small air-hole in the upper part of the slip- box, which was closed or opened by the thumb of the decorator. By this contrivance a variety of ornamental effects was produced, such as the outlining of figures, the application of dotted or trellised borders, inscriptions, and dates. The recent discovery by the writer of slip-decorated pottery, and of sgraffiato y or incised red ware, among the products of old American potteries, possesses considerable interest. This latter style of ornamentation was common with Italian potters so long ago as the fifteenth century, and in Germany and England was employed to some extent two hundred years later. The decorative process consisted in covering the earthenware biscuit with a thin layer of lighter-colored slip, through which the designs were scratched with a style to expose the darker color below. A coating of transparent glaze, slightly clouded with green and yellow oxides, was then applied to the surface, and, after the final firing, the ware presented the appearance of a rich red intaglio beneath a greenish or mottled-yellow ground. During the latter half of the last century and the first half of this, many small potteries were established throughout the German settlements in 1 Those who desire to go further into the subject of British slip-decorated ware are referred to Examples of Early English Pottery, Named, Dated, and Inscribed, by- John Eliot Hodgkin, F.S.A., and Edith Hodgkin. London, i8qi. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 67 Eastern Pennsylvania, particularly in the counties of Bucks, Montgomery, Lehigh, Berks, and Schuylkill, where such ware was produced quite extensively. Its very homeliness and crude, but picturesque, ornamentation appealed strongly to the simple-minded country folk who used it in their daily avocations. The sentiments em- bodied in the quaint inscriptions and mottoes, which usually formed a prominent part of the embellishment of earthen plates, dishes, and jars, and the frequent presence of dates of manufacture, which were usually very exact, including the day of the month, caused such pieces to be carefully treasured and handed down from mother to daughter. Early specimens which have recently been discovered indicate such proficiency in slip-decoration as would lead us to infer that the art was by no means new to the potters of a century and a quarter ago in this country. The old English and German craftsmen plied their trades in this new field of labor on the same principles which had governed their ancestors a hundred years or more before. The oldest dated example of this ware which has yet come to light in the United States is a dish, fifteen inches in diameter and three inches deep, now in the Pennsyl- vania Museum, Philadelphia, which is embellished with floriated central devices, colored with red and green glazes, and the following inscription, carved in the white slip around the rim : " Not Be Ashamed I Advice thee Most if one Learneth thee what Thou not Knowest, the Ingenious is Accounted Brave, but the Clumsey None Desire to have, 1762." 68 PO T TER Y A ND FOR CEL A IN. This is evidently the work of a German potter, and was most probably made at one of the numerous old potteries in Montgomery County, Pa. (111. 28). The exact origin of this interesting example is not known, though there is no doubt that it was made in 28. — Slip-Engraved Dish, Pennsylvania, 1762. (Barber Coll.) Pennsylvania Museum. Pennsylvania. Several potteries are known to have been in operation in Montgomery and Bucks counties at the time of the date of this piece, where such ware was made. Mr. James Terry, of New Haven, Ct, is in possession of THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 69 a brown, glazed earthenware tea-caddy, five inches square. The front is covered with yellow slip, which has been cut away to show some crude designs, by bringing out the dark color beneath, and the inscription : " Esther Smith Her Tea Cannister Sept 6th 1767." There is reason to believe that this was made at the old Smith pottery in Wrights- town township, Bucks County, Pa., erected in 1763 by Joseph Smith, where 29.— tea-Caddy, sgraffiato ware. Jam] Such ware is known Terry Collection. to have been produced. The owner of the pottery had a sister Esther, who was born in 1727, but as she was married to Thomas Lacey in 1 748, this piece could not have belonged to her. But Joseph Smith (born 1 721) was married in 1743, and it is quite likely that he may have had a daughter Esther, named after his sister, who was probably the original owner of the cannister, shown in Engraving 29. Mr. Isaac Eyre, of Newtown, Pa., informs me that Thomas Paxson, of Buckingham, father of ex-Chief-Justice Paxson, of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, once told tES 7o PO TTER Y A ND POP CP LAIN. him of an old dish that was made at the old Smith pottery, which contained the following legend : " Here is health to the man who has a half Joe 1 And has the heart to lend it, Let the dogs take him who has a whole Joe And has n't the heart to spend it." Dr. Lettie A. Smith of Newtown, granddaughter of Thomas Smith, who afterwards owned the pottery, remembers distinctly seeing some of her grandmother's decorated dishes, which contained four or more lines of poetry and the name of Thomas Smith, with dates. An earthen keg, covered with a black glaze, sixteen inches in height, with the name J. Smith and date 1 799, is also believed to have come from the same pot- tery. It is in the possession of Mr. J. S. Williams of New Hope, Pa. The only examples remaining in the Smith family are an earthen bowl and a coffee-pot deco- rated with raised work, now owned by Dr. Lettie A. Smith. Abraham or Isaac Stout, about 1775, made slip-deco- rated ware in Eastern Pennsylvania. A " vegetable dish," a foot in diameter and two and a half inches deep, with conventional floriated pattern and the initials S. S. on the margin, is owned by Miss Laura Swartzlander of Yardley, Bucks Co., Pa. This was one piece of a dinner set made by Mr. Stout for his daughter, Salome, the great-grandmother of the present owner. Christian Klinker, according to an old deed in posses- sion of Mr. Wm. J. Buck of Jenkintown, Pa., was an 1 A " Joe " was a goll coin in circulation many years ago. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 7i "earthen potter maker," in 1792, near Bucksville, Bucks Co., and had resided there for at least five years previous to that date. An interesting slip-dish in the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, remarkable for its unusual size, light weight, and perfect condition, is embellished with a conventional 30. — Large Slip-Decorated Dish, Pennsylvania, 1769. Pennsylvania Mu- seum Collection. design of tulips in white and green outlined with laven- der, on an orange-colored ground. This superb specimen measures seventeen and a half inches in diameter and possesses a double band of inscriptions in low German, and the date 1769 (111. 30). This was made at one of the old potteries in Eastern Pennsylvania. 72 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. In the extensive ceramic collection of Mr. George H. Danner of Manheim, Pa., is a large slip-decorated earthen dish adorned with a figure of a bird, under which is a heart on which the following inscription occurs : "This Dish and Heart shall never Part, 1773." This was made at one of the local pot-works, probably at the old Smith pottery in Bucks County. A curious old pottery dish, dated 1789, in possession of a German family in Montgomery County, is remarkable for having three bands around the rim, each an inch wide, on which are inscriptions and ornamental devices, the central portion of the dish being decorated with a rudely executed floral design. The outer band contains a circle of words, as follows : " Mathalena Jungin, ihr Schiissel. Die Schiissel ist von Erd gemacht Wann sie ver bricht der Haffner lacht. Darum nehmt sie in Acht." This, in English, would read : " Mathalena Jungin, her dish. The dish is made of earth When it breaks the potter laughs. Therefore take care of it." The second or middle band contains a wreath com- posed of ten flowers (tulips) and leaves. In the inner band is the following inscription : THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. " Blumen Mollen ist gemein Aber den geruch zugeben vermach /ur Gott allein," — " To s ketch flowers is for me, but to give perfume belongs to God alone." This example is one of the few pieces which contain the names of the original owners. It is said to have been made at the old Cope pottery in Frederick township, Montgomery County. A second example inscribed with the recipient's name has recently come to light. It is a well preserved plate, similarly ornamented, with an inscription incised in the back, which may be freely translated thus : " This dish was made for Miss Hos (Hause) German Township, Berks county, June 4th 1814, so much from me, Henry StofHet." The family tradition is that this was made by Stofrlet as a wedding present for the lady whose name appears on it. Whether the prospective bride resided in Berks County, or the pottery was located there, we are unable to determine. The dish is now in possession of Mr. James Terry of New Haven, Ct. I am indebted to Mr. H. F. Shaddinger for the dis- covery of a two-handled puzzle mug, nine inches high, of light-red, glazed pottery, slightly streaked with brown (111. 31). On one side is scratched the American eagle be- neath the glaze, with the word "Leberty" above. On the reverse are inscribed the initials P X K and " May 5the, 1809." On the bottom, scratched in the clay, occurs the inscription : " Phillip Kline his Muge May 5the 1809." 74 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. The maker of this piece had a brickyard and pottery for common ware in Bucks County, in the year indicated. While this is not strictly an example of slip-decoration, it is a curious piece of incised pottery, made on the same principle as the puzzle mugs which have been produced in England for two hundred years. In searching for examples of this curious ware, I have received much valuable assistance from Mr. Thomas B. Deetz, whose explo- rations through the old farm-houses in my behalf have resulted in the discovery of many a rare old piece, whose existence would never have been suspected had not myattention been drawn to this untrod- den held by an old pie plate which I pro- cured from him, the first example of the kind that I had seen (see 111. 34). His knowledge of Pennsylvania German, which is generally spoken in this section of the State, enabled him to penetrate the mys- teries of ancient closets, and place at my command the hoarded treasures concealed therein. One John Leidy, a German, made sgraffiato and slip- decorated wares a hundred years ago, near the present 31. -Two-Handled Puzzle Mug. (Barber Coll.) Pennsylvania Museum. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. village of Souderton, Montgomery County, Pa. That both varieties were manufactured at about the same time is clearly shown in two elaborately ornamented dishes, ascribed to him, which have been religiously preserved as 32. — Sgraffiato Dish, Made in Pennsylvania in 1796, by John Leidy. (Barber Coll.) Pennsylvania Museum. heirlooms by the recent owner. These interesting pieces measure each fourteen inches in diameter. The first, which is two and a half inches deep, with flat bottom and sloping sides, is adorned with floral designs carved in the 7 6 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. yellowish slip and covered with a green mottled glaze, and bears on the margin the date, November 9, 1796, and the following inscription : " Wer etwas will verschwiegen haben Der derf es seiner frau nicht sagen " (111. 32). 33. — Slip-Decorated Vegetable Dish, Made by John Leidy, Pennsylvania, 1797. The second, two inches in depth, is traced with white, green, and dark blue slips, on a bright red body, in con- ventional devices, with bands of white around the margin. On the inclined rim is the following couplet : THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 77 " Lieber will ich ledig leben Als der Frau die Hosen geben," and the date, October, 1797 (111. 33). The mutinous sentiment contained in both legends evinces an inclina- tion on the part of the ancient artist to rebel against feminine domination. Of especial interest, from the fact that it was the first piece to call my attention to the existence of slip ware in the United States, is an incised, red pie-dish, eleven inches in diameter, ornamented with birds, branches, and the following inscription extending around the margin and overlapping below : " Fisch und Fogel ; gehoren nicht den frovven Flogel ; Aber Fogel Fisch, gehoren den Herren auf den disch," with the date May 16, 1826, beneath what was intended to represent the American eagle (111. 34). A free trans- lation of the above would be : " Fish and birds are too good for rough fellows and should only be served to gentlemen." We are enabled to assign this piece to a particular maker through another example which has recently come to light. This latter, now in my possession, is of the same size and form, style of decoration, and, singularly, bears the same date, May 16, 1826. On the lower half is the American eagle, clutching an olive branch in each foot, but the upper design differs from that of the former in the substitution of flowers for the two birds. The inscription around the margin is as follows : 78 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CEL A IN. " Wer das lieben ungesund, So dadens docter meiten, Und wans den wibern weh dad ; So dadens sie nicht leiten." This may be translated thus : " If love were unhealthy Then the doctor would shun it, And if it would pain the women Then they would not suffer it." The similarity of the workmanship and the formation of the letters in the two pieces, and, above all, the corres- ponding dates, prove them to be the work of the same hand. The second piece bears on the back a name and date, which have been scratched in the clay before it was burned, — " Sam- uel Troxel Potter May the 16th 1826." Whether Troxel was 34.— Sgraffiato Dish, Pennsylvania, 1826. the proprietor of the (Barber Coll.) Pennsylvania Museum. , pottery or merely a workman employed there we are unable to determine, but it is certain that he made the two pieces described. These interesting specimens were probably part of a set made to fill a particular order. It is rather a remarkable coincidence that they should have been brought together THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, again, from widely separated localities, sixty-seven years after they were manufactured. Early in the present century John Nase produced simi- lar ware, at a pottery one-half mile west of the hamlet of Tyler's Port, Montgomery County, Pa., about four miles distant from Souderton, having, it is said, succeeded his father in the business. A dish in my possession bears the name Johannes Neesz (the father of John), and the date 1812, with the reverent words : " Lieber Vatter im Himmel reich, Was du mir gibst das es ich gleich." 35. — Slip Pitcher and Sugar-Bowl. Made by John Nase about 1830. Barber Collection. I have procured from some of his descendants a num- ber of examples of the work of John Nase, who manu- factured both slip and incised ware in plates, mugs, vege- table dishes, and other useful forms. One of these is a small pie-plate with sgraffiato decoration, — a leaping stag and spray of conventional flowers, Pennsylvania German inscription, and date, 1814. He also made pottery toys, such as small tubs and bird-shaped whistles. That he was a skilful potter is amply shown in some of his finer work. An elaborate sugar-bowl and small creamer with twisted 8o POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. handle, which I have recently acquired from a reliable source, are decorated with dotted figures and festoons of yellow slip, and covered with a heavy, rich, dark-brown glaze which sparkles with an auriferous sheen akin to 36. — Deep Slip Dish. John Nase, 1847. (Barber Coll.) Pennsylvania Museum. goldstone. The bowl is mounted with a lid that is built up into a crown-shaped ornament by the coiling of thin ropes of clay into spirals and scrolls. In form the piece bears a remarkable resemblance to some of the early English posset-pots (111. 35). THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 81 A characteristic piece of slip-decoration from the Nase pottery is shown in Illustration 36. Black and white slips have been traced on the red body to form the figure of a bird surrounded with foliage, and the words : " Ich koch was ich kan Est mein sail net so est mein man," — " I cook what I can Is -my pig neat, so is my man." t 37. — Dull-Finished Sgraffiato Dish. Made by John Nase about 1847. A peculiarity of some of the work of John Nase is the absence of glazing on some of the sgraffiato ware. These 6 82 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. pieces have the appearance of being covered with a thin glossy wash or varnish, an effect produced by smearing the inside of the saggers in which they were fired with glaze, which in the kiln would vaporize and form a slight deposit on the ware, technically known as "smear" glaze. A large pie-dish of this character has scratched upon it the figure of a mounted soldier, in Continental uniform, with trumpet and sabre (111. 37). Patches of green, blue, 38. — Sgraffiato Plate. Made by Frederick Hildenbrand about 1830. and red glazes have been applied to the petals and leaves of the flowers, but the ground is dull-finished. This design seems to have been a favorite one at the Nase pottery, as several examples have recently come into my hands. In some instances the trumpet has been replaced by a tobacco-pipe in the right hand of the rider, as in a highly glazed specimen in the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, which bears the date 1847. A large pistol THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 83 is sometimes substituted for the sabre. It has been sug- gested that the mounted figure was intended to represent General Washington, but the inscriptions which are found on such pieces bear no allusion to the central design. Frederick Hildenbrand was a contemporary of John Nase, and had a pottery two miles west of Tyler's Port. 39. — Sgraffiato Plate. Made by Jacob Sholl, Montgomery County, Pa., 1831. Examples of his work are scarce, but one which has been carefully preserved by a daughter serves to show the character and quality of his productions. This is a dull- finished plate, eight and a half inches in diameter, orna- mented with the figure of a lion, passant, picked through a coating of white slip. On the back the name of the 8 4 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. workman, Johanes Leman, is scratched in the paste. Leman is said to have worked at several of the potteries in the vicinity at different times (see 111. 38). Another pottery was in operation about a mile south of Tyler's Port, which was owned by one Jacob Sholl. He made incised ware of a good quality and considerable artistic merit. Some of his plaques were embellished with floral designs, with and without inscriptions, a number of them being dated 1831. An interesting plate from this pottery is shown in illustration 39. It is unglazed, save where patches of green have been applied to petals, and bears the above date. A large pie-dish from the Sholl pottery (Barber collection) contains the incised device of a large eagle which covers the entire surface. In each talon it grasps a spray of flowers, and in its beak it holds a scroll with the English inscription, " Liberty in the year 1832." The plumage is represented by numerous small curved incisions, revealing the red body beneath. A pair of covered jars, in the possession of one of Sholl's descendants, are objects of considerable beauty and reveal the touch of an artist. Bold floral designs are engraved in the yellow slip which covers the surface, and the leaves and petals are tipped with green and blue pigments under the rich glazing. On the bottom of each a conventionalized flower is stamped in the paste (see chapter on Marks). These are the only examples of such ware which have come to my notice that bear factory marks. Michael Fillman was a potter at Sholl's establish- ment, and is said to have executed some of the best work produced there. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 85 The following inscription is found both on a sgraffiato dish, dated 1831, and a spherical jar or flower-pot with floral designs, from the Sholl pottery : " Alles verfreszen und versoffen vor Meinem end Macht ein richdig Testament " — ■ " Everything consumed in gluttony and drinking before my end, makes a correct testament." 40. — Sgraffiato Jars. Made by Jacob Sholl, about 1830. From the old pottery of Benjamin Berge, which was also situated in Montgomery County, the author has a pie- dish, thirteen inches in diameter, containing the figure of a bird, apparently a pigeon, standing on a branch, in the attitude of plucking its breast. Entirely around the border extends a curved spray of coarse flowers. This effective piece is decorated with yellow slip, but the design is not raised, as in the other examples figured, but beaten 86 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. or pressed into the red body, as is done at the present day in the common red kitchen earthen-ware, presenting a perfectly 'smooth surface (111. 41). A coarse, red pottery, with rude floral slip designs in low relief, the raised parts covered with yellow, brown, and green glazes, was made by Michael and Andrew Head- man, near Rich Hill, Bucks County, Pa., more than half a century ago. The business is still being carried on by a son, Charles Head- man, but I am in- formed that the man- ufacture of ornamen- tal pottery has been discontinued. A flower-holder, a foot in height, which was made in 1849, * s a characteristic ex- ample of the better class of ware manu- factured here in for- mer years (111. 42). Many of the inscriptions which occur on the old slip- decorated wares of Pennsylvania were intended for orna- ment rather than the perpetuation of valuable precepts, while others were designed solely to amuse ; hence we find among them some whose sentiments are more forci- ble than elegant. They were executed generally by illiterate German workmen, which fact will account for the introduction of misspelled words, which are often difh- 41. — Slip Dish. Made by Ben t jamin Berge, about 1830. Barber Collection. THE EIGH TEENTH CEN TUR Y. 87 cult of translation, even to those familiar with the Pennsylvania German dialect. The following will suffice to show the general character of these inscriptions : On a large circular, slip-traced vegetable dish of the eighteenth century : " Gluck und ungliick ist alle morgen unser Friih stuck " j — " Fortune and misfortune is every morning our breakfast." 42. — Pottery Flower-Vase. Made by Charles Headman, 1849. (Barber Coll.) Pennsylvania Museum. On a deep dish, decorated with white and black slip designs on a red ground : " An diesem disch gefalt mirs nicht Derkoch der wascht die nn(g)er nicht " — " (To eat) on this dish it does not please me The cook has not washed his fingers." 88 PO TTER Y AND POP CEL A IN. The earlier potters of this section, bringing- their art with them from the fatherland, employed tolerably cor- rect German in these inscriptions, but their descendants in time drifted into the Pennsylvania German. There were English potters, however, among them, though pieces with English legends are scarce. The old potteries where inscribed ware was produced have entirely dis- appeared, and I have seen no pieces which were made later than the middle of the present century. The Penn- sylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, Phila- delphia, possesses the largest collection of this ware extant. TERRA-COTTA. The terra-cotta works now operated by Messrs. A. H. Hews & Co., at North Cambridge, Mass., were started in Weston, Mass., previous to 1765, by Abraham Hews, great-grandfather of the present senior member of the firm. The ware manufactured at first consisted of household utensils, such as bean-pots, pudding and milk pans, jugs, etc., and the entry of transactions for one year was con- fined to a single page of the day-book. These products were usually sold in exchange for such commodities as molasses, New England rum, and other staple merchandise which formed the basis of barter in those days. The clay used at Weston for some years was brought from Watertown, and at a more recent date from Cam- bridge, Mass. During the first century of this pottery's existence, the firm name was changed several times, first to Abraham THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 89 Hews & Son, then to Abraham Hews & Sons, and later to Abraham Hews' Sons, three brothers of Abraham Hews second. In 1865 the present proprietor was ad- mitted to partnership in the business, and five years later the establishment was moved to its present location, at which time the firm consisted of Messrs. A. H. & Horatio Hews. The latter soon after retired and the business was continued in the name of the former. Previous to the fire, which destroyed a portion of the works and all of the ma- chinery, on December 1, 1891, it was claimed that this factory manufactured more hand and machine-made flower pots than any other establishment in the world. Large numbers of um- brella stands, jardinieres, cus- pidors, lamp-stands, garden vases, and other fancy earthen- ware were made from natural clays, a specialty in art pottery 43.— Terra-Cotta Jardiniere and being reproductions of an- Pedestal. A. H. Hews & Co. tique shapes, after Grecian, Roman, Etruscan, Phoeni- cian, and Cypriote models, including creditable imita- tions of the productions of the Widow Ipsen of Copenhagen. In the plain biscuit state, for decorators, POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. such ware is known as Albert and Albertine, the latter differing from the former in the application of floral designs in high relief. Copies of old Peruvian vases have also been attempted, which included some of the double " whistling-jars " so well known to collectors of Incarial vessels. The most artistic and characteristic variety of terra-cotta made here, however, are the garden vases and pedestals of a rich, dark color which maybe seen in the shop windows of almost any of our city florists. These are made of natural clays, without artificial coloring, and ornamented with classic designs in relief. The works have been rebuilt and are now running again, with im- proved facilities for supplying the ever growing demand for goods of this character, which the intelligent efforts and conscientious business methods of more than a century and a quarter have so abundantly merited. As early as i 760, a pottery and glassworks had been established at Germantown, now a suburb of Ouincy, Mass., through the exertions of Joseph C. Palmer and Richard Cranch, two progressive land owners, who were instrumental in establishing manufacturing enterprises of various kinds at that point. The late Mr. E. P. Cranch, of Cincinnati, Ohio, a grandson of the latter, left among his personal effects some fragments of pottery and glass which had been picked up by his father on the site of the old works. One of the pieces of pottery is three quarters of an inch in thickness, coarse in texture, and heavily glazed. Other examples are thinner, almost vitreous, and slightly iridescent, and were apparently never glazed, or but thinly. There seem to be no evidences of any sort of decoration. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTUR Y. FIRST CHINA WORKS IN PHILADELPHIA. Not until 1769 was there any serious attempt made to manufacture fine china on this side of the Atlantic. In Watson's An7tals of Philadelphia, we find the brief state- ment that " the desire to encourage domestic fabrics gave rise, in 1 7 7 1 , to the erection of a flint-glass manufactory near Lancaster, by which they hoped to save ^30,000 to the province. A china factory, too, was also erected on Prime Street, near the present Navy Yard, intended to make china at a saving of ^15,000." 1 In a foot-note the author adds : " This long row of wooden houses afterwards became famous as a sailors' brothel and riot-house on a large scale. The former frail ware proved an abortive scheme." The glassworks to which Mr. Watson refers were established at Manheim, Lancaster County, Pa., by Baron William Henry Stiegel, who came from Manheim in Germany. Examples of colored glass goblets and other pieces may be seen in the extensive collection of Mr. George H. Danner of that town. Mr. Charles Henry Hart, of Philadelphia, made the interesting discovery, a few years ago, of some old advertisements in the news- papers of the last century which throw considerable light on the early American china works, and he has kindly placed at my disposal the results of his researches. The first of these announcements, which appeared in the latter part of the year 1 769, is as follows ; " New China-ware. — Notwithstanding the various dif- ficulties and disadvantages, which usually attend the intro- duction of any important manufacture into a new country, x Vide, vol. ii., p. 272. 9 2 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. the Proprietors of the China Works, now erecting in Southwark, have the pleasure to acquaint the public, they have proved to a certainty, that the clays of America are productive of as good Porcelain, as any heretofore manu- factured at the famous factory in Bow, near London, and imported into the colonies and plantations, which they will engage to sell upon very reasonable terms ; and as they purpose going largely into this manufacture as soon as the works are completed, they request those persons who choose to favor them with commands, to be as early as possible, laying it down as a fixed principle, to take all orders in rotation, and execute the earliest first ; dealers will meet with the usual encouragement, and may be as- sured, that no goods under Thirty Pounds' worth, will be sold to private persons out of the factory, at a lower ad- vance than from their shops. All workmen skilled in the different branches of throwing, turning, modelling, mould- ing, pressing, and painting, upon application to the Pro- prietors, may depend on encouragement suitable to their abilities ; and such parents, as are inclined to bind their children apprentices to either of these branches, must be early in their application, as only a few of the first offering will be accepted, without a premium ; none will be received under twelve years of age, or upwards of fif- teen. All orders from the country, or other provinces, inclosed in letters, postpaid, and directed to the China Proprietors in Philadelphia, will be faithfully executed, and the Ware warranted equal to any, in goodness and cheapness, hitherto manufactured in, or imported from England." THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, This card, which was printed first on December 29, 1769, fixes the date of the beginning of this enterprise, as it clearly states that the works were then in course of erec- tion. Subsequently the proprietors advertised for bones, offering twenty shillings per thousand " for any quantity of horses or beeves shank-bones, whole or broken, fifteen shillings for hogs, and ten shillings for calves and sheep (a proportionable price for knuckle bones), delivered at the china factory in Southwark," concluding with the an- nouncement that the capital works of the factory were then completed and in full operation. The projectors of this enterprise were Gousse Bonnin, who had most proba- bly learned his trade at Bow, and George Anthony Morris, of Philadelphia. In January, 1 77 1 , they applied to the Assembly for pecuniary assistance, in the form of a pro- vincial loan, the petition as laid upon the table in the Assembly room, being given in full by Colonel Frank M. Etting, in his History of Independence Hall, which reads as follows : "the address of the proprietors of the china manufactory. " Worthy Sirs : — We, the Subscribers, actuated as strongly by the sincerest Attachment to the interest of the Public as to our private Emolument, have at our sole Risque and Expense introduced into this Province a Manu- facture of Porcelain or China Earthen Ware, a Commodi- ty, which by Beauty and Excellence, hath forced its way into every refined Part of the Globe, and created various imitative Attempts, in its Progress through the different POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Kingdoms and Principalities of Europe, under the Sanc- tion and Encouragement of their several Potentates. Great Britain which hath not been the least backward, in Royal Testimonials of Favour to the first Adventurers, in so capital an Undertaking, cannot yet boast of any great Superiority in Workmanship, surpassing Denmark, France and the Austrian Netherlands, she yields the Palm to Saxony, which in her Turn gives place to the East Indies. America, in this general Struggle, hath hitherto been unthought of, and it is our peculiar Happi- ness to have been primarily instrumental in bringing her forward ; but how far she shall proceed, in a great Measure, depends on the influence of your generous Support. We have expended great Sums in bringing from London Workmen of acknowledged Abilities, have established them here, erected spacious Buildings, Mills, Kilns and various Requisites ; and brought the work, we flatter our- selves, into no contemptible Train of Perfection. A sam- ple of it we respectfully submit to the Inspection of your Honourable House, praying it may be viewed with a favourable Eye having Reference to the Disadvantages under which we engaged ; if happy enough to merit your approbation we would not wish to aspire at the Presump- tion of dictating the Measure of your Encouragement, but with all Humility hint at the Manner. You, Gentlemen, who are appointed to a dignified Pre-eminence by the free Votes of your Countrymen, as well for your known At- tachment to their truest Welfare, as superior Knowledge, must be sensible, that capital Works are not to be carried on by inconsiderable Aids or Advancements : Hence it is, THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. we beg leave to point out the Propriety of a Provincial Loan, at the Discretion of your Honourable House, inde- pendent of Interest, for a certain Term of Years. Under such Indulgence, on our Part we shall not be deficient in the Display of a Lively Gratitude, and the Promotion of the Colony's service, by the introducing of an additional Number of Experienced Workmen the Extension of our Buildings, and Improvement of the Manufacture, en- deavoring to render it equal in Quality to such as is usually imported, and vending it at a cheaper Rate. We have the Honour, etc., etc." Whether they were successful in procuring the loan does not appear, but later in the same year they adver- tised for " zaffer or zaffera," without which they could not make blue ware. A curious old lottery ticket, in the possession of Mr. Ferdinand J. Dreer, of Philadelphia, issued in 1 77 1 , evi- dently has reference to this factory, and shows the straits to which the proprietors were driven to raise funds for the enterprise. The ticket reads as follows : NEW CASTLE LOTTERY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTURE. 1771. No. 2257. This Ticket entitles the Bearer to such Prize as may be drawn against its Number, free from any Deduction. D. Tobias Rudolph. 96 POTTER Y AND PORCELAIN. In April, 1772, the following appeared in the Philadel- phia papers : " WANTED. " By the Proprietors of the China Manufactory in Southwark, Several apprentices to the painting branch, a proper person being engaged to instruct them : The ad- vantage resulting to poor people by embracing such an opportunity of bringing up their children creditably, are too obvious to be overlooked. " Wanted also, several apprentices to the other branches, of equal utility and benefit to children. None will be received under indentures for less than seven years, and will be found during that term in every neces- sary befitting apprentices." Shortly afterward they advertised for "fifty wagon loads of white flint stone." The attempt to make porce- lain at this time, however, proved a failure in a financial point, and in the latter year the proprietors made a public appeal for charity in behalf of the workmen who had been brought to a foreign country and were left without means of support. After running about two years, the factory was permanently closed, the real estate was sold, and Bonnin returned to Enpdand. Little is known of the ware made here. The fact that zaffre was used shows that blue decorated ware was made. The employment of bones in large quantities indicated that if porcelain was made here, it was similar to the Eng- lish bone china. No mention is made in any of the ad- THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 97 vertisements of kaolin, and we may therefore conclude that hard porcelain was not attempted. The Bow works at that period were making little but blue and white china, as was the case with all of the early English factories, which employed almost exclusively lapis lazuli and zaffre to color beneath the glaze. It is curious, however, to note what Messrs. Bonnin and Morris assert in their petition in relation to the wares produced in Great Britain, be- cause the fame of Josiah Wedgwood's Basaltes or Egyp- tian Black Ware, first made in 1766, and the earlier productions of the Etruria works, which began operations in June of 1769, should have reached America previous to 1 771. For several years before the latter date Chelsea had been turning out some fine porcelain exquisitely moulded and decorated in several colors. At other fac- tories throughout England artistic china was also made to a limited extent with polychrome decoration. Previous to the year 1770 the Bow factory had commenced to use gold and colors over the glaze, but this fact may not have been known to the American potters. Whether any of the ware produced here was ornamented above the glaze in colors is not known, because we have not been able to positively identify any pieces of this character, although several examples, embellished with baskets of roses in natural colors and other floral decorations, are claimed to have been made at the Southwark factory. In the light of all the evidence which we possess, we can only be cer- tain that cream-colored ware was made here, both in plain white and decorated in blue. An example of the latter is a small white ware fruit-basket in the cabinet of the POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, six inches in diameter and of excellent workmanship. The sides are of basket or openwork pattern, studded with flower-shaped orna- 44. — White Ware Fruit-Basket, Blue Decoration. Made in Philadelphia about 1770. Pennsylvania Museum of Art. ments in relief. The decoration is blue, under the glaze, consisting of a floral design in the bottom and zaffre blue rosettes around the sides. Underneath occurs a small P THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. in blue, which may have been the factory mark (Philadel- phia), or the initial of the decorator. There is little rea- son to doubt the authenticity of this piece, which was " made about the time of the Revolution," and deposited in the Institute by Dr. James Mease, author of A Picture of Philadelphia (1811), who was an authority on his- torical matters and generally reliable in his statements. We know of no other white ware factory in this country which was in operation at that time. 1 " The broken China fruit basket which I have the pleasure to present to the Franklin Institute, was part of a dinner set, and the first attempt at the manufacture of China in the United States, the history of which is as follows : " Mr. Gousey Bonnin of Antigua, came to Philadelphia before the American War, and his father having been a correspondent of my father's, they became intimate. What led him to the speculation, I never heard, but in an unfortunate hour, he resolved to undertake the manufac- ture of China the clay for which he procured from White- Clay-Creek in the State of Delaware, a few miles from the City of Wilmington, and with the aid of five hundred pounds loaned him by my father he erected a long frame building in Prime St. southward, which I believe now leads from the navy yard west. " The workmen were doubtless procured from England, and China or Ware of quality of the broken Specimen 1 Since the above was written, the example described has been placed in the Penn- sylvania Museum, together with the original letter of presentation by Dr. Mease to the Franklin Institute in 1841, which has recently come to light. This letter, given here in full, absolutely identifies this piece and gives us further facts relating to the old Southwark factory. POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. was made, but to what extent I cannot say : However the news was soon conveyed to England that the manufacture had commenced, when speedily arrived cargoes of the English or Dutch Ware sufficient to supply the demand of the Colony or Colonies. Unable to withstand the com- petition with the manufacturers in Europe, Mr. Bonnin ceased his labours. " The dinner set of his China was all that my father got for his ^500. " The quality of it was about equal to the Delft ware of Holland of which much of the American table sets was composed, and which was first imported into England previously to being sent to this Country, the direct trade being prohibited. " James Mease. " February 22, 1841." It does not seem probable that porcelain was ever made here. All white ware was known, at that time, as " china." The wording of some of the advertisements, however, would seem to indicate that the proprietors had the manufacture of a finer ware in contemplation before the disastrous termination of the enterprise. At least no examples of true porcelain made at this factory have, as yet, come to light. The year 1 769 seemed to have marked the establish- ment of several important ceramic manufactories in the United States. While the Philadelphia china works were in course of erection, a similar project was under con- sideration in Boston, as appears by an advertisement in the Boston Evening Post (weekly), of May 15, 1769, a tran- THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 101 script of which has been kindly furnished by the librarian of the Boston Athenaeum, which reads as follows : " wanted : " Samples of different Clays and fine white Sand. Any Person or Persons that will send about 31b. of Clay and a Pint of fine white Sand to Leigh's Intelligence Office in Merchants Row, Boston, (if its the Sort wanted) the Proprietors will have advantageous Proposals made to them to supply a Quantity. Boston, May 12, 1769" A subsequent advertisement in the same paper, under date of October 16, 1769, shows that the enterprise was then in full operation : " Wanted immediately at the new Factory in New- Boston, four Boys for Apprentices to learn the Art of making Tortoise-shell, Cream and Green colour Plates, Dishes, Coffee & Tea Pots, Cups and Saucers, and all other Articles in the Potter's Business, equal to any imported from England. Any Persons inclining to bind out such Lads to the aforesaid Business, is desired to apply imme- diately at the said Factory or at Leigh's Intelligence- Office. Boston, Octo. 16, 1769." In Holt's New York Journal of 1774 and 1775 an ad- vertisement appeared describing the ware made in that city at that early day. It is given here in full : " EARTHEN WARE. " Now manufacturing, and to be sold at the well known House called Katechemet's Mead-House, about mid way POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. between the New City-Hall and the Tea-Water Pump, on the left hand side of the road as you go out of the city ; where city and country store-keepers may be sup- plied with any quantity of said Ware, at reasonable rates. The Ware is far superior to the generality, and equal to the best of any imported from Philadelphia, or elsewhere, and consists of butter, water, pickle and oyster pots, por- ringers, milk pans of several sizes, jugs of several sizes, quart and pint mugs, quart, pint, and half pint bowls, of various colours ; small cups of different shapes, striped and coloured dishes of divers colours, pudding pans and wash basons, sauce pans, and a variety of other sorts of ware, too tedious to particularize, by the manufacturer, late from Philadelphia, "Jonathan Durell. " N. B. — The purchaser of twenty shillings, or upwards, may depend on having it delivered to any part of this city, without charge." From the above it would appear that even before the Revolution the wares made in Philadelphia had acquired a reputation abroad for excellence. It seems that Jon- athan Durell had been previously a manufacturer in Phila- delphia. In his new field of labor he produced " striped and coloured dishes of divers colours" which he claimed to be " equal to the best of any imported from Philadelphia." What was the nature of this ware ? Most probably the red and black pottery, variegated with green and yellow oxides, which was so commonly made at that period. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 103 Mrs. S. L. Oberholtzer of Norristown informs me that her ancestors, Thomas, John, and Paxson Vickers, succes- sively carried on the manufacture of earthenware in Chester County, Pa., in West Whiteland township, for an unin- terrupted period of seventy years previous to 1823, and from that date until 1865, in Uwchlan township. In addi- tion to the ordinary household pottery, they made elaborate vases for flowers, animal and orna- mental figures. Mrs. Oberholtzer has in her possession an interesting series of objects from this pottery, consisting of pie-dish moulds, roll- ers, pounders, and other tools used in the work, the oldest dated example being a mould on which occur the initials J. V., and the date 1806. 45. — Pottery " Money-Bank," Norwich, Ct. James Terry Collection. The buildings of this old pottery have long since disappeared. Before the beginning of the present century several stoneware and earthenware potteries were in operation in Connecticut. At " Bean Hill," near Norwich, good ware was made and specimens of pottery in the form of " money- POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. safes " for children, one bearing the date i 794, and another 181 2, the latter owned by Mr. James Terry, of New Haven (111. 45), are still in existence. A cider-bottle, in the shape of a hollow ring, made to carry on the arm of a mower in the field, is also extant. In 1 791, John Curtis was making a good quality of pottery in Philadelphia, from clay obtained where the brewery now stands, at Tenth and Filbert streets, and his name is found in the city directories as late as 181 1, in the same business. One of the earliest potteries established in Vermont was that of John and William Norton, two brothers, who came from Connecticut and commenced making red earth- enware at Bennington, in 1 793. Seven years later they took up the manufacture of plain stoneware, which has been continued down to the present time. The business is at present carried on by Messrs. C. W. Thatcher and E. L. Norton, the former being the first person not a Norton who has ever had an interest in the establishment. The junior member of the firm is a great-grandson of John Norton, one of the founders. It is probable that other potteries in America followed the example of the Burlington pottery in the manufacture of white ware previous to the opening of the previous century. Mr. John D. McCormick, proprietor of the American Potters Journal, Trenton, N. J., states that " the New Jersey Journal, printed at Elizabethtown, in its issue of January 25, 1792, contains the following: ' The Pennsylvania Society for the Encouragement of Manufactures and the Useful Arts,' in their list of pre- THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, miums for that year offer the following : The conditions are — " ' i. — To such person as shall exhibit the best speci- men of Earthenware or Pottery, approaching nearest to Queensware, or the Nottingham or Delf ware, of the mar- ketable value of fifty dollars — a plate of the value of fifty dollars, or an equivalent in money. " ' 2. — To such person as shall exhibit the best speci- men of Stoneware, or that kind of Earthenware which is glazed with salt, of the value of fifty dollars, a plate of fifty dollars' value, or that sum in specie.' " The exhibitors were required to have the ware manu- factured in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Here we have abundant proof that there was ware manufactured here closely resembling Queensware in quality, and that its manufacture was encouraged by the society whose adver- tisement we have just quoted." As we have already seen, salt-glazed stoneware had been made by at least one pottery, in New York, which started in 1735. A stoneware pottery was in existence at Norwalk, Connecticut, as early as 1780. Mr. James Lycett, who is at present operating the establishment which is said to be a continuation of the original concern in that place, be- longs to a family of potters who have been identified with the trade in Stoke-upon-Trent for a hundred years. It is claimed that his grandfather built the kilns for the Spode works when the first porcelain was made there in the year 1800. His father and uncle came to this country in 1849, and for some time worked at the United States Pottery in Bennington, Vt., where the uncle died. The io6 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. senior Lycett then went to Norwalk, where he worked in the pottery of Mr. Asa Smith, afterwards the A. E. Smith's Sons Pottery Co., and subsequently the Norwalk Pottery CQmpany, now owned by Mr. Lycett. At Old Bridge (now Herbertsville), N. J., stoneware was made at Van Wickle's pottery, from South Amboy clays, in the first decade of the present century, and similar ware was manufactured at Roundabout (now Sayreville) on the Raritan, about 1802. CHAPTER VII. OPERATIONS DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE PRESENT CENTURY. ANDREW MILLER had a pottery at 37 and 39 Sugar ^ Alley, Philadelphia, previous to 179 1, where he con- tinued to make common earthenware for many years. He was succeeded by Abraham and Andrew Miller, Jr., who, from 18 10 to 18 16, operated a pottery at the corner of Seventh and Zane streets. Shortly afterwards Abraham Miller became sole proprietor, and at the Exhibition of the Franklin Institute, held in October, 1824 (the year in which the Institute was founded), he displayed some " red and black glazed tea-pots, coffee-pots, and other articles of the same description. Also a sample of platinated or lus- tre pitchers, with a specimen of porcelain and white ware, all of which," according to the report of the judges, "ex- hibited a growing improvement in the manufacture, both in the quality and form of the articles. It is but a few years since we were under the necessity of importing a considerable proportion of this description of ware for home consumption, but since our potters have attained the art of making it equal, if not superior, to the imported, and as cheap, they have entirely excluded the foreign ware from the American market." 107 io8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. In the Report of the Exhibition of the Franklin Insti- tute, held in October, 1835, it is recorded that "a novel and interesting exhibition was furnished from the pottery of Mr. Abraham Miller, of Philadelphia, consisting of a variety of specimens of black and red earthenware, in the various stages of its manufacture, from the crude material to the finished ware," and at the Exhibition of 1842 he made a display of finer earthenware, such as plates, vases, and ornamental flower-pots. Soon after he com- menced the manufacture of charcoal furnaces in great numbers, the larger patterns being provided with a cylin- der attachment for roasting coffee, and open grates of fire-brick. About 1840 Mr. Miller moved his factory to James Street near Broad, as appears in the following card, which has been furnished by Mr. J. H. Buck: ABRAHAM MILLER IMS UEJtMOYEn HIS JfI.1JY UF.l CTOIZ 1* From Zane Street to James, near Broad Street, SPRIXG GARDEN, 'Where his Works are now in full operation, conducted hy his late Foreman, Mr. C. J. Boultfr. His Warehouse continues in Zarie Street, Next door West of its former place, where he has constantly for Sale, by WHOLESALE OR RETAIL, A large Assortment of PORTABLE FURNACES, STOVE CYLINDERS, FIRE BRICKS and SLABS, TEA-POTS and EARTHENWARE, PIPE CASES, DENTISTS' FURNACES, MUFFLES, SLIDES, &c. &o. — KAOLIN and CLAYS, crude or prepared; SI LEX and SPAR, crude or levigated to an impalpable powder, and free from impurities. Sales made only at the Warehouse, Zane Street. SILEX, or FELSPAR ground 3 or any article in his line made to order, as speedily as practicable. (EF All Orders are to he left at the Warehouse, onlv, where they will be promptly attenfed.tr>. PhitniVn. Dcecmhcr -22'/, Ellintr. Printer. 51, Chfstnul Si THE PRESENT CENTUR Y. Abraham Miller was one of the most progressive American potters of his day and a man of more than ordinary intelligence and ability, and at one time repre- sented his district in the State Senate, where he was the courageous advocate of numerous reform measures. He was one of the most prominent members of the Franklin Institute for many years, and was frequently selected as one of the judges for the awarding of premiums at the annual exhibitions. It will thus be seen that Mr. Miller was probably the first in this country to make the lustred or silvered ware which had become celebrated in England. He was also one of the first on this side of the Atlantic to experiment in making porcelain, in which he was remarkably success- ful, but for some reason he never produced it for the market. His standard or staple productions were red, yellow, Rockingham, and a limited quantity of white ware. He was well versed in the constitution and peculiarities of clays, and at one time made, for his own gratification, some figures with lace-work drapery, which he produced by employing real lace, which he carefully covered with slip of the proper quality and consistency, and which, after being burned away in the kiln, left the clay form as perfect in texture as the original. He made a Tarn O'Shanter mug in Rockingham which was very popular at one time, large numbers of them being produced about 1840. Mr. Miller procured much of the machinery and many of the moulds of the Tucker and Hemphill factory when the latter was closed in 1838. He died about 1858 and the business was continued by his foreman, 1 10 POTTER Y AND PORCELAIN, MR. CHARLES J. BOULTER, who was at one time connected with the Tucker and Hemphill China Manufactory in Philadelphia, where he remained until the works were closed. Subsequently he became connected with Mr. Abraham Miller at Zane and Seventh streets in the capacity of foreman, and when this pottery was moved to James Street near Broad, in 1840, he became superintendent of the new establishment. After Mr. Miller's death Mr. Boulter carried on the busi- ness for many years, manufacturing- watch-makers' sup- plies, dentists', assayers', and cupellers' portable furnaces, muffles, slides, tiles, and fire-bricks. He subsequently moved the works to 161 7-1627 North Street, and when he died, on March 2, 1872, the business passed into the hands of his daughters, two of whom, Misses E. A. and A. L. Boulter, still carry it on. A " china" manufactory existed in Philadelphia in 1800, but very little is known regarding it. A friend has recently shown me a letter, dated August 14, 1800, writ- ten by a merchant of that city to his wife, who was then visiting in New Jersey, in which occurs the following interesting bit of news : " On account of a man being murdered at the China Factory on Monday evening last, a block maker by trade, a number of the same profession, with Rope makers and Carpenters, assembled and on Tuesday evening began to pull down the buildings ; they continued at their work till yesterday mid-day, — it was pulled down by Ropes in spite of all the Squires and Constables that could be collected — say every house, only leaving the Chimneys standing." The writer, an THE PRESENT CENTUR Y. 1 1 1 ancestor of the present owner of the letter, was in busi- ness at that time near Fourth and Chestnut streets, and we are led to infer that the factory was somewhere in that neighborhood. All white ware at that time was known as china, and the term was evidently applied to queens- ware, — hardly to porcelain. Messrs. Binney and Ronaldson made yellow and red tea-sets in South Street, Philadelphia, in 1808. A queensware pottery in Philadelphia, in 1808, was known as the Columbian Pottery, of which Alexander Trotter was proprietor, and examples of his work were exhibited at Peale's Museum in that year. At the great Republican dinner of July 4, 1808, an " elegant jug and goblets from the new queensware manufactory of Trotter & Co." formed part of the table service. Governor Simon Snyder, in his message to the Pennsylvania Legislature, in December, 1809, referred to this factory when he stated that "we have lately established in Phila- delphia a queensware pottery on an extensive scale." The Columbian Pottery was situated on South Street, between Twelfth and Thirteenth, in 18 10. The ware produced there was claimed to be equal in quality and workmanship to the best made in Staffordshire. Mr. Trotter retired from business about 18 13. Captain John Mullowny was a brickmaker on Locust Street, near Schuylkill, Philadelphia, in 1808 and 1809. A year later he moved to No. 228 Pine Street, the Washington Pottery, where he made bricks and earthen- ware. Little is known of this manufactory save what is contained in the following advertisement, which appeared I I 2 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. in the Aurora, — General Advertiser, published in Phila- delphia, in May, 1810: " Washington Ware, Manufactured in Philadelphia at the Washington Pottery : Red, yellow, and black coffee-pots, Tea-pots, pitchers, etc., etc. and for sale, Wholesale and retail at the ware-house in High, between Schuylkill 6th and 7th streets. Any device, cypher, or pattern put on China or other ware at the shortest notice, by leaving orders at the ware-house as above. Journeymen Potters, and a few Boys, may find constant employment, by applying at No. 228, Pine St. or the Ware House above." From this it will be seen that the warehouse was on Market Street, near Seventeenth, in 18 10, while the works were on Pine Street. In 181 3 the latter seem to have been moved to the Market Street warehouse, and Captain Mullowny became director, in which capacity he served for three years or more. In the early part of this century many of Philadelphia's prominent potters learned their trade at the old Mullowny pottery. Israel Seymour made stoneware in Troy, N. Y., from about i 809 to 1865. Paul Cushman had a stoneware factory at Albany, N. Y., in the first decade of this century, and some ex- amples of his salt-glazed ware are now in the possession of Mr. S. L. Frey, of Palatine Bridge, N. Y., one of which bears the inscription, impressed on the surface of the jar, THE PRESENT CENTUR V. 113 and twice repeated around the body, " Paul Cushman Stone Ware Factory 1809 Half a Mile West of Albany Gaol." Another, in the form of a jar, fourteen inches in height, is marked with the makers name ; while a third, possessing two ear-shaped handles, is decorated with in- cised vine-work, in addition to the name (111. 46). The Central New York Pottery, of Utica, N. Y., was built by a Mr. Nash about the year 18 19. In 1828, Noah White came into posses- sion, and in 1840 the firm name became Noah White & Sons, the new partners being Nicholas A. and Wil- liam White. About 1853, the last named member withdrew, and the style became Noah White, Son & Co., William N., a son of Nicholas, being admitted. In 1865, on the death of the head of the house, the name was altered to N. A. White & Son, and at the decease of the latter, in 1876, the business passed into the hands of the survivor. In 1880, the firm name was again changed to N. A. White & Son, when Charles N. White, the present manager of the works, was admitted. In 1886, Mr. N. A. White died, at the age of sixty-eight, having been on the property for sixty years. The original business was the manufacture of coarse ii 4 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. stoneware, such as butter crocks, jugs, and jars. In 1852, the manufacture of fire-brick was added, and still continues. At present the works make a specialty of " Flemish " stoneware goods of a high grade. The decorations are artistic and attractive, the colors used being blue, brown, and green. Beer-mugs, tankard-jugs, " growlers," wine- jugs, flower-vases, punch-bowls, match-stands, and spit- toons, in many handsome designs and sizes, form but a portion of the products of these works. The metal- 47- Fancy Jug. " Carlsbad" Mug. Water Keg. covered mugs and tankards made here compare favorably with the best imported manufactures of the same class both in form and ornamentation. Special designs and decorations, with suitable inscriptions in English and Ger- man, are made to order. The pieces are marked on the bottom with a number corresponding to the price-list number, which gives capacity and size. It is gratifying to Americans to know that goods of such superior excellence and artistic merit can be made at home and THE PRESENT CENTURY. "5 at prices which insure successful competition with foreign wares. Daniel Freytag was making at No. 192 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, in 181 1, a finer quality of china-ware than had yet been produced in the United States. It was made of various colors, and was embellished with gold and silver; and in 181 7 David G. Seixas manufactured an imita- tion of the Liverpool white crockery from native Ameri- can clays with great success, continuing the business until 1822. Porcelain was made in New York City early in the cen- tury, probably by Dr. Mead. How long this factory was in operation is not known, but it is believed that a fine grade of ware was made there from American materials. A vase fifteen inches in height, of soft body and exceedingly white glaze, is preserved in the Pennsylvania Museum. This was " finished in New York in 181 6," and is supposed to have been made at that factory. The handles are modelled in the semblance of female figures (111. 48). It is entirely devoid of gilding or coloring, and is made in two parts, held together by a screw and nut, after the French manner. 48. — Porcelain Vase, New York, 1816. 1 1 6 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. THE HAIG POTTERY, PHILADELPHIA. In 1812 Thomas Haig, who came from Scotland, where he had learned his trade as a queensware potter, established a pottery in the Northern Liberties, Philadel- phia, where he commenced the manufacture of red and black ware. At the second annual exhibition of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, in 1825, Mr. Haig ex- hibited some specimens of red and black earthenware, " which, if they had been sent in time, might have entitled him to the silver medal." This exhibit consisted of tea- pots, coffee-pots, pitchers, strainers, cake-moulds and pans, " from clay taken in the city. These articles are consid- ered of very superior quality, and are in the opinion of the judges better than goods of the same kind, brought from England. The body of the ware is perfectly burned and deprived of all absorbent qualities. The glaze is good and free from cracks, and the workmanship is neat." Judg- ing from examples in my own possession, which were made at that pottery about that time or a few years later, this nattering description of the ware does not seem to have been undeserved. Indeed the quality of the glazing and neatness of the workmanship are superior to similar wares made at the present time by other potteries. At the third annual exhibition, in 1826, the Franklin Institute awarded Thomas Haig a " Bronzed Medal" for the best red earthenware sent in. In 1833, after the death of the founder, his two sons, James and Thomas, carried on the business, and in 1858 were making stoneware, chemical ware, crucibles, etc., in THE PRESENT CENTUR K 117 addition to earthenware, and were using steam for grind- ing the clay. At the death of the former, Thomas Haig assumed complete control, and died recently, in his eighty- third year. The manufacture of stoneware was discon- tinued some years ago, but fire-brick, tile, Rockingham, and yellow wares are still made. A few years ago relief plaques and vases were produced, a number of female artists being employed in their decoration, but this branch was soon discontinued for want of sufficient patronage. At the present time this pottery is also producing terra-cotta flower-pots, fancy earthenware pitchers, glazed hanging baskets, and vases after antique designs, which latter are furnished in biscuit to decorators. One of the potters employed here, Mr. John S. Jennings, has pro- duced some very ingenious miniature pieces in the form of vases, molasses jugs, mugs, and pitchers, which are said to be the smallest specimens ever made in the regular manner on the potter's wheel, some of them being scarcely as large as a pea. Another of Mr. Haig's workmen makes a specialty of " puzzle mugs," on the principle of those made at Brampton, England, in the last century, which are almost identical in form to some produced by John Wedgwood as early as 1 691, of which an interesting ex- ample may be seen in the Museum of Practical Geology, London. A stoneware pottery was started at Elizabeth, N. J., somewhere about 18 16. At a later date it was operated by a Mr. Pruden who made yellow and Rockingham wares. We have seen some large, heavy water pitchers, decorated with patriotic symbols in relief, which were produced it8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. about the time of the Centennial Exposition. The factory is now owned by Messrs. L. B. Beerbower & Co., who make ironstone china, cream-colored and print-decorated goods in druggists' ware, toilet, table, and culinary sets. The pottery now managed by the widow of Henry Gast, Lancaster, Pa., dates back to about 1825. Common red and yellow wares were made there, and at one time a limited amount of white ware. Fancy figures, fountains, and statuettes were also produced to some extent in red clay. Latterly this pottery has produced a considerable number of cinerary urns for crematories. At one time white clay tobacco pipes were made, and a few fancy glazed umbrella and cane handles. Floor tiles of yellow clay, octagonal and rhomboidal, were also made to some extent some fifteen years ago. These were heavy, un- glazed tiles, six or eight inches across, and an inch in thickness. THE JERSEY CITY POTTERY. The Jersey Porcelain and Earthenware Company was incorporated in " the town of Jersey, County of Bergen," on December 10, 1825, under an act of the New Jersey Legislature, in which George Dummer, Timothy Dewey, Henry Post, Jr., William W. Shirley, and Robert Abbatt, Jr., were named as incorporators. In the following year the products of the factory were awarded a silver medal at the exhibition of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, as being the " best china from American materials." In the Trumbull-Prime collection is a small porcelain bowl, with heavy gold band, which was made at this pottery, of THE PRESENT CENTUR Y. 1 1 9 good body and excellent glaze. The manufacture of porcelain, however, does not seem to have been continued there for more than about three years. 1 The works were purchased by Messrs. D. & J. Hen- derson about 1829, and a year later they exhibited " flint stoneware " of a superior quality at the Franklin Institute. Mr. A. G. Richmond, of Canajoharie, N. Y., possesses a 49. — The Old Pottery, Jersey City, N. J. mottled Toby jug made at that period and marked " D & J. Henderson, Jersey City," in a circle, impressed in the paste (111. 50). In 1833, David Henderson organized The American Pottery Manufacturing Company, " for the purpose of manufacturing the various kinds of pottery, at 1 In a pamphlet on The Mineralogy of Chester County, Pa., Delaware, and Mary- land, published by George W. Carpenter in 1828, it is stated that " the manufactory of porcelain at Jersey City has been discontinued, and that at Philadelphia is stated to be the only one in the United States." 1 20 PO TTER Y A ND POP CELAIN. the works already erected." By an act of Assembly passed January 18th in that year, Messrs. David Hender- son, John V. B. Varick, Robert Gilchrist, John Cassedy, and J. Dickinson Miller, of Jersey City, and Edward Cook, George Tingle, and John Steele, of New York, were appointed commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock, which was to be limited to $150,000. We know little about the ware produced here during the next seven years, excepting the fact that a buff or cream- colored body, of excel- lent quality, was used extensively. For the first time in America the English method of transfer printing in dec- oration was adopted by these works. During the exciting Presiden- 50. — Toby Ale Jug. Made by D. & J. Hen . derson. Collection of A. G. Richmond. tial campaign of 1 840, or shortly after the elec- tion, a large eight-sided water-pitcher of cream-colored ware was produced, bearing on each of the four front panels black underglaze prints, consisting of an engraving of a log cabin at the top, over the legend 4< The Ohio Farmer," a portrait bust of W. H. Harrison in the centre, and the American eagle below. This piece was marked on the THE PRESENT CENTURY. I 2 I bottom, in black, under the glaze, with a flag bearing the inscription, " Am. Pottery Manuf' 1 . Co. Jersey City" (see chapter on Marks). At this time Daniel Greatbach, who came from a family of noted English potters, and is said to have been at one time a modeller for the Ridgways of Cauldon Place, England, was employed at this factory, and designed a large number of ornate pieces, some of which were produced until the factory was closed. An earthen water-pitcher, embellished with hunting- scenes in relief, and handle in form of a deer-hound, continued to be a popular design for nearly half a century (see 111. 51). In 1842, an exhibit of goods produced by this company was made at the Franklin Institute, con- sisting of embossed ware, jugs, tea-ware, etc., which 5i. -Hunting Pitcher. Designed by Dan- J iel Greatbach, Jersey City Pottery. took a silver medal. A glazed white-ware spittoon, evidently one of this series, is still preserved in the cabinet of the Institute, which is decorated with raised, conventional designs in white, on a dark-blue ground, the upper surface being fluted and in solid blue. A cream-colored pottery pan or nappie, of fine body and glaze, in the same collection, with impressed mark, American Potty Co, Jersey City, is another ex- ample of the excellent ware produced at that time. 122 PO T TER Y A ND POP CEL A IN. The name of the establishment was changed to The Jersey City Pottery about forty years ago. Many of the best potters of the old school in the United States learned their trade at this factory. In 1848 large quantities of druggists' jars were being made. After several alterations in the firm name, Messrs. Rouse and Turner became pro- prietors. The for- mer, Mr. John Owen Rouse, came from the Derby Works, England, nearly forty years ago. Mr. Na- thaniel Turner was born and reared among the Stafford- shire potteries at Tunstall, and since his death, in 1884, the business has been carried on by Mr. Rouse alone. The products of the fac- 5 a.-" Worcester" Vase, Jersey City Pottery. for SQme g Decorated by Mr. Edward Lycett. j have been ornamen- tal forms in white biscuit and glazed ivory white for decorators, and porous cups for telegraphic purposes, of which some 5,000 have been produced weekly. Of the plain shapes in ivory white ware, one of the most graceful is the " Worcester " vase, so-called because it is a repro- THE PRESENT CENTURY. 123 duction of an old pattern Works in England. It is said presented with a vase of this shape by Mr. Samuel Vaughan of London, in conjunction with a pair of vases of different design, which have been identi- fied as Worcester pieces. An example of this form, from the Jersey City Pot- tery, is shown on p. r2 2. It measures two feet in height and was decorated by Mr. Edward Lycett. On a turquoise blue, mot- tled ground are artistically painted flowers, poppies on one side, and on the other hollyhocks in nat- ural colors. A graceful wreath of convolvulus or- naments the cover. The handles are gilded, and bands of gold encircle top and bottom. Another effective form was called the " King " 53- vase. The example here figured was decorated by Mr. Georgia. The subject on the produced at the Worcester that George Washington was Sjjjjujjjn iVffl^m.Min.i.i wmmma. — "King " Vase, Jersey City Pottery. Decorated by Mr. W. Lycett. W. Lycett, now of Atlanta, side shown in the engraving POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. is "The Tired Dancing Girl" The painting is applied to the ivory tint of the ware, the borders and handles being of dead gold, heightened with black. On the reverse side is a floral group. This piece measures sixteen and a half inches in height. When Mr. Rouse first became connected with the works he found a large quantity of the old stock of un- decorated porcelain in the warerooms, which has since been sold. A large number of engraved copper plates on hand at that time, since stolen or lost, showed to what ex- tent transfer printing had formerly been practised. Hun- dreds of the old moulds were, until recently, stored in the loft of the old building, among which were four different varieties and sizes of Toby jugs, a pitcher with rope and anchor decoration in relief, and another with raised designs of tulips, a figure of Christ, an Apostle jug with raised representations of apostles in panels, hunting pictures, etc., some, if not all, being the work of Greatbach. We have seen examples of the largest Toby pitcher made here (about 1840), nearly a foot in height, with excellent brown glaze outside and lined with white. Pitchers and other pieces were also decorated with medallion portraits of prominent men, modelled in relief, a likeness of Daniel O'Connell being among the best. In the summer of 1892 the old pottery property passed into other hands, and the old buildings, which had stood in almost their original condition for more than sixty-five years, were torn down to make way for a new manufactur- ing establishment. Both wings of the original structure were standing, in a good state of preservation until Novem- ber of that year, when the work of demolition commenced, THE PRE SEN T CENTUR Y. 125 and at the same time wagon loads of the old moulds, which had cost thousands of dollars, the accumulation of over half a century, were hauled away and ruthlessly dumped on the meadows. Thus has disappeared one of the oldest ceramic landmarks, dear to the memory of many an old potter still living, as the cradle of the pottery industry in the United States. All of the moulds of vessels were de- stroyed, but from this wreck a small series of ornamental designs, believed to have been, for the most part, made by Greatbach during the earlier years of the pottery's existence, were rescued by Mr. Rouse and, at the solicita- tion of the writer, placed in the collection of the Pennsyl- vania Museum of Art. These consist of finely modelled leaves, animals in hunting scenes, floral designs, and other decorative details. In 1878 Messrs. Rouse and Turner presented to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, a pottery barrel, with relief ornaments, made about 1830, at this pottery, by David Henderson. A many-sided pottery pitcher, sur- mounted with Toby head, is owned by Rev. F. E. Snow, of Guilford, Conn., on which is the mark, "American Pottery Co., Jersey City, N. J." impressed in a circle. Mr. John O. Rouse still continues the manufacture of porous cups within two blocks of the site of the old pottery. CHAPTER VIII. THE AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. AS we have already seen, several partially successful attempts had been made toward the manufacture of porcelain by progressive potters in the United States previous to the year 1825, but to Mr. William Ellis Tucker, of Philadelphia, belongs the honor of being the first to supply the home market with a purely American product of this character. The story of his remarkable life-work and the history of the factory which he established, the first important one of its kind on this side of the Atlantic, cannot fail to prove of especial interest to the ceramic student. Commencing his investigations with no previous knowledge of the composition of the ware, nor of the processes of its fabrication, he set resolutely to work to discover its hidden mysteries, and, wholly unaided by the practical experience of others, he succeeded in a few years in perfecting from new and untried materials, a porcelain equal in all respects to the best which England had produced after eighty years of continual experiment. His body was neither that of the French potters nor the true bone of the English, but partook of the characteristics of both, the proportion of phosphate of lime, as shown by analysis, being about eight per cent., a very much 126 AMERICAN CHINA MAN UFA CTOR Y. 127 smaller percentage than in the English bone body. While, therefore, the Tucker china cannot be classed as a soft paste, its specific gravity and thoroughly vitreous char- acter would seem to fairly entitle it to be called a hard porcelain, which it more nearly resembles. Indeed, fire- tests made by Prof. Isaac Broome, to whom I submitted specimens, show that the Tucker porcelain will stand a higher degree of heat than the Sevres ware. Strange as it may appear, but little has been published relative to this early venture, although sixty years ago Philadelphians justly prided themselves on their " China Factory," and were in the habit of taking strangers to visit it, as one of the principal points of interest in the city. The following account of this enterprise includes most of the material which I prepared for Lippincott 's Magazine of December, 1892, and a number of the illustrations used here have been furnished through the courtesy of the editor of that journal. During the years 18 16 to 1822, Benjamin Tucker, a member of the religious Society of Friends, had a china shop on the south side of Market (then called High) Street, at No. 324, between Ninth and Tenth streets, Philadelphia, near where the new Post-Office building now stands. 1 Within this period he built a small kiln in the rear of his property for the use of his son, William Ellis Tucker, who was thus enabled to employ much of his time in painting on the imported white china and firing it in 1 Some time previous to 1825, Benjamin Tucker, the father, retired from the china business and established a select academy at the southwest corner of Fifth and Mul- berry streets, where for several years he was known as a prominent educator. He had been a teacher from 1799 to I 8i4, as the Philadelphia directories show. 128 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. the kiln. These attempts at decoration were at first crude and unsatisfactory, but they served to arouse an interest in the subject, which soon led him to commence experimenting with different clays which he procured in the vicinity of the city. These investigations finally resulted in the production of a fair quality of opaque queensware. He then turned his attention to kaolin and feldspar, and, after repeated failures, he at length suc- ceeded in discovering the proper proportions of these in- gredients, with bone-dust and flint, necessary for the manufacture of a high grade of porcelain. The body thus obtained was translucent and of considerable hardness, density, and toughness, and capable of withstanding ex- treme changes of temperature. The glaze was perfectly adapted to the body and of excellent composition. About the year 1825, Mr. Tucker first seriously at- tempted the manufacture of the ware as a business venture. The old water-works at the northwest corner of Schuylkill- Front (Twenty-third) and Chestnut streets were obtained from the city, in which the necessary kilns, etc., were erected. 1 On October 23, 1826, he purchased four acres of land, on which a feldspar quarry was situated, from Alexander Dixon, of Newcastle County, Delaware. Mr. Thomas Tucker, a younger brother, who was at a later date, as we shall see, associated with him in the busi- ness, prepared an historical sketch of this factory, which was read before the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, on June 8, 1868. The following quotations from this paper 1 Mr. Charles Henry Hart informs me that a water-color, by Captain Watson, of the Royal Navy, entitled, "View from the Porcelain Factory near the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge," was exhibited at the Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, in 1829. AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. 129 will show some of the difficulties encountered in the manu- facture of porcelain at that period : " He burned kiln after kiln with very poor success. The glazingwould crack, and the body would blister ; and, besides, we discovered that we had a man who placed the ware in the kiln who was employed by some interested parties in England to impede our success. 54. — The Old Water-Works, Philadelphia, Used as a China Manufactory in 1825. " Most of the handles were found in the bottom of the seggars after the kiln was burned. We could not account for it, until a deaf-and-dumb man in our employment detected him running his knife around each handle as he placed them in the kiln. " At another time, every piece of china had to be broken before it could be taken out of the seggar. We always washed the round O's, the article in which the 9 130 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. china was placed in the kiln, with silex ; but this man had washed them with feldspar, which of course melted, and fastened every article to the bottom. But William dis- charged him, and we got over that difficulty." While the body and glaze of Tucker's earlier pieces were good, the workmanship and decoration were inferior. A premium was offered by the Franklin Institute, at its Fourth Annual Exhibition, held in Philadelphia on October 18, 1827, "for the best specimen of porcelain, to be made in Pennsylvania, either plain white, or gilt," and the following is taken from the report of the Committee on awards : " This is a manufac- ture of great importance to the country, as most of the capital expended is for labour ; the ma- terials being taken from our soil, in great abundance and purity. The highest credit is due to Mr. Wm. E. Tucker for the degree of perfection to which he has brought this valuable and difficult art. The samples (No. 174) of this ware were made by him. The body of the ware appeared to be strong, and sufficiently well fired, the glaze generally very good, the gilding executed in a neat and workman- like manner. Some of the cups and other articles bear a fair comparison with those imported," and for this exhibit a silver medal was awarded. In 1828 Mr. Thomas Tucker commenced to learn the different branches of the business. At the exhibition of 55. — Tucker Creamer. Sepia Decoration. AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. the Franklin Institute in this year, Mr. Tucker received a second silver medal for the exhibit of one hundred pieces of best porcelain made in the United States, gilt, painted, and plain. The Judges compared it favorably with the best French china, and pronounced it superior in white- ness and gilding. During the same year, Mr. Thomas Hulme, of Philadelphia, invested some money in the business and was admitted to partnership, as appears by the mark found on a number of pieces made in that year, being printed in red, beneath the glaze, — " Tucker & Hulme, China Manufacturers, Philadelphia, 1828." These examples show a marked improvement in decoration over anything that had emanated from this factory before. The rough brown daubs intended for embellishment, but execrable to a degree, gave place during this period to artistic groupings of flowers and fruits, painted in natural colors. This partnership, however, does not seem to have continued for more than a year or so. Whether the withdrawal of funds from the business by Mr. Hulme proved an embarrassment to the senior partner does not appear, but it is known that Mr. Tucker soon afterward experienced the necessity of government support, and applied to Congress for aid. He placed himself in com- munication with some of the public men at the national capital, among others Andrew Jackson, as the following letter will show : "Washington, April 3d, 1830. " Sir, — I have had the honor to receive your letter of the 3d of March, and since, the porcelain which it offered to my acceptance. I was not apprised before of the perfection to which your skill and per- 132 PO TTER Y AND PORCELAIN, severance had brought this branch of American manufacture. It seems to be not inferior to the finest specimens of French porcelain. But whether the facilities for its manufacture bring its cost so nearly to an equality with that of the French, as to enable the moderate pro- tection of which you speak to place it beyond the reach of competition in the markets of the world, is a question which I am not prepared to answer. If congress could be made acquainted with the experiments on the subject, and they should confirm your favorable anticipation, there would be scarcely a doubt of its willingness to secure the impor- tant results of the manufacture. I do not see, however, any mode by which this can be effected on any other principle than that of protec- tion. You would probably have a right to a patent for the discovery, but this right would have to be determined in the usual way. Congress have refused to make a donation to the heirs of Robert Fulton for the national benefits resulting from his discovery, upon the principle that the Constitution does not provide any other reward for the authors of useful discoveries than that which is contained in the article in relation to Patents. The same objection would of course defeat your applica- tion for $20,000, as a remuneration for this discovery, or as a reward for its free communication to the world. "It will give me much pleasure to promote the objects you have in view, so far as they are within my constitutional sphere. There is no subject more interesting to me than that which concerns the domestic economy of our country, and I tender you my sincere thanks for an example of its success so creditable to yourself. "With great respect believe me " Yr. Obt. Svt "Andrew Jackson. " Mr. Wm. Ellis Tucker, " Philadelphia." While his application to Congress proved futile, he continued the manufacture, and in 1831 received from the American Institute of New York a silver medal for an exhibit of his wares in that year. AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. 133 On the 22d of August, 1832, William Ellis Tucker died, but previous to that date Judge Joseph Hemphill, 1 of Philadelphia, had been admitted as a partner in the business. The latter had recently returned from a trip to Europe, where he had become deeply interested in the manufacture of porcelain. Messrs. Tucker and Hemphill purchased the property at the southwest corner of Schuyl- kill-Sixth (Seventeenth) and Chestnut streets, where they erected a large factory, storehouse, and three kilns, and greatly increased the producing capacity of the works. In 1832, scarcely two months before Mr. Tucker's death, they made another appeal to Congress for the passage of a tariff bill which would afford them protection from for- eign competition. In re- ply to a letter written to Henry Clay at that time, the following, bearing on this subject, was received : 1 Judge Hemphill was born in Delaware Co., Pa., on January 7, 1770, and was appointed President Judge of the District Court in Philadelphia, by Gov. Snyder, in 1811, serving in that capacity for several years. He afterwards represented that city in Congress for three terms. He died on May 29, 1842. I have not been able to ascertain that William Ellis Tucker, the china manufac- turer, was related to William E. Tucker, who was at one time a prominent landscape and historical engraver in Philadelphia. The latter, while a contemporary of the former, lived until 1857, and was never interested in the porcelain industry. The similarity of names has naturally led to the erroneous impression that the potter and the engraver were one and the same, especially as the earliest productions of the Philadelphia China Factory were often decorated with landscapes and historical views. 56. — "Grecian" Pitcher. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum. 134 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. " Washington, 23d June, 1832. " Gentlemen : — I received your favor of the 21st inst. on the subject of your manufacture of Porcelain. I had been previously aware of its existence, and had seen some beautiful specimens of its production. " When the Tariff bill shall be taken up in the Senate, I will take care that its attention shall be drawn to it. Such is the state of parties here, however, the friends of protection combating against the Treasury 57. — Portrait of Judge Joseph Hemphill. bill, sustained by the whole weight of the Administration, that it is extremely difficult to anticipate results or any part of the Tariff. " With great respect, " I am your ob. serv., " Messrs. Tucker & Hemphill, " H. Clay. " Porcelain Manufacturers, " Philadelphia." A card in my possession, which has been kindly sent to me by Mr. James H. Buck, of Philadelphia, was issued AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. 135 from the new factory at Seventeenth and Chestnut streets about that time, a fac-simile of which is here given. It is interesting on account of the information it contains. £ AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY, % % ' S. W. Corner of Schuylkill Sixth Chesnut St$., Z Z OR AT THE DEPOSITORY, Z Z jV ii '"I I" 1 I 1 ; BP gi I &8B8E§S3pZ~-~ Z «£> Where is constantly kept on hand, a superior assortment of Z * China, comprising Dinner Sets, Tea Sets, Vases, Mantel * ^ Ornaments, Pitchers, Fruit Baskets, &c, 8cc, either plain Z <8> or ornamented, and of the latest patterns, which may be par- <#> 3£ chased for Cash, at reduced prices. * ^ also are offered for sale, * I FIRE-BRICK # TILE, % '% Of a superior quality, manufactured in part from the materials Z # of which the China is composed. — These have been proved, by <& ^ competent judges, to be equal to the best Stourbridge Brick. 1| After the death of the founder, Mr. Thomas Tucker continued to superintend the business, which was carried on in the name of Joseph Hemphill, who associated with him his son, the late Mr. Robert Coleman Hemphill, of West Chester, Pa. In the settlement of Mr. Tucker's estate, the value of three kilns and slip pan, at the new factory, was estimated by Mr. Brinton Codies, the appraiser, at $1,100, "the iron work not included." Soon after the business passed into the hands of Judge Hemphill artists and artisans were brought over from France, England, and Germany, and a more pre- tentious stvle of decoration was introduced. The French methods of ornamentation came much into vogue about this time. The ware was sold very extensively to the well-to-do people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and nearly every family of prominence or wealth had table 1 36 PO TTER Y AND PORCELAIN. services or pieces made to order and decorated with initials, monograms, medallions, or amorial bearings, usu- ally enclosed in wreaths of flowers or gold tracery. Com- pact bands of exquisitely painted flowers, in which the rose, tulip, and forget-me-not were generally prominent, encircled many of the finer pieces. Some of the vases and pitchers and many of the table pieces were close copies of Sevres forms, and some of the ware sold at the present time for French work by bric-a-brac dealers, was made in Phila- delphia between 1833 and 1838. Excellent portraits of prominent men were painted on some of the larger pieces, an example of the latter being still preserved in a pitcher owned by Hon. Wil- liam Wayne, of Paoli, Pa., which is embellished on one side with a view of the historic monument at Paoli, and on the other with a colored likeness of Major-General Anthony Wayne, copied from an oil portrait by Charles Wilson Peale. This interesting piece is one of a pair made for Colonel Isaac Wayne, son of General "Mad Anthony," and is marked on the bottom, in red, " Manufactured by Jos. 58. — Hemphill Pitcher, with Portrait of Washington. (Barber Collection) Pennsylvania Museum. AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY, 137 Hemphill, Philad." A similar example, in the Pennsyl- vania Museum, is a pitcher containing a tinted portrait of General Washington, which, according to Mr. Charles Henry Hart, an authority on Washington portraits, is evidently a copy of one of William Birch's enamels after Stuart's first picture, known as the Vaughan portrait, now in the possession of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, of Phila- delphia. Mr. Ferdinand J. Dreer, of the same city, also owns a porcelain vase on which is a painting of Napoleon at the burning of Moscow, which he purchased at the factory in 1833. In this year Judge Hemphill received honorable mention at the Exhibition of the Franklin Institute for his exhibit of " vari- ous samples of American porce- lain, in the moulding and glazing of which great improvement has been made since the last exhibi- tion ; the body of the article is considered equal, if not superior 59 _ Vase> Napoleon at the tO that of the imported." He Burning of Moscow. Mr. Ferdinand J. Dreer. also received a diploma and silver medal from the American Institute of New York in the same year. The porcelain works continued with varying success for several years. By an Act of Assembly dated April *5» ^SS, 1 an American Porcelain Company was incor- 1 An Act to Incorporate an American Porcelain Company, passed April 15, 1835. Thomas P. Cope, Alexander Read, William P. Bryan, Thomas Tucker, Rockland 138 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. porated, consisting of Eastern gentlemen, to whom Judge Hemphill sold his interest. Whether this company ever operated the works does not fully appear, but it would seem doubtful, as Judge Hemphill made an exhibit of wares again at the Franklin Institute in 1836. It is said that the company, being unfortunate in other enterprises, were not able to give the porcelain manufacture proper attention. On October 1, 1837, after the retirement of Judge Hemphill, the factory was leased for a term of six months by Mr. Thomas Tucker, who purchased all of the unburned ware then on hand, with the other materials and fixtures, as appears in an article of agreement signed by John Rynex, at Boston, who seems to have acquired the property, or acted in the capacity of agent. The new proprietor con- tinued the manufacture of fine porcelain for about a year, until he had filled a store, which he had taken on Chest- nut street, above Seventh, with the ware. He then discontinued the making of porcelain, and engaged in the business of importing china from Europe. In the latter Thompson, Robert Coleman Hemphill, and William M. Muzzey were appointed Com- missioners. "Sec. 5. The said company in the name and style of the American Porcelain Company . . . shall have the further right ... to rent or purchase, in fee simple, the existing factory and house adjoining, at the corner of Schuylkill Sixth and Chestnut streets, in the city of Philadelphia, with such other ground as may be deemed necessary, also to purchase and hold, as aforesaid, quarries of feldspar, beds of kaolin and clay and to procure every material used in the manu- facturing of Porcelain, either plain, white or decorated with paintings and gilding, and all the machinery, apparatus, tools and utensils required for the above purpose, and to employ all such workmen, tradesmen, painters, gilders and other artists of every description that may be necessary to carry on the establishment, either by sending to Europe or otherwise : And further, in order to enable the company to commence immediate sales, they shall have the right to purchase the American Porcelain on hand at the above factory, whether finished or in an unfinished state." — {Pamphlet Laws of Pennsylvania, 1835, p, 338.) AMERICAN CHINA MAN UFA C TOR Y. 1 39 part of 1 84 1 he sold out his entire stock at his store, 100 Chestnut St., through Mr. C. C. Mackey, auctioneer. Mr. Tucker afterwards engaged in the cotton business, and died in Philadelphia in July, 1890. It. thus appears that the manufacture of Tucker and Hemphill porcelain was discontinued in the year 1838, after extending over a period of about thirteen years. Kaolin for the earlier Tucker factory was obtained from the land of Israel Hoopes, in New Garden township, Chester County, Pa., now occupied by Graham Spencer. Feldspar was quarried from a large deposit on property owned by Alexander Dixon, near Christiana Hundred, Newcastle County, Delaware, about six miles from Wil- mington, placed in barrels, hauled to the latter place, and loaded on vessels for shipment to Philadelphia. Blue clay, or fire-clay, was brought from John Flood's farm, four miles from Perth Amboy, N. J., which property came into possession of the heirs of W. E. Tucker at his death. Mrs. Moses Johnson, of Berlin, Md., a great niece of Alexander Dixon, owns some of the earlier pieces made by Mr. Tucker, which were sent to her grandmother, as samples of the ware, about 1825 ; and Wilton Agnew, of Kennet Square, Pa., a nephew of Mr. Dixon, has in his possession two saucers, the remains of a set which was made for his mother about the same time, of spar taken from the Dixon quarry. These examples are all embel- lished with sepia landscapes. Joseph S. Ouarll, of Toughkenamon, Pa., is the pos- 140 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. sessor of two handsome pitchers, with floral paintings, made from kaolin which he helped to haul from New Garden to Wilmington in 1828, for the Tucker and Hulme factory. These are marked on the bottom, in red, "Tucker & Hulme, China Manufacturers, Philadel- phia, 1828," and Esther H. West, of Avondale, near by, has a third piece, similarly signed and dated. The feldspar quarries of Tucker and Hemphill were situated, in 1832, on Jacob Way's farm, directly opposite the Alexander Dixon quarries in Delaware, and in 1837, Judge Hemphill procured kaolin from the land of John Pennington, West Grove, Pa. The first productions of the W. E. Tucker period are now scarce. The only attempts at ornamentation were crude and inartistic. Simple landscapes, butterflies and the like were painted roughly, always over the glaze, in sepia or brown monochrome. The former were all of the same general character, — a house, with lake in the fore- ground and mountains in the distance, produced by a few sweeps of the brush, — but no two exactly alike in details. The decoration was always done by hand ; the printing or transfer process does not seem to have been employed at any time in the history of the works. A sugar-bowl and coffee-pot, with large butterflies rudely painted in brown, are the property of Joseph S. Quarll, and are characteristic examples of this period. Occasionally historic buildings were represented, as in a small plate in the possession of Mrs. Annie C. Tyndale, of Media, Pa., who received it from Mr. Horace J. Smith, of Phila- delphia. This contains a painting of William Penn's cottage in monochrome. AMERICAN CHINA MANUFA C TOR V. 141 During the Tucker and Hulme period, as has already been shown, there was a decided improvement in decora- tion. In addition to the pieces already mentioned, Mrs. Francis D. Wetherill, of Philadelphia, owns two pairs of pitchers made in 1828, one being marked in gold with the initials of her grandfather, Mr. John Price Wetherill, and the other pair with those of her great-uncle, Mr. Samuel P. Wetherill, the latter being dated. These were all made at the same time and are ornamented on both sides with bunches of tulips, roses, etc., in natural colors. In my own possession are a teacup and saucer of fine, smooth paste and graceful form, embellished with gold fern work, and a small pitcher decorated in colors. In the Penn- sylvania Museum at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, may also be seen another specimen, presented by Mr. Charles Henry Hart, which is somewhat thicker and heavier than the others described above, and decorated only with gold bands and the letters C. B. This piece was made for Mr. Charles Burd and is marked on the bottom, in red, beneath the glaze, " Tucker & Hulme, Philadelphia, 1828." A complete tea service belonging to Mrs. William Mcllvaine, of Reading, Pa., procured from the factory in 1834 or '35, is decorated with sepia landscapes and gold bands, and conclusively shows that the monochrome style was still employed to some extent after Judge Hemphill took control. 60. — Small Covered Flower- Vase, Sepia Landscape. Mrs. R. C. Hemphill. 142 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Mrs. We have no means of identi- fying the ware produced during the Tucker and Hemphill era, because the part- nership was of such brief dura- tion and none of the pieces ap- pear to have been marked. Of the Hemphill period, however, numerous exam- ples are in existence. Perhaps some of the finest are owned by Mrs. Robert Coleman Hemphill, of West Chester, Pa., a daughter-in-law of Judge Hemphill, which were made expressly for the family by the best workmen in the factory. A small flower- vase, painted in colors, shows the best work produced. A cylindrical flower-pot, with wreath of flowers encircling the circumference ; a toilet-set, decorated in the same elab- orate manner and heavily 62. — Hemphill Vase. Collection . of Hon. James t. Mitchell. gilded ; a large water-pitcher, 61. — Water-Pitcher, Df.corated in Relief. Robert Coleman Hemphill. AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. 143 the lower half with raised ornamentation in white, consisting of horses and dogs, the upper portion dec- orated with a band of artistically painted flowers and gold tracery, are a few of the pieces which remain of a large collection. The relief design on the latter bears a remarkable resemblance to that which occurs on an old English parian pitcher in the Trumbull-Prime col- lection at Princeton. The chef-d'oeuvre of the series, however, is a cylindrical night lamp, of thin, trans- parent porcelain, exqui- sitely decorated with a continuous rural scene in bright colors, extending around the centre (see 111. 70). Hon. James T. Mitch- ell, of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, is the Owner of a flaring vase, 63.— Hemphill Vase, with Painting of 1 1 • 1 i • 1 a Shipwreck. six inches nigh, on which is painted a group of fruits and flowers and on the oppo- site side, in gold, " E. Tyndale, 1833," having been made for his mother at the Hemphill factory and presented to her in that year. A pair of amphora-shaped vases in the possession of Mrs. Amanda Spiegel, of Philadelphia, which were pre- 144 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. sented to her father-in-law, Mr. Isaac Spiegel, when in the employ of Judge Hemphill, are copies of an old Sevres form and measure about a foot in height, being in two parts. They are of a good semi-transparent body, decorated with much goldwork and marine views depict- ing shipwrecks. The painting is excellently executed, evidently by a French artist (111. 63). . Mr. William S. Negus, of Bound Brook, N. J., has a 64. — Hemphill Porcelain Table-ware. Collection of Mr. W. S. Negus. table service which was made by Judge Hemphill about 1834. It is remarkable for its bands of pink roses and heavy goldwork, the interior of the cups being solidly gilded half-way to the bottom. A christening-bowl, " Presented to the First Presby- terian Church, West Chester, Chester County (Pa.), Feb- ruary 22, 1834, by Joseph Hemphill of Philadelphia," is a fine example of the ware made at that time. It measures AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. 145 nine and one half inches across and is decorated with heavy gold bands at the top and bottom, solidly gilded handles, and gold wreath with blue forget-me-nots, in which is inclosed the above inscription, also in gold. In the family of the late Mr. Thomas Tucker, of Philadelphia, some of the best pieces of the later produc- tions of this factory are preserved. These include two pairs of cologne bottles (see 111. 69), of different size and design, made after Chinese patterns, elaborately ornamented with goldwork applied to relief designs, and the date 1837 ; a vase with painting of the factory at 65. — Christening-Bowl. Mrs. Thomas W. Marshall. Seventeenth and Chestnut streets, and a pitcher painted with flowers and birds, after nature, the mate of which is owned by Mrs. General Hector Tyndale of the same city. Perhaps one of the finest examples ever made by Mr. Tucker is the large vase, owned by his widow, which is over two feet in height and embellished with a wreath of richly painted flowers and gold and salmon-colored bands. The plinth is solidly gilded, as are the handles, which are in the form of eagles' heads, with wings meeting above. The manner in which Mr. Tucker came into possession of this valuable piece is interesting. Walking down 10 1 46 PO TTER Y A ND POP CELA IN. Second Street one day he happened to see it perched on a shelf in the top of a window in a second-hand shop, and immediately recognizing it as one which he had himself made, years before, he purchased it and took it home. 66. — Tucker & Hemphill's China Manufactory, Philadelphia, i832-'38. From a Vase Owned by Mrs. Thomas Tucker. One of the most characteristic patterns produced by the old Philadelphia China Factory was the classical pitcher with circular body, arched handle, and corrugated band at base. This form has become the most familiar AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. H7 to the public because it was a favorite with the manufac- turers and seems to have been peculiar to this factory. It was known as the " vase-shaped " pat- tern. Another rather common form was the cylindrical vase with flaring mouth, a reproduction of an old French form. It is not generally known that the Tucker and Hemp- hill productions in- cluded an almost endless variety of ornamental as well as utilitarian forms, hence some of the rarest pieces are not recognized by collec- tors, but are thought to be French. Some idea may be obtained of the variety of forms when it is known that the original pattern books (which at the suggestion of the writer have been presented to the Pennsylvania Museum by Mrs. Thomas Tucker) show, during the last six years of the factory's 67, — Large Porcelain Vase, Over-glaze Deco- ration in Gold and Colors. Owned by Mrs. Thomas Tucker. 1 48 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. history, over 140 different standard designs in table pieces and vases alone. Many other pieces, such as spirit lamps with teapots, flower jars, miniature and picture frames, smelling vials, inkstands, mantel ornaments, etc., were made to some extent, and examples of these are still occasionally met with. Small porcelain bottles with stop- pers were made in three forms, — cordate, 1 shell-shaped, and eared, and daintily dec- orated in colors, for holding smelling salts and cologne. Other forms of pitchers made at these works were called the " Star," " Gre- cian," " Fletcher," and "Walker" shapes. Some of the most characteristic decorations, in addition to those already described, were landscapes in black, or in brown and green, tiny 68.—-" Vase-Shaped" Pitcher, Over- P m ^ roses scattered over glaze Decoration in Colors and t h e entire sur f ace> an d Gold. Pennsylvania Museum. large bold roses in natural colors. On table ware, festoons of gold and minute bands of gold flowers ; small blue, green, and brown "corn flowers"; purple and green vines; green peri- winkles with brown stems ; pink, blue, and green 1 The plaster mould for the heart-shaped scent bottle was until recently in the Franklin Institute. It is now in the collection of the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia. AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY. 149 sprays ; wreaths and bunches of flowers in which the rose, tulip, forget-me-not, morning-glory, ragged-robin, honey-suckle, — all in delicate colors, and fern leaves and moss rose-buds in gold. Scalloped cups and saucers, with broad vertical bands of alter- nate pink and brown, were also made, and handles of sauce boats and other utensils were often moulded in the forms of serpents' and lizards' heads. The following price list of articles made at Seventeenth and Chestnut streets, between 1832 and 1838, copied from the records of the factory, will show what the public paid in those 6 9 .-Cologne Bottle, days for undecorated pieces of the * AISED Decorations > J 1 Gold Tracery. Mrs. Ware : Thomas Tucker. Pitchers $1.00 each. Teapots 1.06J " " i.»S " Thin China Chocolate Put. number of elaborate K " T,) & K ' Co ' and expensive decorations, and have twelve decorating- kilns. The mark used on vitreous hotel china and thin art ware consists of the initials of the company above the K T &. K word " china," thus: — — , and that used on their CHINA PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. white granite ware is an eagle enclosed in a five-rayed badge, as here shown. The Knowles, Taylor, & Knowles Co. have produced some highly artistic pieces for exhibition at the Chicago Exposition. Especially worthy of notice are two vases. One of these is a nine- inch piece, made of the peculiarly trans- lucent bone china body with soft, velvety glaze, which is designated by the manu- facturers " Lotus" ware. The entire ex- K N W LES,TAYL0 R AND KNOWLES.. terior surface is covered with an underodaze mazarine blue of a rich tone. On one side is a figure of Cupid chasing a bird and on the other Cupid driving a pair of but- terflies. While the sub- jects are not new, the treatment is original, the figures being exe- cuted in white Limoges enamel built up over the glaze instead of under it, as in the pate- sur-pdte method. The effect is particularly pleasing. The neck of the vase is decorated in raised coin-gold after the Renaissance style, while the handles are solidly gilded and chased. 86. — Small Vase, Relief Decoration. Exhibited at Chicago Fair. EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO. 205 The second piece referred to is a large vase, which stands thirty and three quarters inches high, mounted on a pedestal twelve inches in height. Owing to the large size of the vase the body employed is that of the regular hotel china made by this firm. The ground color is a 87. — Large Vase, Blue Ground, Gold Decoration. Chicago Fair. rich mazarine blue applied under the glaze. Flowers in relief coin-gold of various tints are applied to the surface, representing petunias, and on the side of the piece is an excellently painted pair of golden partridges. The neck of the vase and the pedestal are embellished with solid, raised gold borders in the Renaissance style. 206 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Particularly noteworthy in their Chicago exhibit were some exquisite pieces of " Lotus " ware, decorated in dainty colors, and several vases with jewelled decoration and open-work effects. Col. John N. Taylor, the president of the company, was born June 23, 1842, near Port Homer, Jefferson County, Ohio. 88. — COL. JOHN N. TAYLOR. In 1849 he came, with his parents, to East Liverpool, Ohio, where he has since resided. In 1861 he enlisted in the Union army as a member of Battery " B," known as " Cooper's Battery," First Pennsylvania Light Artillery, and afterward became Second Lieutenant of Company EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO. 207 "I," 143d Regiment, O. V. I. He was appointed post- master at East Liverpool in 1864. In 1868 he connected himself with the pottery business, and, as we have seen, in 1870 became a member of the firm of Knowles, Taylor, & Knowles. On the incorporation of The Knowles, Taylor, & K*nowles Company, he became its first president, and has since continued to occupy that position. He is also vice-president of The Knowles, Taylor, & Anderson Co., a corporation with a paid-in capital of a half million dol- lars, organized for the manufacture of sewer pipe and other clay products at a large plant in the East End, a suburb of East Liverpool. Stilts, pins, saggers, and other potters' supplies are also made by this company at the works known as The Potters' Supply Co. Col. Taylor's life has been a busy one, and to his personal efforts are due, to a large degree, the bringing of the establishments with which he has been identified to their present high place in the business world. He was ap- pointed chairman of the Committee on World's Columbian Exposition, appointed by the U. S. Potters' Association. Col. Taylor has long been a warm personal friend of Gov. William McKinley, dating back to the time and before the " Little Major" entered the halls of Congress, and upon his elevation to the gubernatorial chair in Ohio the Governor appointed him a member of his staff, with the rank of colonel. OTHER EAST LIVERPOOL WORKS. Henry Speeler, a German, was one day wandering along the river bank near the Harker Pottery, when he 208 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELA IN. became engaged in conversation with a laborer who was employed there. The former applied for and was given employment, and proved to be an excellent thrower. Later he sold ware through the country, and after accu- mulating some money, associated himself, about 1858, with William Bloor and James Taylor, the latter having been at one time a partner of George S. Harker, under the firm name of Harker & Taylor. This partnership, however, was after a time dissolved, and Mr. Speeler then built the original part of what is now known as the Inter- national Pottery in Trenton, N. J. The works of Messrs. C. C. Thompson & Co. were established in 1868 by C. C. Thompson and J. T. Herbert. Two years later the dry-goods firm of Josiah Thompson & Co. purchased the interest of the latter, and the firm became C. C. Thompson & Co., composed of Josiah Thompson, the father, C. C. Thompson, J. C. Thompson, and B. C. Simms. After the death of Mr. Josiah Thompson, in November, 1889, the firm was incorporated, and is known now as the C. C. Thompson Pottery Com- pany, and the establishment is among the largest pro- ducers of yellow and Rockingham wares in this country. In 1884 the plant was increased and the manufacture of C. C. ware commenced. In 1890 a decorat- ^~^ C Q m & department was added, which is now an important factor in the business. The trade-mark used on the semi-granite wares SEMI-GRANITE Q f th ; s f actory j s here g i ven . Among the first attempts to produce artistic commer- cial ware in East Liverpool were some underglaze stone- EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO. ware cups and saucers made at the works of Mr. Homer Laughlin (formerly Laughlin Brothers), and decorated by Mr. Edward Lycett in 1879. Some toilet sets exhibited by Mr. Laughlin at the World's Columbian Exposition have been much admired. They are decorated with raised designs in dull gold and dark coloring on tinted grounds, and are of novel and graceful forms. The Dresden Pottery Works of the Potters' Co-opera- tive Company were established in 1876, of which Mr. H. A. McNicol is president. They produce ironstone china and decorated wares in table and toilet services. The decorations are particularly praiseworthy. Messrs. Cartwright Brothers manufacture, at their In- dustrial Pottery Works, C. C. goods, plain and decorated, and specialties in ivory decorated ware. The Standard Pottery Company are manufacturers of ironstone china and decorated wares in the usual lines. Messrs. Wallace & Chetwynd commenced business about 1882 and are now making a high grade of opaque china, American stone china and decorated goods. Mr. Joseph Chetwynd learned the business in his father's pot- tery in England, and was for several years employed as manager and modeller by Messrs. Cockson & Chetwynd of Staffordshire. Messrs. Rowe & Mountford have for a number of years been engaged in the manufacture of stilts, pins, and spurs, and in 1891 added a china department, and are now producing vitreous translucent hotel ware. The American Pottery Works of Messrs. Sebring Brothers & Co. were established in 1887. They make 14 2 IO POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. white granite and decorated wares for the jobbing trade in dinner and tea services. Among the other important establishments in East Liverpool are the Riverside Knob Manufacturing Co. of Henry Brunt & Son ; Burford Brothers ; Burgess & Co., makers of bone china, staple, and fancy goods ; J. W. Croxall & Sons, successors to Croxall & Cartwright ; the Eagle Pottery Works of S. & W. Baggott ; Great West- ern Pottery Works of John Wyllie & Son, established in 1868 ; Globe Pottery Co. ; Novelty Pottery Works of McNicol, Burton & Co. ; R. Thomas & Sons, hard vitreous porcelain electric goods ; the American Stilt Works, and E. M. O'Connor, maker of saggers and fire-brick. East Liverpool is distinctively a pottery city and nearly half of its inhabitants are interested in some manner in the pottery industry. At the present time it has twenty- nine potteries, nine decorating works, two stilt and trian- gle manufactories, one sagger factory, and three establish- ments for the manufacture of door-knobs. It enjoys the distinction of being the oldest important centre of the pottery industry in the United States and of producing the men who established many of the most successful potteries in every section of the country. CHAPTER XL TRENTON, N. J. THE pottery industry, which has reached such a mar- vellous growth in Trenton as to gain for that city the title of the " Staffordshire of America," had its actual beginning there in 1852, when Messrs. Taylor and Speeler commenced the manufacture of yellow and Rock- ingham wares. At the present time the establishments engaged in Trenton in the production of all grades of ware, from common pottery to majolica, and from white granite to the finest porcelain, both plain and decorated, number thirty-seven, having the capacity of producing in value about five million dollars' worth of wares per annum. The central location, superior railway, canal, and river transpor- tation facilities, and close contiguity to the clay deposits of New Jersey, have all contributed to the concentration and enormous development of the manufacture at this point. Interesting as is the subject to the ceramic student, we must of necessity confine ourselves to a review of the history of the most important and representative of these establishments. We can but briefly allude to the difficulties encountered by the early potters in seeking the various clays necessary 21 1 212 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN, for the production of white wares, as well as the feldspar and flint required in the manufacture of these goods. It must be remembered that no mines, except of the common New Jersey fire-clays, had been developed at that time. Many thousand miles were travelled by the first potters of Trenton in search of suitable kaolin. The first deposit was found near Hockessin, Delaware, and was known as the Graham mine. This afterwards changed hands and several other mines were developed in that section, the most notable being that operated by Israel Lacy. Another deposit was discovered a few years later at Brandywine Summit, Delaware County, Pa., and worked by the National Kaolin Company. This clay was probably the best used in the early years of the industry and is still largely in demand. The first flint used in Trenton for the produc- tion of white ware was picked up in Pennsylvania and in different places near Trenton, wherever a piece could be found on the surface. Later, the vast quarries of Harford County, Maryland, on the Susquehanna, were discovered, and the bulk of this material has come from that section. The first feldspar mines operated were in Connecticut, near Hartford. A number of mines have since been de- veloped in that State, in Maine, Pennsylvania, and Mary- land, and kaolin deposits of fine quality are at present in course of development in North and South Carolina, Florida, and various other sections of the country. When it is realized that the clay and mineral mines of England have been worked for perhaps three hundred years, while in this country the raw materials have not been developed in a systematic way until within the past forty years or so, TRENTON, N. J. 213 we can more fully appreciate the obstacles which our potters have surmounted in bringing the industry to its present condition. Until a comparatively recent period each pottery manufactured the same class of wares, white granite and C. C. or cream color, and in a very limited way decorated toilet ware. Of late there has been a great diversification and specialization of the business, so that now a number of manufactories produce sanitary and plumbers' earthenware exclusively ; others make nothing but vitrified china, while some confine their productions to semi-porcelain and white granite, and a few have embarked in the manufacture of the finer grades of porcelain. To all of these establishments extensive decorating depart- ments have been added. The Glasgow Pottery was established in 1863 by Mr. John Moses, who has ever since been prominently identi- fied with the pottery business in Trenton. He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1832, and came to the United States at the age of twenty. He first served an apprentice- ship at the dry-goods business in Philadelphia, where he acquired a practical business training. In the year first mentioned above, he rented a pottery with two small kilns that had been used for making yellow and Rockingham wares, and immediately commenced the manufacture of cream-colored ware, shortly afterward extending the busi- ness to the production of white granite or ironstone china. At the time he introduced decorations on table and toilet sets there was only one man in Trenton who understood this branch of the art, who did all the decorating for the ten potteries then in operation. The first ornamentation 214 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CEL A IN. attempted was the application of plain color bands, then gold lines, and by a gradual development the more elab- orate decorations were finally introduced. The capacity of the factory was increased as the growth of the business required, and in a short time Mr. Moses was successfully making wares fully equal to any made by the practical 89. — Mr. John Moses. English potters who were his competitors in Trenton. His present productions are dinner, tea, toilet, and deco- rated wares of every description. The name of the Glas- gow Pottery is widely known throughout this country in connection with the John Hancock cups and saucers used at the Centennial Tea Parties, which were made exten- TRENTON, N J. 215 sively just previous to the Exhibition of 1876. Mr. Moses is also a large producer of white granite and cream-colored wares, thin hotel and steamboat china of excellent grades, and has always taken an active part in upholding the pro- tective tariff on American crockery before the Ways and Means Committee of Congress. THE ETRURIA POTTERY. The Ott & Brewer Company, of Trenton, N. J., now operate the factory which was built by Messrs. Bloor, Ott, & Booth, in 1863. Mr. John Hart Brewer, president of the company, entered the firm in 1865, and, being an artist himself of considerable ability, soon made his in- fluence felt in the improvement of methods and elevation of standards. Until 1876 the chief products of this fac- tory consisted of white granite and cream-colored ware. The first attempts in the manufacture of "Belleek" egg-shell china were made by Mr. Brewer in 1882, in con- junction with Mr. William Bromley, Jr., but these early trials were not entirely satisfactory. Encouraged by partial success, however, Mr. Brewer induced Bromley to send for his father, William Bromley, and his brother, John Bromley, who, with two or three other hands, came over in the following year from the Belleek factory in Ireland. Mr. William H. Goss, of Stoke-on-Trent, in- vented this body some thirty years ago, at which time the elder Bromley was acting as his manager. Messrs. David McBirney and Robert Williams Armstrong were then attempting to make first-class ceramic goods at their recently established manufactory in the village of Belleek, 2 1 6 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. county of Fermanagh, Ireland. Mr. Armstrong induced Bromley to take a number of Mr. Goss' best workmen to Ireland and introduce the egg-shell porcelain there. The ware produced at that factory has since become world- famous, being characterized by extreme lightness of body and a beautiful, lustrous glaze. The ware now manufactured by the Ott & Brewer Com- pany at the Etruria Pottery is made entirely from American materials, and is a vast improvement over the body and glaze first introduced by the Bromleys ten years ago. The rich iridescence of the nacreous glaze is fully equal to that of the Irish Belleek which is produced from salts of bismuth colored with metallic oxides ; in delicacy of coloring and lightness of weight the Trenton ware is even TRENTON, N. J. 21 J superior. A dozen cups and saucers, making twenty-four distinct pieces of the ordinary size, almost as thin as paper, weigh just one pound avoirdupois, or an average of only two thirds of an ounce each. A large variety of forms of this porcelain are produced, in both ornamental and useful designs. The larger vases are usually simple in outline and of the same comparative lightness as those of smaller size. They often possess pierced necks, feet, and handles, and are elegantly decorated in enamels, gold relief, and chasing. A triumph of the potters skill is a Belleek ostrich-egg bojibonniere, in two segments, which is exquisitely per- forated or honey-combed over its entire surface. 92. — White Granite Jardiniere. Ott & Brewer Company. Illustration 91 represents a large vase of the " Bourne " pattern, decorated in raised gold and colors. The shape is graceful and the decoration is exceedingly artistic. 2l8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. In addition to art porcelains, this factory produces a great quantity of granite ware and opaque china, in dinner, tea, and toilet sets, which are both print-decorated and hand-painted. A jardiniere of white granite, which is here figured, is a refined example of artistic decoration in quiet tones (111. 92). In presenting a biographical sketch of Mr. Brewer, we cannot do better than quote from the Pottery and Glass- ware Reporter, of June, 18, 1891 : " In 1873 Messrs. Ott & Brewer bought out the interest of Mr. Bloor, who removed to East Liverpool, where he subsequently died. The young member of the firm, then in his twenty-ninth year, filled with enthusiasm for his business and inspired with the patriotic sentiments pervading the preparation for the 1876 Centennial Expo- sition, at once began to show the possibilities of his craft, and the result was a showing at Philadelphia that was a revelation both to the American people and their foreign competitors. In the preparation and organization of the American pottery display, Mr. Brewer took an active and leading part, and subsequently took a prize at the Paris Exposition, where he also exhibited. About this time he first manufactured vitrified hotel china, and several speci- mens still in his possession testify to its excellent quality. It was, however, left to others to make its manufacture a commercial success. Mr. Brewer, like the early potters of the English and French schools, has been more inter- ested in achieving practical success than in making money, and, as a consequence, is not as wealthy as some of his more conservative contemporaries. He has spent many TRENTON, N. J. thousand dollars in arriving at the present stage, and the American industry generally has shared in its benefits. " The United States Potters' Association, which has done much to unify, strengthen, and advance the pottery interests of this country, was suggested and successfully organized by Mr. Brewer, who was for some years its 93. — Hon. John Hart Brewer. secretary, and subsequently became its president. His familiar face is seen at every convention, and it is hard to tell when he is at his best, in the serious discussions of the convention, or when, as toastmaster at the banquet, the speakers are introduced with witty and appropriate remarks. POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. "In 1875 he was elected to the New Jersey House of Assembly in a district that usually went Democratic, and subsequently became a Representative in both the 47th and 48th Congresses, where he speedily became recog- nized as one of the most intelligent exponents and advocates of the tariff question, and gained a national reputation. " Mr. Brewer is a thoroughly practical potter, familiar with all the details of the industry, acquainted with all its ups and downs during the past twenty-six years, and always taking an active interest in anything relating to its advancement. In the recent efforts to cultivate the spirit of practical art by offering prizes to the various art schools he has been prominent. His genial manners and kindly disposition have endeared him to all he has come in contact with, and even in the heat of political strife he has commanded the respect and friendship of his op- ponents. No employer is more popular among his employees, and no manufacturer more respected among his colleagues. " Mr. Brewer was born in Hunterdon County, N. J., March 29, 1844, and is a lineal descendant, on his mothers side, of John Hart, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence." A short time previous to the Centennial Exhibition, Mr. Isaac Broome, an American sculptor, who had already gained considerable reputation as an artist of ability, was engaged by Messrs. Ott & Brewer to design and model a series of works in parian for that occasion. These at- 94- — Base-Ball Vase. Modelled by Broome. 221 222 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. tracted much attention, both on account of their original- ity of form and artistic treatment. A tea set, ornamented with raised designs and portrait busts of Gen- eral and Mrs. Washing- ton, was particularly noteworthy. His "Fashion" vases, em- bellished with figures in low relief, illustrate the styles of the last and present centuries. They are unique in form and, like all of Prof. Broome's work, characterized by con- scientious attention to detail and careful finish. One of the most spirit- ed designs of the series is the base-ball vase (111. 94), which was sug- gested by Mr. Brewer and worked out by Mr. Broome. It is sugges- tive throughout, in all of its harmonious de- tails, of the American national game. From 95. — Pastoral Vase and Bracket. Modelled nedestal rises a PTad- by Broome. *■ TRENTON, N. J. 223 ually tapering vase, of which the lower portion is formed of a series of bats banded together by a strap, while the upper portion is embellished with figures of ball-players in low relief. The cover represents a base-ball, surmounted by the American eagle, and around the projecting ledge of the base are arranged three players in life-like attitudes. The modelling is faultless and the figures are full of action. A pastoral vase, by the same artist, is no less meri- torious, though of an entirely different character. The rustic decoration, in low relief, is well suited to the form, and the goat's head handles are in keeping with the other ornamental details. A faun's head bracket, of classic conception and excellently modelled, forms an appro- priate support for the vase (see 111. 95). Probably the most pretentious piece of work which Prof. Broome has done for the Etruria Pottery is the parian bust of Cleopatra (111. 96). This alone would be sufficient to place him in the front ranks of American sculptors, and is one of a large number of heads which have been modelled by him. Busts of public men have been made from life or the best portraits obtainable, and are faithful likenesses of the originals. The parian ware of the Etruria Pottery is soft and mellow in texture and a close imitation of the finest statuary marble. THE BURROUGHS AND MOUNTFORD COMPANY commenced business in Trenton, in 1879, in what was for- merly the Eagle Pottery. Their specialties are vitrified, thin, and hotel china, decorated table and toilet sets, 224 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. and underglaze printing on pottery and porcelain. The mechanical application of decorations is the distinguish- 96. — Parian Bust — Cleopatra. By Broome. ing characteristic of one line of their art potteries, which, while closely imitating the more expensive methods of TRENTON, N. J. hand-painting, enables them to produce highly artistic effects at a greatly reduced cost. The bold ornamenta- tion of their jardinieres, umbrella-jars, punch-bowls, and 97. — Vases. Burroughs & Mountford Co. vases, after the Doulton, Royal Worcester, Limoges, and Adderley methods, bears a striking individuality of its 15 226 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. own. Probably their most beautiful pieces are those on which raised gold designs are applied by hand to an ex- quisite mazarine blue. One of the finest examples of this class is a large vase thirty-six inches in height, with silver and gold raised paste work, on a solid blue ground, executed by a Japanese artist. The accompanying illus- tration shows this piece mounted on a four-inch pedestal, between two vases of ordinary size (111. 97). White tiles of a fine quality, with underglaze blue printed devices, as well as embossed and enamelled art tiles, are also made here to some extent. One of their latest styles of ornamentation, as applied to panels in jardinieres and vases, is the outline printing of human figures and scenes which are filled in by hand in colors, over the glaze. The effect is exceedingly rich and artistic, and by this process very creditable substitutes for the more expensive imported ceramic paintings are placed on the market at surprisingly low prices. THE GREENWOOD POTTERY COMPANY was incorporated in 1868, the present officers being Mr. James Tarns, president, and Mr. James P. Stephens, secre- tary and treasurer. The business was established in 1861, under the style of Stephens, Tarns, & Co. Mr. Tarns came from Longton, Staffordshire, England, where, at an early age, he learned the pottery business in all of its branches. Until 1876 they made white granite or stone china ware, since which date they have been making a specialty of the manufacture of vitrified and translucent china for hotel, steamship, and railway uses. They are also producing at TRENTON, N. J. 227 the present time thin china table ware of a superior quality, with overglaze and underglaze decorations, for domestic purposes, porcelain hardware trimmings, and electrical, telegraph, and telephone insulating supplies. Some years ago they added an art department to their extensive establishment, and their produc- tions, consisting of vases, plaques, and other ornamental designs, richly decorated in the Royal Worcester style, are character- ized by elegance of form, of which, it is said, no duplicates are made. The best pieces possess an ivory finish and white enamel, raised gold, silver, and bronze effects. Their mazarine blue is particularly noteworthy, being exceedingly rich in tone and remarkably fine and even in texture, and has been favorably compared with the Bleu de Rot of European factories. An- other style of decoration, which has been practised here to some extent, is pdte-sur-pdte or clay upon clay. The plant of the company consists of seventeen large kilns, with an annual producing capacity of over half a million dollars. The experience of this company, in intro- ducing their vitreous hotel china, reveals the extent of that deep-seated prejudice which existed in this country 98.—" Ivory" Vase, Royal Worcester Style. Greenwood Pottery Co. 228 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. some years ago against everything made in America, but the superior merits of the ware were finally recognized, and it has now largely taken the place of imported china. The mark used from 1865 to 1876 was the coat-of-arms of the State of New Jersey above the words " Ironstone China," and " G. P. Co." This was printed in black under the glaze. The first table porcelain made at this pottery was stamped " G. P. Co." MR. THOMAS MADDOCK first made plumbers' sanitary ware in 1870, and still con- tinues to manufacture it extensively. At the American Institute Fair, held in New York in 1879, ne exhibited an interesting large Grecian vase of stoneware, decorated on one side with a drawing of an ancient Egyptian potter at work. The names of half a dozen governors of as many States were written on the biscuit, who were present when the piece was being made. THE DELAWARE POTTERY. In 1880 one of Mr. Maddock's foremen went to the Enterprise Pottery and introduced these specialties there. Mr. Oliphant was then interested in the latter factory, but withdrew in 1884, and started the Delaware Pottery in partnership with three of his sons, in con- junction with Mr. Thomas Connelly, recently from the Belleek works, Ireland, and Mr. Charles Fay. Messrs. Oliphant & Co. manufacture plumbers' appliances and sanitary specialties, druggists' and jewellers' supplies. These wares have justly acquired a wide reputation for TRENTON, N. J. 229 excellence of quality, design, and decoration. Their Wedgwood ware mortars and pestles are characterized by extreme hardness of body and smoothness of finish. About 1886 Mr. Connelly commenced experimenting in Belleek china. He succeeded in producing some ex- quisitely thin trial pieces of the finest grade, but the ware was never made in sufficient quantity to place upon the market. The few pieces which were produced, consisting of small ewers, cups, and saucers, were fired in the large kilns with the sanitary ware. This branch of the business was not developed beyond the experimental stage, al- though at the time of Mr. Connelly's death, in 1890, success was assured. THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERY. In 1878 Messrs. James Carr, of New York, and Ed- ward Clarke, of England, commenced the manufacture of cream-colored and white granite wares, as the Lincoln Pottery Company, in the old Speeler works, one of the first potteries built in Trenton for the manufacture of Rockingham and yellow wares. Mr. Carr retired within a few months, and Mr. Clarke, with others, founded the International Pottery Co. In 1879 tne business was pur- chased by the present proprietors, Mr. William Burgess, now United States Consul at Tunstall, England, in the pottery district, and Mr. John A. Campbell, who have retained the corporate title. Porcelain was made here, with varying success, for some years previous to 1888, when a new body, of exceptional standing qualities, was produced, and has been made to the present time. The POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. specialties of these works are toilet and dinner sets of artistic and novel shapes, in semi-porcelain body, in royal blue, still blue, and gray underglaze colors. Their flown blue ser- vices, produced within the past two years, are of exceptional merit and have been pronounced equal in all respects to the best of the kind produced in England. While no special effort has been made in the direction of decorative designs, many of their pieces are characterized by elegance of form and a richness and depth of blue ground seldom surpassed in this country or abroad. Their royal blue " Wilton " dinner service is especially praise- worthy. The International Pottery Co. also produces 99.— Semi-Porcelain Plate, Cobalt Blue Border and Gold Printed Tracery. International Pottery Company. porcelain of a fine quality, white granite, and other grades of ware, with embossed gold, enamelled, and vellum- finished decorations. The mark used on certain patterns 232 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. of underglaze ware is the circular stamp enclosing the names of the members of the firm, which is impressed in the clay. This and their Rugby flint china mark, which is printed under the glaze in brown, are here given. They are now stamping all of their porcelain goods in blue color : Royal Blue B— C Porcelain. The mark used on their ironstone china is the same which was formerly employed by Messrs. Carr & Clarke, and afterwards used in a modified form by Mr. Carr at his New York factory. THE WILLETS MANUFACTURING CO. Among the most extensive establishments in the East- ern States is that of the Willets Manufacturing Company of Trenton, N. J. The present proprietors, Messrs. Joseph, Daniel, and Edmund R. Willets, three brothers, succeeded to the business in 1879. The factory was erected in 1853 by William Young and Sons, who at first made Rockingham and common ware. At the Centennial Ex- hibition William Young's Sons made a display of crockery and porcelain hardware trimmings, at which time the plant included onlv four kilns. The business has since grown to such an extent, under the present management, that there are now thirteen large ware kilns besides those used for decorating. The products from these works include sanitary earthenware, plumbers' specialties, white and decorated pottery, opaque china, white granite, and art 2 33 porcelain. A specialty in dinner and toilet services is underglazed decoration on white bodies. After the Ott & Brewer Company had perfected the body and glaze of their Belleek ware and got it well under way, William Bromley, Sr., went with the Willets Manu- facturing Company and instructed them in the process. ioi. — Shell and Cupid Pitcher — Belleek. Willets Manufacturing Company. The manufacture of white egg-shell ware, to which they are constantly adding new designs, is another specialty of these works, and the company is now competing success- fully with the Dresden, Limoges, and other foreign facto- ries in supplying white art porcelain to decorators. In 2 34 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN, form their pieces are graceful and artistic, one of which is represented in Illustration 101. Some small picture frames, in Belleek body, decorated with delicately modelled flowers, are especially noteworthy. 1 02. — Large Vase, Chrysanthemum Decoration. Willets Manufacturing Company. They also employ a number of competent artists to decorate their art goods, many of which are reproductions of the characteristic shell and coral forms of the Irish works. Illustration 102 represents a large Belleek vase TRENTON, N. J. 235 with open-work handles and chrysanthemum decoration in delicate tints on an ivory, gold-stippled ground. 103. — Belleek Tray, Dresden Decoration. Willets Mfg. Co. 104. — Works of the Willets Manufacturing Company, Trenton, N. J. THE CERAMIC ART COMPANY, of which Mr. Jonathan Coxon, Sr., is president and Mr. Walter S. Lenox secretary and treasurer, was established 2 3 6 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. in Trenton in 1889. The first named gentleman became superintendent at the Ott & Brewer Company's works after Bromley left, and the latter was formerly in charge of their decorating department. Here they learned the processes of manufacturing Belleek. They are rapidly making a name by their constantly increasing patterns, many of which are exquisitely conceived and show the touch of thorough artists. Their specialties are Belleek ware and " Indian china," many of their best pieces having been designed by Mr. William W. Gallimore. They have procured the best designers and painters that can be found and em- ploy both the over- glaze and underglaze processes in decorat- ing. Their egg-shell ware is also furnished in the white to deco- rators. Illustration 105 shows one of these undecorated 105. — Egg— Shell Porcelain- P ieCeS > a gleeful lily- The "Engagement" Cup and Saucer. shaped cup and sau- Ceramic Art Company. cer. In addition to vases and table pieces, they make many fancy patterns, such as thimbles, inkstands, parasol handles, menu slabs, and candelabra. Among the most recent productions of the Ceramic Art Company are some beautiful pieces of carved ware, in Belleek body, which possess a high order of artistic TRENTON, N. J. 237 merit. The decoration is entirely in relief, and is executed by carving the designs in the clay before burning, the only tool used being an ordinary jack-knife. This work is done by Miss Kate B. Sears, a young lady artist employed by 106. — Carved Vase. Ceramic Art Company. the company. A spherical vase of this character, ex- hibited at the World's Columbian Exposition, is shown in Illustration 106. The interior is glazed, while the outside is porcelain bisque, entirely devoid of coloring in the dec- oration, which consists of elaborate designs of lilies and 2 3 8 PO TTER V AND FOR CELAIN. child figures extending around a central zone. The soft, white surface of the ware is admirably suited to the sub- ject selected for decorative treatment. THE TRENTON CHINA COMPANY was incorporated in 1859, " to manufacture and sell porce- lain, china, chemicals, drugs, and other articles of which clay, sand, and other earthy substances form the basis or principal ingredients." Of late years a specialty of this company has been vitrified china, white and decorated, for table uses. These works were closed in 1891. After undergoing a very troublesome experience before per- fecting the quality of their china, — which was at last accomplished under the management of Mr. Duggan, — the money and patience of its backers became exhausted, and the company went into the hands of a receiver. OTHER TRENTON POTTERIES. By an Act approved February 9, 1865, the Trenton Pottery Company was incorporated for the manufacture of earthenware and crockery of various descriptions, the incorporators being Appollinaire Husson, James Taylor, John F. Houdayer, and Edmund Husson. The Empire Pottery of Messrs. Alpaugh & Magowan was established in 1863, and was formerly owned by Messrs. Coxon & Thompson. In 1883 the business passed into the hands of the present proprietors. They manufacture thin porcelain, dinner, tea, and toilet, and decorated wares, principally in white granite body. They make a specialty of sanitary and plumbers' earthenware. TRENTON, N. J. 239 The Mercer Pottery Company was organized in 1868, and at the present time Mr. James Moses is the sole pro- prietor. The products of this pottery consist of a fine line of semi-porcelain dinner and toilet ware, both white and decorated ; also white granite wares of the same kind. This firm was the first to produce what is now known as semi-porcelain earthenware in this country. Mr. Moses, we think, is fairly entitled to that credit. He has made a great success of it, and represents one of the leading firms in the United States to-day. The New Jersey Pottery Company was organized in 1869, the incorporators being Elias Cook, John Woolver- ton, Caleb S. Green, Barker Gummere, and Nathaniel E. Britton. The Fell & Thropp Company, known as the Trenton Pottery, was the old Taylor & Speeler pottery. It is now owned by Samuel E. Thropp and J. Hart Brewer. They manufacture a full line of white granite and C. C. wares. This pottery is the oldest white granite pottery in Trenton. Messrs. Dale & Davis built the Pospect Hill Pottery in 1880, the latter having formerly been manager for Mr. John Moses at the Glasgow Pottery. They produce a large line of decorated semi-porcelain and white granite dinner and toilet wares. The Crescent Pottery Company, composed of W. S. Hancock and Chas. H. Cook, was established in 1881. They manufacture sanitary earthenware and a full line of C. C. wares. At the present time they are one of the leading firms of Trenton. 240 PO TTERY AND PORCELAIN. The Crown Porcelain Works of Messrs. Barlow and Marsh were started in 1890. They produce a fine line of decorated faience specialties. Mr. Marsh was formerly con- nected with Messrs. Robertson & Company of England, and is a practical potter and an artist of no mean ability. The Trenton Terra-Cotta Company, of which Mr. Joseph McPherson is president, and Mr. O. O. Bowman is treasurer, manufacture an extensive line of fire-brick, vitrified salt-glazed sewer pipe, terra-cotta chimney tops and flues, and garden vases. The later are particularly elaborate and deservedly popular. The American China Company of Trenton produced to a limited extent stone china decorated by the chromo- lithographic process, which has been employed in Europe for perhaps forty years. This process consists in the ap- plication of verifiable decalcomanie designs to the sur- face of the ware, either under or over the glaze, usually the latter. On a plate in my possession, made by the above-named company, is a central design of a crab, with marginal fronds of sea-weed in colors, — green, brown, black, and red. The effect is that of the ordinary de- calcomanie transfer work, but, having been fired, the designs are permanently affixed, as in the other overglaze decorations. This process has been carried to great per- fection, especially by the Doulton factory of Lambeth, England, and by some of the French potters, intricate and artistic designs being produced in delicate coloring which resemble fine hand-painted work, but the transfer printing can be distinguished by the dots and lines of the engrav- ing, which can be readily detected on close inspection. TRENTON, N. J. 241 At the Arsenal Pottery of the Mayer Pottery Manu- facturing Company, of which Mr. Joseph S. Mayer is president, decorated porcelain, underglazed and majolica wares are made. This is, probably, at the present time, the only concern in the United States which manufactures the so-called majolica ware. Their exhibit at the Chicago Fair included some finely modelled Toby pitchers or jugs, which are excellent imitations in form and color of the old English design so familiar to collectors. The Union Pottery Company, which was closed in 1889, made for the political campaign of the previous year a quantity of six-inch tiles, dinner plates, etc., deco- rated with printed portraits of the Presidential candidates. This company was incorporated in 1869, the incorporators being Baltes Pickel, William White, Henry Smitn, Joshua Jones, and Elias Cook. The American Art China Works were established December 1, 1 891, in what was formerly known as the Washington Pottery, by Messrs. Rittenhouse, Evans, & Co. The ware made here is distinctively an American production, and is placed upon the market as American china. The body is thin, translucent, and strong, and resembles the Belleek ware made at other Trenton factories. The shapes are new, and the decorations artistic. The proprietors of these works are actuated by the laudable determination to demonstrate to the Ameri- can public that it is possible to produce home goods fully equal in every respect to any that can be made abroad. White china, in all the shapes produced at these works, is sold for decorating. 16 242 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. In the latter part of 1892, Messrs. W. T. Morris and F. R. Willmore commenced the erection of a pottery in Trenton for the manufacture of art wares. The former was at one time connected with the Belleek works, Ire- land, and the Royal Worcester Porcelain works, England, and recently with the Ott & Brewer Pottery of Trenton. Mr. Willmore was also for many years employed as deco- rator at the two last-named establishments. Their new works, which they have named the Columbian Art Pot- tery, were finished in the early part of 1893. Thin Belleek china and ivory ware, of a fine quality, are made here in original forms and decorations, and include articles of utility and ornamental pieces, such as candle-sticks, um- brella holders, jardinieres, tea-pots, and specialties. In addition to the Trenton establishments already mentioned are the East Trenton Pottery Co., which, during the Presidential campaign of 1888, produced plates with engraved portraits of the candidates ; the Anchor Pottery ; Enterprise Pottery Co. ; Egyptian Pottery Co. ; Equitable Pottery Co. ; Warren Kimble ; Imperial Porce- lain Works of F. A. Duggan ; C. W. Donaghue, potters' supplies ; and a number of decorating establishments — Pope & Lee, Jesse Dean Decorating Co., W. C. Hen- drickson, Tatler Decorating Co., and Poole & Stockton. Other parties have also been engaged in the pottery industry since i860 with varying success, some twenty establishments having discontinued business, with an aggregate loss of two million dollars. Recently the Trenton Potteries Company has been incorporated, to acquire and continue the business here- TRENTON, N. J. ^43 tofore conducted by the Empire, Enterprise, Delaware, Equitable, and Crescent potteries, with a capital stock of $3,000,000. Sanitary plumbing, toilet, and table wares will continue to be the staple productions. The constant changes which are taking place in the pottery business in Trenton, through the closing of factories and the establishment of new ones every year, render it impossible to present a complete history of the industry to date, for even as these lines are being written word comes to us that new enterprises are being started ; and the wonderfully rapid advances in the art furnish evidence that no chronicler can keep pace with the progress of the American potter. CHAPTER XII. POTTERIES ESTABLISHED BETWEEN 1859 AND 1876. A POTTERY was erected in Peoria, 111., by Messrs. Fenton and Clark in 1859, wno came from Ben- nington, Vt. They commenced the manufacture of white granite and cream-colored wares, but the venture did not prove a financial success and the factory was only operated about three years. Afterwards the works were continued by other parties, who made Rockingham and stoneware. We have seen some brown pottery tobacco jars which were made during this period, marked ilunois, of crood form and excellent oflaze. In 1873 the Peoria Pottery Co. was organized and continued the manufacture of stoneware until 1889, when they took up the white-ware line and still continue to pro- duce white granite, cream-colored, and decorated wares. At the Chicago Exhibition this company displayed some fine tinted table services in pale green, salmon, and other delicate colors. THE NEW ENGLAND POTTERY CO. Mr. L. W. Clark, son of Mr. Decius W. Clark, who was at one time superintendent of the United States Pottery, 244 POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 245 Bennington, Vt, accompanied his father to Peoria, 111., in 1859, a °d remained with the new firm of Fenton and Clark at that place for about two years, when he left to enter the army. In 1875 ne went to Boston, and, in partnership with Mr. Thomas Gray, assumed control of the New England Pottery. This establishment was founded in 1854 by Mr. Frederick Meagher, who made Rockingham and yellow ware. It was afterward taken by Mr. William H. Homer, from whom the plant was pur- chased by the present proprietors, who now produce the usual lines of useful services in cream-colored and white granite ware. For the past five years they have been making a decorated product in colored bodies, to which they have given the name " Rieti " ware. This is a semi- porcelain, finished and decorated chiefly after the Doulton, Adderley, and Worcester methods. They also make porcelain of an admirable quality, and their goods are characterized by an artistic style of decoration and excel- lence of glaze, their mazarine blue and " old ivory " finish being especially praiseworthy. The decorating branches are under the direct supervision of Mr. J. W. Phillips, who originates and engraves many of the best designs used in their printing processes. Mr. Thomas H. Cope- land designs and models most of their pieces which, from the line of trade they seek, are chiefly utilitarian rather than ornamental, but they possess a grace of outline and delicacy of coloring which render them objects of great beauty. The chocolate jugs, jardinieres, and cuspidors, of these works compare very favorably with the imported wares, after which they are to some extent patterned. Of 246 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. the few purely decorative forms which they have attempted, a semi-porcelain vase, twenty inches in height, made in 1889, is particularly meritorious. This is artistically painted in natural colors on raised paste, the top and base being in solid dead gold. Mr. Bands, of the Royal Worcester works, England, was the artist (111. 108). A two - handled cracker jar, made at this factory, is worthy of illustration. The body ground is pol- ished ivory. The ornamentation con- sists of corn-flower grouping in embossed gold, with ferns and 107.— Two-Handled Cracker Jar. foliage in natural New England Pottery Co. a . 1 . , tints, outlined with gold. The fluted neck and base are tinted in robin's-eggblue with fleur-de-lis pendants, in relief gold. The form of the vessel is graceful and the handles are a convenient adjunct to the usually awkward form of cracker or rose jar (111. 107). Mr. Clark's previous career as a potter will be found in connection with the history of other establishments, with which he was, at various times, associated. Porous cups for electrical purposes and other specialties in earthenware are also made here. POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 247 Among the most recent productions of the New Eng- land Pottery, of an ornamental character, are a jardiniere and a chocolate jug, which deserve special description. The for- mer is made of stone porcelain body and fin- ished with bronze leaf scrolls on a white oround with buff shad- ines. The base is in clouded bronze and Roman gold. The form of the piece is graceful and the waving outlines of the upper edge pro- duce an exceedingly or- nate effect (111. 109). The chocolate jug is also of stone porce- 108.— Semi-Porcelain Vase. lain. This is covered New England Pottery Company, 1889. from shoulder to foot with a fine mazarine blue glaze, on which is laid a cameo decoration in raised white enamel. The subject of the decorative design, which is artistically conceived and admirably executed, is an " In- terview between Bird and Bug" on a hawthorn bush. The shoulder of the piece is white, finished in relief gold filigree work, with small sectional panels of maroon, bearing raised gold rosettes. The borders and handle are finished in Roman o;old. The contrast of the white design and o <-> 248 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. the rich gold ornamentation against the deep-blue ground is particularly effective (111. no.) 109. — Jardiniere. New England Pottery Co. POTTERY AT BATH, S. C. In the spring of 1862, Col. Thomas J. Davies, a cot- ton planter in Edgefield Co. (now Aiken Co.), South Carolina, was induced by Anson Peeler, formerly of Ben- nington, Vt., who had been a resident of the former State for some six years, to embark in the manufacture of fire- brick near Bath, on the South Carolina Railroad. Mr. V POTTERIES FROM 1859 T0 l8 7 6 - 2 49 Peeler was a carpenter by trade and a skilled mechanic, and was placed in charge of the entire business. The necessary capital and the slaves for performing the labor were furnished by Col. Davies. Soon after the establish- no. — Chocolate Jug. New England Pottery Company. ment of these works large quantities of bricks were pro- duced equal in quality to any that had previously been imported, which were marked " Bath, S. C, Fire-Bricks." The great furnaces for casting ordnance, and the powder mills of the South, procured their fire-bricks from these 2 50 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. works. From a small beginning an extensive business was soon established, and crucibles and tiles for gas works were also made extensively. In 1863 a great demand sprang up for earthen jars, pitchers, cups and saucers, and the fire-brick works were partially transformed into a manufactory of such wares, which were produced in large quantities by negro men and boys, who employed the old- fashioned " kick-wheel " in their manufacture. The Con- federate hospitals were supplied with thousands of these articles of rude and primitive shape, the body being com- posed of three fourths to five sixths of kaolin and alluvium earth from the swamp lands of the Savannah River, about six miles distant. This composition made a tough body which partially vitrified in burning. With sand and ashes mixed thoroughly as a glaze, excellent results were ob- tained. The ware was black or brown, clumsy, and entirely devoid of ornamentation, but strong and ad-* mirably adapted to the purposes demanded by the exi- gencies of the time. In 1864 the products of the works were insufficient for supplying the demand, although the large horizontal kilns were devoted entirely to the burning of these wares. At the termination of the war, in 1865, operations at this pottery were suspended, and the enter- prise passed into history. Col. Davies was born in Georgia, and is a Southern gentleman of the old school. He was graduated from Princeton College, New Jersey, and has been a resident of South Carolina for fifty years. Since his retirement from the pottery business he has been engaged in the mining of china clays. POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 251 So far as can be ascertained, there was but one other pottery in the South during the Civil War, — that of the Stevens brothers, near Milledgeville, Georgia, where crude earthenware was made. These works have been extended, and are at present producing fire-bricks and tiles. THE PHILADELPHIA CITY POTTERY. These works were established by Messrs. J. E. Jef- fords & Co., in 1868, as the Port Richmond Pottery Co. in. — Decorated Coffee-Pot, Dark-Blue Ground. J. E. Jeffords & Co. The pottery now includes two distinct factories, one of which turns out a high grade of Rockingham, yellow, and white-lined blue ware, mostly for culinary purposes, while the adjoining works produce an excellent variety of white and decorated pottery for table and toilet uses. In Rock- 252 POT TER Y A ND POP CP LA IN. ingham, some of the old English designs are reproduced, such as the " Toby " ale-jug and the cow creamer. The decorated white ware, such as tea-pots and gypsy kettles, ornamented with floral designs in gold and colors, on dark-red, blue, brown, and cream-colored grounds, pos- sess considerable merit. A few years ago a more elabo- rate style of ornamentation was attempted in the painting of bird and floral subjects above the glaze (see 111. iii), but this was soon discontinued as being too costly for the general market. Printing from copper plates is extensively practised here at the present time, and com- petent artists are employed in the decorative departments. Mr. Jeffords came from the New York City Pottery of Messrs. Mor- rison & Carr, where he learned the various branches of the business. He has fully equipped his factories with the most ap- proved modern appliances, and employs about one hundred and eighty hands. Among other specialties extensively pro- duced here are decorated jardinieres and stoneware bot- tles for liquor baskets, which are sold largely for yachting and excursion purposes. The only mark which has ever been used at this estab- lishment is a diamond bearing the date of the establish- ment of the present firm, 1868. THE UNION PORCELAIN WORKS. Messrs. Thomas C. Smith and C. H. L. Smith are the proprietors of these works, which are situated at POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 253 Greenpoint, Long Island. They manufacture a true hard porcelain in table services, decorative pieces, electrical insulators, and hardware trimmings. The senior member of the firm, who is an American, was formerly an architect by profession, but owing to a peculiar combination of circumstances was forced to purchase these works about the time of the breaking out of the Civil War, without intending to engage in the busi- ness himself. During an absence abroad shortly afterwards, how- ever, he conceived the idea of embarking in the porcelain busi- ness, and on his return he set to work to utilize the knowledge which he had acquired among the large factories of Europe and at once commenced his experi- ments. The composition which had been used by the German potters from whom he bought the works was the English bone body, which was abandoned by Mr. Smith in 1864, when he introduced the hard kaolinic body, which has since been made exclusively to the present time. An example of translucent bone porcelain, made in the latter year, is a beer mug with embossed figures of Bacchus, surrounded by vine-leaves, shown in Illustration 112. The earlier experi- ments made by Mr. Smith were attended with only partial success, but in 1865 he perfected a plain white ware for 112. — Bone-China Mug, Raised Decorations. Union Porcelain Works, 1864. POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. the market, and a year afterward he commenced to deco- rate his goods. But here he was met with the difficulty of finding underglaze colors which would stand the intense heat of the sharp fire necessary to vitrify the ware. So far as we have any knowledge, Mr. Smith was the first potter in America to apply the underglaze method of decoration to hard porcelain, for it has already been seen that Messrs. Tucker & Hemphill, in Philadelphia, used only overglaze colors from 1825 to 1838, during the exist- ence of their porcelain factory. The Greenpoint works, however, have of late years used the overglaze method also, in order to obtain a greater variety of coloring in the production of decorative art pieces. The late Karl M tiller, a talented German sculptor and artist, who was educated in Paris, was employed for several years at the Greenpoint works as chief designer and modeller. Just previous to the Centennial Exhibi- tion, Mr. Miiller designed a number of vases and other pieces which exhibit a marked originality in conception and a high degree of excellence in execution. Of these we may mention the Century vase, in which appears a relief portrait of Washington against a mat blue ground, panels around the base representing, in white relief, an Indian, the Tea Scene in Boston Harbor, a Revolutionary Soldier, and other historical subjects. The handles of the vase represent the head of the American bison. A second vase is designed to illustrate Longfellow's poem, " Keramos," with raised designs commemorating the his- tory of the ceramic art from the most remote ages. Two busts in a buff body represent Edwin Forrest as William POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 255 Tell (111. 116), and Charlotte Cushman as Meg M err Hies > modelled by Mr. M uller from photographs. A series of statuettes, pitchers, and busts of prominent Americans, in porcelain biscuit, reveal the highest art of the sculp- tor. A Poet's pitcher, in biscuit, designed by Mr. Mtiller, is among the most highly artistic works produced at this factory. It is of graceful form, embellished with relief portraits of prominent poets of ancient and modern times. The " Liberty cup " is beau- tifully modelled, with embossed figures of Mercury and Justice, surrounded by the corn plant of the North and the tobacco plant of the South, with handle rep- resenting the Goddess of Liberty standing on an eagle with outspread wings. It is finished in mat gold traced with color (111. 1 1 3). Among the artists engaged in decorating the Green- point porcelain, Mr. J. M. Falconer of Brooklyn has been one of the most prominent. Some of his paintings on plates and plaques exhibit a high degree of artistic merit, as in some views of Centennial buildings, and a number of ideal designs, in which the coloring is chaste and the execution admirable. 113. — The Liberty Cup, Modelled by Muller. Union Porcelain Works. 256 PO TTER Y A ND POP CELAIN. The manufacture of hard porcelain tiles has become an important branch of the business of this factory. These tiles are made both thick and thin, in underglaze decoration, and are claimed to be the only tiles made in this country which will endure the heat of a hearth fire. 114. — Greenpoint Porcelain Vase, in Embossed Gold and Jewel Work. Grotesque Lizards in Mat Gold. They are decorated with figures of griffins and other fancy designs. The overglaze method has also been applied to tiles for mantel facings and wainscoting, and on the walls of the private office of the establishment may be seen a POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 257 series of large tile panels embellished with paintings representing the ancient ceramic processes of Egypt, as depicted on the pyramids. In table services the most noteworthy are those dec- orated in overglaze colors and white enamelled designs. A handsome dinner set in underglaze blue outlined with gold, is one of the latest achievements of this factory. 115. — Tete-a-Tete Set. Union Porcelain Works. The composition of the paste varies according to the pur- pose for which it is to be used. For the manufacture of hardware trimmings, which form an important part of the products of these works, a larger proportion of kaolin is introduced. 17 258 PO TTER Y AND FOR C EL A IN. The porcelain made here is composed in body of kao- lin, quartz, and feldspar. It is fired in biscuit at a low temperature, in the second story of the porcelain kiln, using for its baking the surplus heat passing away after having done its greater work in the first story or glost kiln where the glazing is done. At this first burning the ware 116. — Bust of Edwin Forrest as William Tell. Union Forcelain Works. receives only sufficient fire to make it properly fasten together in form. It is quite fragile, easily broken with the fingers, and porous, not having yet had sufficient heat to commence vitrification. In this condition it is what is POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 259 termed porcelain biscuit, and is ready for the glaze-tub. The glaze of porcelain is composed of the same materials as the body, and so compounded that those elements which are soonest fluxed by the influence of the heat are in greater proportion than they are contained in the body. The porous, low-fired biscuit is dipped into a liquid pud- dle of glaze. Upon being withdrawn its porosity quickly absorbs the excess of water, leaving a dry coating of the glaze compound, which has held the water in suspension, upon the surface of the piece. This piece of porous biscuit covered with glaze is now cleaned of glaze upon its foot, or that part upon which it rests, to prevent its sticking or burning fast to the clay sagger or firing case ; otherwise the glaze on the bearing parts would, at the time of flowing, form a cement, fastening the piece and the sagger together. The pieces are placed separately in the saggers. The heat in firing hard porcelain is carried to such a high degree that the ware touches the point of pliability, almost the melting-point. At this great heat the body is vitrified ; at the same time the glaze, from its slightly softer composition, is melted into the body of the ware, producing a hard, vitreous, and homogeneous mate- rial properly known as true, hard porcelain. This is the process used at Sevres, Meissen, Berlin, and elsewhere. THE MOORHEAD CLAY WORKS. These works were established at Spring Mills, Mont- gomery Co., Pa., in 1866, by Messrs A. S. Moorhead and Wm. L. Wilson, and three years later were entirely 2 6o PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. destroyed by fire. New works were at once built on the same site, of much greater capacity. The products of these works are terra-cotta sewer pipes, ornamental chim- ney tops, drain tile, pipe flues, fire-brick and tiles, garden edging and border tile, flower-pots, terra-cotta window boxes, hanging vases, jardinieres, garden vases, pedestals and statuary, rustic ornaments, fountains, aquarium orna- ments, and terra-cotta shapes for decorators. THE CHELSEA KERAMIC ART WORKS. Mr. Alexander William Robertson started a small pot- tery in Chelsea, Mass., in the year 1866, for the manufac- ture of brown ware such as was made in Great Britain, and of lava ware similar to that of Germany. Two years afterwards Mr. Hugh Cornwall Robertson, a younger brother, who had served an apprenticeship at the Jersey City Pottery in i860, was admitted to partnership in the business, the firm name becoming A. W. & H. C. Robert- son, when the production of brown ware was discontinued and the manufacture of plain and fancy flower-pots was substituted. In the following year porous cones or filters were made for chemical purposes. In 1872 James Robert- son, a practical potter of wide and varied experience in Scotland, England, New Jersey, and New York, and recently from the East Boston pottery, joined his sons, the firm style being changed to James Robertson & Sons, when work of a more pretentious character was under- taken. A red bisque ware, in imitation of the antique Grecian terra-cottas and Pompeiian bronzes was first pro- POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 261 duced in 1875. The factory adopted the name of the Chelsea Keramic Art Works. The red ware was charac- terized by a remarkably fine texture and smooth finish, the clay being peculiarly adapted to the faithful reproduc- tion of the graceful classic forms, the fine polished grain offering an excellent surface for the most minute carving, showing the engraved lines as perfectly as on wood. Some of the vases were decorated with red figures on a black ground, in the ancient Greek style, modelled after pieces in the Englefield collection. Of these the amphora, lecythus, cenochce, stamnos, and krater were favorite forms. The ornamentation of this class of ware is the natural red clay, the black having been worked on with the brush around the designs. The process of polishing the surface completed the resemblance to the antique. One of the finest of these reproductions is a large vase, thirteen and a half inches high, in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It is the early work of Mr. John G. Low of Chelsea (111. 1 17). On thirteen vases of fine red body, Mr. Franz Xavier Dengler, the talented young sculptor, who afterwards died at the age of twenty-five, modelled from life, in high relief, 262 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. choosing child and bird forms. One of these, in the Bos- ton Museum of Fine Arts, is shown in Illustration 119. It is a vase fifteen inches in height, of compact, red clay. The firm also received the benefit of advice from a number of capable artists, including John G. Low, G. W. Fenety, and others. For lack of public support, however, this branch of the art was soon abandoned. The next venture was the Chelsea faience, introduced in 1877, which 118. — Chelsea FaIence. Barber Collection. is characterized by a beautiful soft glaze. This ware soon attracted the attention of connoisseurs, and carried the firm to the front rank of American potters. The decoration consists of floral designs, either made separately by hand and sprigged on, or carved in relief from clay laid directly on the surface while moist. A number of plaques about ten inches in diameter were modelled by Mr. H. C. Robertson, either engraved or carved in high relief, some of the latter being modelled POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 263 after Dore's illustrations of La Fontaine's Fables, such as "The Wolf Turned Shepherd," etc. They were made of a stone body, and generally covered with a quiet blue or gray glaze. Some novel effects were produced by hammering the exterior of vases before burning, and afterward carving sprays of flowers in relief and applying them to the indented surface. The modelling was ex- ecuted by Miss Josephine Day, a sister-in-law and pupil of Mr. H. C. Robert- son, and by Mr. Robertson himself. Being done by hand, from original de- signs, no duplicates were produced. On some of the hammered pieces, the de- signs were cut into the surface and filled in with white clay, forming a mo- saic, the bases of the ves- sels being colored buff, which formed a pleasing contrast beneath a semi-transparent glaze. About the same time a variety of faience, known as the Bourg-la- Reine of Chelsea, was produced by the process of paint- 119. — A " Dengler " Vase, Red Ware, Modelled Designs. Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 264 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. ing on the surface of the vessel with colored clays and covering with a transparent glaze, on the principle of the Limoges faience. Mr. James Robertson died in 1880, after a long and useful life, at the ripe age of seventy years. The firm continued under the same name, and in 1884 A. W. Robertson retired from the business. In that year the remaining partner, Mr. Hugh C. Robertson, commenced 120. — Inlaid, Hammered, and Embossed Pottery. Chelsea Keramic Art Works. to make a stoneware somewhat resembling parian in appearance, possessing a hard, vitrified body, which he worked into a variety of artistic forms. From this time Mr. Robertson directed his efforts toward solving the secret of the famous Chinese Sang de bceuf, and after four years of sacrifice and patient inves- tigation his labors were in a measure successful. He believes he has discovered the exact treatment necessary to produce the true ox-blood red, which with the Chinese POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 265 was the result of accident rather than an established art. The body is the true stone, perfectly waterproof, and ca- pable of resisting as high a degree of heat as any ware. The forms of the vases are simple, with curving outlines, and entirely devoid of ornamentation which would tend to impair the beauty of color, which is that of fresh arterial blood, possessing a gold- en lustre, which in the light glistens with all the varying hues of a sunset sky. In experimenting to obtain the blood-red of the Sang dc bceuf, varieties were produced of a deep sea-green, ''peach-blow," apple- green, mustard-yellow, greenish blue, maroon, and rich purple, the glaze being hard, brilliant, and deep. Examples of this ware now grace the cabi- nets of a number of col- 121. -Crackle Vase. Boston Museum of Fine Arts. lectors in the United States, of which Mrs. F. S. Thomas, of New York, pur- chased four of the finest. Only three hundred pieces of the Sang de Chelsea were made, but the demand for works of this character being limited, some of the finest examples still rest on the dusty shelves in the Chelsea workshop. 2 66 PO TTER J r A ND POP CELA IN. Imitations of the Japanese crackle ware were also pro- duced, and a specimen of this class, in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, which is of a gray color, with blue under- glaze decoration, compares very favorably with Oriental 122. — Plaque Representing "String." Designed by II. C. Robertson, 1S79. examples. This was executed by Mr. Hugh C. Robert- son (Illustration 121). In the collection of Dr. Marcus Benjamin of New York City is a pilgrim vase decorated after a drawing by Mr. James E. Kelly of New York, which originally ap- POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 267 peared in the old Scribners Monthly Magazine of May, 1878, the subject being the old-time post boy, mounted on a horse and heralding his approach to the village by blowing his trumpet, which afterwards developed into Kelly's statuette of Sheridan (see Cyclopedia of American Biography, — Sheridan). The figures were modelled by Mr. Hugh C. Robertson in low relief, to which an effective glaze adds depth and distance. They were worked in white clay and laid on the yellow body of the vase and then covered with a single glaze, producing the effect of a grayish-blue design against a yellowish-olive or mouse- colored ground. Only five or six copies were produced. After more than twenty years of devotion to his art, Mr. Robertson was compelled to close his factory in 1888 for lack of means to carry his work further. A company, however, was incorporated on July 17, 1891, under the title "Chelsea Pottery, U. S.," of which Mr. Hugh C. Robertson was appointed manager. Here, with increased facilities at his command, Mr. Robertson will devote him- self to the further development of American ceramic art. POTTERY AT PHCENIXVILLE, PA. The Phcenixville Pottery, Kaolin, and Fire-brick Com- pany was organized in 1867, and a few years later was succeeded by Messrs Schreiber & Co., who made yellow and Rockingham ware, and terra-cotta ornaments and wall-pieces. Heads of hounds and stags in several sizes, and large boar's heads, were made extensively here, and twenty years ago were in demand for decorating the in- 268 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. teriors of public-houses. Some of these may still be seen in country taverns. These were considered works of con- siderable artistic merit when first produced. The antlers and horns of stags and antelopes were made separately and afterwards inserted. Messrs. Beerbower & Griffon took the pottery in 1877 an d commenced the manufacture of white granite ware. In 1879 tne ^ rm name was changed to Griffen, Smith, & Hill, and in the following year the manufacture of " Etruscan " majolica was added. Through their majolica ware the firm became widely known. The model- ling of some of the pieces, such as com- poticres with supports composed of three in- tertwined dolphins, 123. — Terra-Cotta Boar's Head. Phcenix- 1 ville Pottery. Barber Collection, boudoir flower-shells Pennsylvania Museum. . ■, , or jewel cups, and other fancy shapes, was refined and artistic, the designer being an English artist of the name of Bourne. Some of these designs bear a striking resemblance to the Irish Belleek ware, not only in conception but in the extreme thinness of the body and the tinted nacreous glazes which cover them. Coral, sea-weed (Fucus), and marine shells were closely imitated and their commercial majolica for table purposes was largely made in leaf forms from moulds taken from the natural objects. The impressed mark POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 269 used on this ware was a monogram composed of the initials of the firm (G. S. H.), sometimes surrounded by a cir- cular band containing the words " Etruscan Majolica." These marks continued to be used after the retirement of Mr. Hill, when the style became Griffen, Smith, & Co. From 1880 to 1890 the factory produced a good grade of white and decorated ware, mostly in table services and toilet sets. In 1890 a large portion of the works was de- stroyed by fire and the manufacture of majolica was dis- 124. — Majolica. Phcenixville Pottery. continued. Mr. Smith withdrew from the firm in 1889 and erected levigating mills at Toughkenamon, Pa., near which place are large beds of kaolin. The firm style was then changed to Griffen, Love, & Co. As early as 1882 experiments were commenced in the manufacture of hard porcelain, and a series of sample pieces were made for the New Orleans Exhibition. The quality and designs of these trial pieces were creditable, and the experiment proved that this factory was capable 270 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. of producing true porcelain of a high order. One of the New Orleans pieces, a pitcher of thin semi-transparent body, was also made of white earthenware, glazed and gilded, the latter of which is reproduced in 111. 125. It is in the shape of a canteen, the mouth representing the head of a Continental soldier. The raised designs are flesh-colored, on a solid gold ground. The three-cor- nered hat is black. Mr. Scott Callowhill, an English artist, was employed for a while in modelling and paint- ing, but left to accept a posi- 125.— white-Ware Pitcher. tion with the Providential PHa.Nixvn.LE, Pa. ^ Works q{ TrQntQn At the beginning of the year 1891 a change was made in the proprietorship, and a new company incorporated, under the title of the GrifTen China Company, for manu- facturing fine translucent French china in plain white table services. In 1892 these works were permanently closed. THE HAMPSHIRE POTTERY. Some original work of a high character is now being done at the Hampshire Pottery of Messrs. J. S. Taft & Co., Keene, N. H. This pottery was started in 1871 for the manufacture of red ware, and afterwards stoneware. At a later date majolica was made quite extensively. POTTERIES FROM 1859 TO 1876. 271 Recently the firm has been paying particular attention to art specialties, in new and graceful shapes and novel deco- rations, such as fancy baskets, jugs, cracker jars, and cus- pidors, comb and brush trays, bon-bon boxes, rose bowls, tea sets, and umbrella stands. The ware is a white, opaque body, covered with a variety of effective glazes. I have seen at Niagara and other summer resorts pieces of Keene pottery with local views printed upon the surface for sale to tourists as souvenirs. One of the best designs produced by these works is the " Witch Jug," of a graceful form and ivory tint. On one side is painted, in ap- propriate colors, a witch, with broom in hand, in pur- suit of bats, against a ground of clouds. On the opposite side are three witch pins in black, and the lettering " Salem, 1692," in gold. The handle, foot, and border of lip are gilded. This souvenir jug was made especially for Mr. Daniel Low, silversmith, of Salem, Mass., to commemorate the witchcraft delusion which obtained in that place two hundred years ago, the sale being entirely controlled by him. About forty hands are employed at the Hampshire Pottery, nearly half the number being engaged in deco- rating. 126. — The Witch Jug. Hampshire Pottery. J. S. Taft & Co., Keene, N. H. 272 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. TERRA-COTTA WORKS, PHILADELPHIA. Messrs. Galloway & Graff displayed at the Centennial terra-cotta statuary, tazzas, and vases in Greek shapes for decorators, pedestals, fountains, flower-pots, and garden edging. Messrs. Harvey, Moland, & Co., successors to Wm. K. Black, are large producers of garden vases, statuary, sewer pipe, and drain tile. CHAPTER XIII. CINCINNATI. AMONG the first potteries of Cincinnati was one which was in operation for some time previous to the middle of the present century, owned by a family of the name of Kendall, father and sons, who were remarkable for their great stature, being over six feet in height. This pottery is said to have been the first in that city to produce a fine grade of stoneware, yellow, and Rockingham. About the year 1850 the Kendalls gave up business and went farther west. William Bromley, originally from Stoke-upon-Trent, England, went to Cincinnati about 1842 and successfully operated a pottery there for several years. At one time the ware in one of his kilns met with a singular mishap in the process of firing, which caused it to assume such a novel appearance that it was sold at very high prices. There was considerable demand for more of the same character, which of course could not be furnished, because Mr. Bromley did not know how the freak occurred, and his excuse to those who desired it was that he could not supply it because it was too costly to make. He died about twenty years ago. 18 273 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. George Scott, of Staffordshire, England, came to this country about 1846, and shortly after settled in Cincinnati, where for some time he sold goods for William Bromley. It is said that, after saving some money, he imported a thousand dollars' worth of queensware from England, which he disposed of advantageously and with the pro- ceeds purchased an old tavern on Front Street, and changed it into a pottery. With the able assistance of his wife, who was as capable a potter as he, a business was established which soon yielded him a competency, and after his death some years ago the firm's name was changed to George Scott's Sons, under which style the business is now carried on. This consists of the manufacture of a high grade of white granite, cream-colored, decorated, and printed table and toilet wares. The Hamilton Road Pottery was founded by Messrs. M. and N. Tempest, and in 1865 was purchased by Mr. Frederick Dallas, who continued the business until his death a few years ago. Here were made stone china and the commoner wares. Some of the earliest experiments of the ladies of Cincinnati were conducted at these works, as we shall see hereafter, which marked the first step in the development of the industry in that city. Messrs. Tempest, Brockmann, & Co. commenced the manufacture of common ware in Cincinnati in 1862, and five years later first produced white ware. In 1881 a stock company was organized, under the title of The Tempest, Brockmann, & Sampson Pottery Co., and so continued until 1887, when Mr. C. E. Brockmann, the only surviving member of the original firm, bought the CINCINNA TL 275 entire business, and has since conducted it under the name of The Brockmann Pottery Co. The works cover an acre of ground, and are about to be further enlarged. The products of this factory embrace cream-colored, white granite, and decorated wares. WOMAN'S WORK IN CINCINNATI. The decorative pottery movement which has made Cincinnati celebrated as a ceramic art centre may be said to have had its inception in 1875, when Mr. Benn Pitman, of the Cincinnati School of Design, procured from the east some overglaze colors and invited a few of the ladies of that city, who were interested in the subject, to meet at his offices in the Carlisle Building to talk over the matter of forming a class to receive instructions in china painting. It was in these rooms that the first experiments in porcelain decoration were made, under the direction of a young German lady, Miss Eggers, who had previously acquired some knowledge of the art at Dresden. Follow- ing closely on these somewhat imperfectly successful efforts came a " Centennial Tea Party," held by the " Women's Centennial Executive Committee, of Cincin- nati," for the benefit of the Mount Vernon fund. The pieces of china, which had been painted by the ladies especially for this occasion, were placed on exhibition and afterwards sold by auction. Good prices were realized, the highest being twenty-five dollars for a cup and saucer. This event marked the first step in the progress of the ceramic art in Cincinnati. In the same year, Miss M. 276 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Louise McLaughlin painted some white porcelain plates in blue underglaze designs, which were sent to Messrs. Thomas C. Smith & Son, proprietors of the Union Porce- lain works at Greenpoint, Long Island, by whom they were fired, and one of these first attempts is preserved in the Cincinnati Museum of Art. During the Centennial Exposition, in the following year, Miss McLaughlin was particularly impressed with the exhibit of the then novel Limoges faience, and on her return home she determined to discover, if possible, the method of its decoration. Her first experiments were attempted in the fall of 1877, after having procured colors from Paris, at the pottery of Messrs. P. L. Coultry & Co., where common yellow ware was made. These experiments were conducted under great disadvantages on account of the limited facilities at command. The first piece taken from the kiln, in September, 1877, demonstrated the practicability of the process. In May following some pieces were shown at a local loan exhibi- tion, and others were exhibited in New York in October. Pieces were also exhibited at the Exposition Universelle at Paris in 1879, an< ^ received honorable mention. The success attained by Miss McLaughlin stimulated other ladies to renewed efforts in the same direction, and soon a little colony of workers had sprung up in the Queen City. In April of 1879, Miss McLaughlin gath- ered around her a number of ladies who were interested in decorative art, and the Pottery Club, which afterwards became an important factor in the development of the ceramic art industry in Cincinnati, was organized, with C INC INN A TI. 277 Miss McLaughlin, president, Miss Clara Chipman New- ton, secretary, and Miss Alice Belle Holabird, treasurer. This was probably the first club of women, organized for such a purpose, in the United States. In addition to those already named, the following ladies constituted the 127. — Vases by Mrs. Maria L. Nichols, 1880. original membership : Mrs. C. A. Plimpton, Mrs. E. G. Leonard, Miss Mary Spencer, Miss Agnes Pitman, Mrs. Frank R. Ellis, Mrs. Wm. Dodd, Miss Clara Fletcher, Mrs. George Dominick, and Miss Laura A. Fry. Later 278 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. the number was increased to fifteen, and finally to twenty. A room was rented in the pottery owned by Mr. Fred- erick Dallas, on Hamil- ton Road, where white and cream-colored wares were produced. Two kilns for firing underglaze and over- glaze ware were erected here, the cost being defrayed by Miss Mc- Laughlin and Mrs. Maria Longworth Nichols. Experiments were prosecuted with greater vigor, and rapid improvement in methods was made, through the intelligent co-operation of Mr. Dallas and his fore- man, Mr. Joseph Bailey, now superintendent of the Rookwood Pottery. Mrs. Nichols and other ladies, not members of the Pottery Club, worked in another part of the building which had been erected by the mother of Anthony Trollope for her country-house during her residence in Cincinnati. 128. — Porcelain Vase, Underglaze Decora tion. By Mrs. M. L. Nichols, 1878. Cincinnati Museum of Art. 2 79 Various styles of work were attempted here during 1879 and 1880. — , ■ ... - ■■ • 1 1 iiiiyhMiil—m """ — : r^aBHHHHHKtKt- r ~; • - 129. — " Ali Baba" Vase, Underglaze Decoration. Miss M. L. McLaughlin, 1880. Cincinnati Museum of Art. Among Mrs. Nichols' best pieces of this period are three vases, shown in Illustration 127, the largest being 1 2 8o POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. thirty-two inches in height, in bold relief and underglaze color. Possessed of rare and versatile talent, she has since produced a great variety of pieces, original in con- ception, artistic in treatment, and bold in execution. 130. — White Clay Vase, Underglaze Decoration. Miss Clara Chipman Newton, 1880. Under the leadership of Miss McLaughlin the Limo- ges, or pate-sur-pate, method of painting the surfaces of unbaked pieces with colored slips was employed with C INC INN A TL 281 gratifying results. One of the finest of her pieces finished during this period is the " Ali Baba " vase, thirty-eight inches in height, which is made of red clay, decorated under the transparent glaze with colors mixed with white clay (111. 129). The design is the Chinese Hibiscus, in dull red and yellow on a delicate sage-green ground, daintily blending to a green- ish white. Three of these vases were made from the mould, one of which is now in the Cincinnati Museum. Other members of the club, of whom Miss Clara Chipman Newton was one of the foremost, direct- ed their attention more particularly to 131.— Moorish Vase, Inlaid Decoration. Mrs. . • T 1 . C. A. Plimpton. Cincinnati Art Museum. painting on the bis- cuit in cobalt blue and other colors, and achieved a marked success. An example of this style, the work of Miss Newton, is here figured (111. 130). It is a vase of white clay body, twenty-one inches high, with arabesque design painted under the glaze, and finished with intersecting gilt lines and gold bands at top and bottom, above the 282 PO T TER Y A ND POP CEL A IN. glaze. This was produced in 1880, at the Hamilton Road Pottery, the coloring being a dark, rich blue, clean cut and sharp, without any trace of flowing. Some of the most original work was produced by Mrs. C. A. Plimpton, whose individuality of style was marked not only in the fine effects obtained in slip-dec- oration by the use of natural colored clays, ranging from white through yellow and red to dark brown, but in the forms of vessels which she de- signed. Her incised ornamentation, i ri which the designs were carved in the green clay, and her inlaid work of con- trasting clays, are full of interest. A little vase in the Cincinnati Art Museum is a good illustration of the latter style, and the first piece of its kind. It is decorated with storks, in native clays, — white and black inlaid upon red. Much of her work was in the Moorish 132. — Stone Jug, Incised Decoration. Miss Laura A. Fry, 188 1. Cincinnati Art Museum. CINCINNATI. 283 style, of which Illustration 1 3 1 shows an exceedingly artistic example, with pierced handles. This vase was designed by Mr. L. F. Plimpton and decorated by Mrs. Plimpton, and is now owned by the Cincinnati Art Museum. The ground is yellow, with inlaying of red and other Ohio clays and a black clay from Indiana. In the Cincinnati 133. — Miss M. Louise McLaughlin. room of the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition, this piece attracted considerable attention. Miss Laura A, Fry also produced some excellent work in etched designs after the Doulton method. A stone jug, with incised decoration, outlined in blue, and made in 1 88 1, is also the property of the same museum (111. 132). 1 284 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Another style, consisting of relief work in parian paste, received attention from several members of the club, notably Mrs. E. G. Leonard and Miss Agnes Pitman. It is not possible to review at length the individual work of each interested worker in this field. All followed out ideas more or less original and each accomplished work of genuine merit. We must refer those who desire to pursue this subject further to the excellent article in the May number of Harper s Magazine for 1 88 1 , by Mrs. x-\aron F. Perry. The Pottery Club continued a successful and harmonious existence until 1890, when, on account of a lack of financial support, it was disbanded by mutual consent. Miss McLaughlin and Miss Newton have continued their work in overglaze decoration, and the former has embodied the results of her investigations in a series of valuable treatises on Pottery Decoration and China Painting. After the Pottery Club had disbanded, a few of the former members organized a club which they called The Associated Artists of Cincinnati, of which Miss Mc- Laughlin became president and Miss Newton secretary. Many beautiful examples of overglaze decoration, as well as metal work, executed by the members of this association, were exhibited at the Chicago Fair, among which some large porcelain vases, artistically painted in dainty colors and gold tracery, will rank with the best professional work. ROOKWOOD. It is safe to assert that no ceramic establishment which has existed in the United States has come nearer C INC INN A TI. 285 fulfilling the requirements of a distinctively American in- stitution than the Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati, Ohio. For this reason, and because of the additional fact that the founding of this factory was due to the intelligent and well directed efforts of a woman, the history of Rook- wood, from its inception, cannot fail to have a peculiar interest for American collectors and patrons of art. The ceramic display of Japan, at the Philadelphia Exhibition of 1876, inspired the venture which resulted in the establishment of these works, in 1880, by Mrs. Maria Longworth Nichols (now Mrs. Bellamy Storer), whom we have already seen as an enthusiastic investigator and student in some of the Cin- cinnati potteries. She began her work at the Dallas white- ware pottery, where she and several other amateurs con- tinued for two years. The heat being found to be too intense for firing underglaze colors, at the granite ware factory, first suggested to Mrs. Nichols the idea of building a place of her own. Her ex- periments were continued at the new establishment, which she had erected at 207 Eastern Avenue, and which, through the wise liberality of her father, Mr. Joseph Long- worth, was afterwards furnished with the necessary means for its maintenance while its products were finding a market and until financially it could stand alone. The name selected for the works was that of the country place of Mr. Longworth, at East Walnut Hills, in the suburbs 134. — Old Rookwood. 286 of the city, so called on account of the great number of crows which frequented the adjacent woods. In the more congenial quarters of the new pottery Mrs. Nichols sur- rounded herself with skilled workmen and able artists, and the first kiln of ware was fired in November of 1880. A specialty was first made of commercial ware for table 135. — Mrs. Maria Longworth Storer. and household purposes, the principal body used being intermediary between cream-colored and white granite wares. In 1881 considerable quantities of this ware were produced in breakfast and dinner services, pitchers, plaques, vases, wine-coolers, ice-tubs, water-buckets, um- brella jars, and a variety of other patterns, which were 287 sold either in ivory finish or decorated with underglaze blue and brown prints of birds, fishes, and other animal subjects. These, being artistic in form and now difficult to procure, are much sought for by collectors (see 111. 136). All of the forms made in white during this period were also furnished in blue, sage-green, and red bodies, which were often ornamented with devices carved in the paste. The border work on white tea-sets was painted 136. — Rookwood Plate, Printed Decoration. over the glaze by an Englishman named Broomfield. Yellow ware of a superior quality was also made about the same time. During the last-named year, Mr. Ferdinand Mersman, at present modeller for the Cambridge Art Tile Works at Covington, Ky., just across the river, designed some fine pieces for the Rookwood works, including a Garfield 288 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. Memorial pitcher and several vases with figures in high relief, the latter being modelled entirely by hand and never duplicated. The pitchers, with relief portrait of President Garfield, were made of sage-green clay with " smear " or dull glaze, in two sizes, of which less than a hundred were issued. While the manufacture of commercial ware was being prosecuted, Mrs. Nichols was engaged in producing works No. 137. — Large Pottery Bowl, Underglaze Decoration, by Mrs. Maria L. Nichols, 1882. Cincinnati Museum of Art. of a high artistic order, after the Japanese styles (see 111. 137). During these earlier years, Miss Clara Chipman Newton was associated with Mrs. Nichols in this work and her refined taste and intense interest contributed in no small degree to the progress which was made at that time. In 1883 Mr. W. W. Taylor bcame Mrs. Storers partner in the enterprise and has continued from that time the active manager. The printing processes were soon entirely abandoned C INC INN A TI. 289 and table wares were gradually superseded by the more elegant decorative forms which have since attracted so much attention. Methods were adopted which tended to the development of original work and the copying of other wares was entirely discontinued. The ware produced at Rookwood is a true faience and may be classed under three heads : Cameo, or shell- tinted ware, generally of a beautiful pink color, gradually No. 138. — Group of Rookwood Vases. shading into white, and highly glazed. Dull Finished ware, similar in color to the former, possessing a surface soft in texture and having the appearance of being un- glazed, but susceptible of being easily cleaned ; and lastly, the most characteristic of all, the richly glazed Rookwood fa'iejice. The distinguishing feature of all of these varieties is the tinting and harmonious blending of the grounds beneath the heavy, transparent, colored glazes, producing 19 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. the effect of rich tones of black, yellow, red, olive, green, brown, and amber of great brilliancy, mellowness, depth, and strength. The highest achievements in glazing are the so-called tiger's-eye and gold-stone, which glisten in the light with a beautiful auriferous sheen. In several pieces which we have seen, the decorator has ingeniously utilized certain iridescent points, where the shining particles of the glaze have concentrated, for the eyes of fishes which have been painted around them. The accompanying engraving (111. 138) will give a fair idea of some of the graceful forms of vases produced here, but no adequate conception of the great beauty of the glazing can be conveyed in black and white. Several distinct bodies are employed, one of which may be described as a true earthenware. It has been dis- covered by costly experiment that the point of complete or nearly perfect vitrification injures, more or less, the underglaze colors, but in the finer bodies that point is approached as closely as possible to obtain the best results. The chief body now in use partakes of some of the quali- ties of stoneware and some of the properties of semi- porcelain. A piece of well fired Rookwood biscuit will practically hold water but will absorb more or less of it, and far surpasses regular earthenware in vitreous ring. The clays used are found mainly in the Ohio valley, in- cluding a red variety from Buena Vista, Ohio, yellow from Hanging Rock, Ohio, and a white or cream-colored clay from Chattanooga, Tenn., — artificially tinted bodies being also employed to some extent. No. 139. — Dull-Finished Vase, Decorated by Mr. A. R. Valentien. Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia. 291 292 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. The workmen of this factory have all been especially trained in their respective branches. Excepting in the preparation of the clays, no machinery is used save the primitive potter's wheel, which gives more freedom and greater variety to the outlines of vessels than the more mechanical processes of moulding, the shapes produced being mainly variations of classic forms, possessing marked individuality of treatment. Only one thrower is employed at the pottery, and his graceful creations have obtained a world-wide celebrity. Each piece is afterwards passed to a turner, who carefully trims off the surfaces on a lathe which is attached to an old-fashioned throwing wheel turned by a boy. For the more rapid production of certain standard forms, such as tea-pots, jars, and pitchers, which are still made to some extent, the casting method is practised, being the same as that discovered at Tournay, France, in 1784. This consists in pouring the prepared liquid clay or "slip," into a hollow mould and allowing it to stand for a few moments until the plaster has absorbed the super- abundant moisture from the parts in contact, forming a thin shell of uniform thickness which adheres to the mould after the slip has been emptied out, and is allowed to stand a while longer before being removed. Mr. Joseph Bailey, now superintendent at the Rook- wood Pottery, came to the United States in 1848 from Tunstall, Staffordshire, England. He belongs to a family of potters, one of his uncles being Taylor Booth, son of Ward Booth, both of whom were prominent members of the craft in England during the early part of the present CINC1NNA TL 2 93 century. Mr. Bailey entered the pottery of Mr. R. Bag- nail Beach in Philadelphia, where he remained for about six months, and afterwards worked for Messrs. Harker and Taylor, of East Liverpool, Ohio. In 1850 he went to Cincinnati, where he has remained almost continuously until the present time. At the death of Mr. Dallas, he assumed supervision of the Rookwood Pottery. His long experience and thor- ough knowledge of all branches of the art and his extensive experi- ments with different clays and glazes have contributed in no small degree to the beautiful effects which have made the productions of this factory so well known. The Rookwood decorations are now en- tirely under the glaze. The artists employed 140. — Mug. Decorated by E. P. Cranch. in this work have, with few exceptions, been educated in the art schools of Cin- cinnati. Among the most prominent of these are Mr. Albert R. Valentien and Mr. Matt A. Daly, while others are rapidly taking rank among the best American under- glaze painters. Mr. Kataro Shirayamadani, one of the exceptions referred to, is a Japanese artist of the best school, and is doing some of the finest work in Oriental 294 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. methods. The late Mr. E. P. Cranch, a well-known lawyer of Cincinnati and an exceedingly clever artist, was connected with the pottery from the first day of its exist- ence, and helped it by his fine taste and criticism, as well as by his excellent work. His old-time humorous sketches in black and brown possess uncommon merit. The quaint style which characterizes his work is perhaps seen at its best in a set of mantel tiles painted by him to illustrate the old American ballad of Isaac Abbott, which is a sample of the traditionary One^iaaC \)>\ lore of New England country life during the eighteenth century, having been handed down from father to son, unrecorded until Mr. Cranch tran- scribed the air and words, as heard by him, more than fifty years ago, from the lips of a nephew of Dr. Noah Webster, of New Haven, Conn. These, with the original descriptive designs used on the tiles, were published in booklet form by Robert Clarke & Co., of Cincinnati, in 1886, and dedicated to the Cincinnati Literary Club. No less meritorious is a similar series of tiles painted by Mr. Cranch, to illustrate the ancient ballad of Giles Scroggins Ghost. He also decorated a variety of other pieces, such as beer-mugs, pitchers, etc., which find a 141. — Tile from Isaac Abbott Set, Painted by E. P. Cranch. Rookwood Pottery. C INC INN A TI 295 ready sale. These are generally finished with a " smear " glaze, and present a pleasing contrast to the other pro- ductions of this factory. Mr. Cranch died in November, 1892, in his eighty-third year. While no serious attempt has as yet been made to manufacture art tiles in a business way, experiments have been essayed in this direction from time to time, which have amply shown that the Rookwood methods are pe- culiarly adapted to the production of artistic tiling for cabinet inserts and mantel facings. We figure a six- by 142. — Hand-Painted Tile. Rookwood. twelve-inch hand-painted tile that was made here recently to show the possibilities in this direction (111. 142). The decoration in pure white is applied to a cameo-tinted body, — a pink ground gradually shading into white. The dainty and delicate coloring, the brilliancy of the glazing, and the superior quality of the body, together with the originality of the decorative treatment, point to the early establishment of this branch of the art. The Rookwood Pottery was the first in this country to demonstrate the fact that a purely American art-pro- 296 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. duct, in which original and conscientious work is made paramount to commercial considerations, can command the appreciation of the American public. Owing to the many experiments undertaken, it was operated at an annual loss until the year 1889, when it paid off all its in- debtedness and became a financial success. At that time, no longer needing pecuniary aid, it was turned over by Mrs. Storer to Mr. W. W. Taylor, who soon afterwards organized a stock company under the name of the Rook- wood Pottery Co. Under the efficient management of Mr. Taylor, the enthusiastic president, rapid strides are 143. — Ram's Horn Flower Basket. Rookwood. constantly being made in the improvement of methods, shapes, bodies, and glazes. A new structure, with all modern equipments, has re- cently been erected on the summit of Mount Adams, overlooking the city, where, with vastly improved facilities, the capacity of the factory has been greatly increased. Here the kilns are fired with crude petroleum, which in- sures better and more certain results. A room has been set apart for the especial use of Mrs. Storer, where she can continue her work when so inclined. CINCINNA TI. 297 Ten years ago Rookwood was scarcely known outside of Cincinnati. To-day its exquisite ceramic creations may be found in almost every home of culture and refinement and in every prominent art museum in the land. The evolution of Rookwood faience was the result of a com- bination of conditions peculiarly favorable to the develop- ment of a new art product. It was the conception of a talented woman, representing the third generation of a family widely known in cultured social circles as patrons of the arts, who devoted her rare abilities and her abun- dant means to the realization of an idea. Fostered by the senti- ment of a community long noted as an art centre and rich in private collections of ceramic treasures, aided 1 1 1 • r 144. — Vase. Decorated by Mr. Shirayamad^ by the advice of COm- Pennsylvania Museum. petent critics, assisted by the intelligent co-operation of artisans and artists who came almost at the beginning- and have ever since been identified with the gradual development, the venture was peculiarly favored and the result has been particularly gratifying, both to the founder herself and the community to which she belongs. Such were the conditions which operated in combination to perfect the Rookwood pottery 298 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. as it comes to us to-day, and without which such results could not have been attained. But we may expect still greater achievements in the future, under the efficient direction of Mr. Taylor, who is devoting his energies to the still higher perfection of underglaze decoration. The Installation of the Rookwood pottery at the World's Columbian Exposition was the conception of Mr. Taylor. The space occupied by the Rookwood dis- play was bounded on the two sides by heavy walls four 145. — The New Rookwood. feet high, and three feet in width, faced with large panels of fire-clay body decorated with symbolical and appropri- ate designs, such as the whirling globe, typifying the pot- ter's wheel, the dragons of fire, and the vase emerging from the glow of the kiln. The walls were of a warm yellow color. On each side rose three slender columns of the same material twelve feet in height, and of a rich malachite green, terminating in flame points of red and C INC INN A TI orange. At the back of the enclosure stood a handsome cabinet containing the treasures of Rookwood, such as exquisite pieces of " tiger-eye " and " gold-stone," while on the walls and placed around the enclosed platform were many larger pieces showing the best work of this kind which has thus far been produced. One of the most effective pieces, which was prepared especially for the Exposition, was a large pottery boat of Columbian form, three and one half feet in length, supported on a pedestal artistically modelled to represent the idea of water and waves. The pieces which attracted most attention, how- ever, were some vases and plaques decorated with ideal and grotesque heads, figures of monks, and other designs after engravings and photographs, painted under the glaze. This style of work evinces such a degree of artistic feeling and intelligent treatment of colors as to occasion consid- erable surprise to all who had the fortune to examine it. Among the foremost of those who have attempted this new style of decoration are Messrs. M. A. Daly, A. Van Briggle, and W. P. McDonald. It is understood that not only fancy heads, but actual portraits, have been attempted with most gratifying results, and the day is not far distant when it will be possible to procure from the Rookwood Pottery painted portraits equal in all respects, and more satisfactory in some, to the oil painting. THE CINCINNATI ART POTTERY COMPANY. Mr. Thomas J. Wheatley commenced experimenting in clays and glazes at the pottery of Messrs. P. L. Coultry ■ POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. & Co., in 1879, ar| d in 1880 established a workshop on Hunt Street, where, under the firm name of T. J. Wheatley & Co., underglaze work was produced to some extent after the style of the Limoges faience. In 1879 a joint-stock company was organized under the title of the Cincinnati Art Pottery Company, of which Mr. Frank Huntington was made president, and Mr. Wheatley continued his connection with the works until 1882, when he withdrew to engage in other business. For several years the company confined its operations to 146. — " Hungarian Faience." Cincinnati Art Pottery Company. underglaze work, and some of the pieces produced were remarkable for beauty and originality of form and excel- lence of workmanship. Later, barbotine ware, in applied work, was manufactured for a time, but this was soon dropped for a more artistic style of overglaze decoration on white bodies. The " Hungarian faience " made here soon became popular with the purchasing public. The *' Portland blue faJiejice " was so called on account of the rich dark-blue glaze, of the color of the famous Portland vase, which formed a peculiarly striking ground for gold C INC INN A TI. 301 decorative effects. The highest achievement of this manufactory, however, and the most distinctive in style, 147. — Canteen-Shaped Vessel, " Kezonta " Ware. Cincinnati Museum. is the ivory-colored faience in the forms of vases and bowls decorated with gold scroll-work and chrysanthe- 302 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. mums in natural colors. Of the latter several artistic examples may be seen in the Cincinnati Art Museum, including a daintily painted vase of canteen shape (111. 147) and a fan-shaped flower-holder or wall piece deco- rated by Rose (111. 148). The name Kezonta has been selected to designate these wares. The origin of the 148. — Fan-Shaped Vessel, " Kezonta" Ware. word is interesting. The trade-mark adopted was the figure of a turtle, and when it was ascertained that the Indian name for turtle was kezonta, this was afterwards added to the device and printed on decorated pieces. Pottery in the biscuit, in deep blue and white glazes, has been largely sold to decorators, the forms being generally modifications of the ancient Roman and Greek. Many CINCINNA TI. 303 ladies found profitable employment in painting these pieces for the market, and it is with regret we learn that the Cincinnati Art Pottery has recently been closed. In design and treatment much of the ware produced here is characterized by originality and a high degree of artistic merit. Within the past few years other potteries have at- tempted in Cincinnati to make decorated ware, with vary- ing success. One founded by Mr. Matt Morgan produced a faience modelled in low relief in Moorish designs, and a variety of ware with incised designs, touched with color. As a designer he displayed unmistakable talent, and his work was original and strongly characteristic. The Avon Pottery commenced the manufacture of a ware somewhat resembling the earlier efforts of Rookwood. Dr. Marcus Benjamin, of New York City, possesses a gracefully modelled cup or mug of Avon ware with ram's horn handle, undecorated save in the tinting of the ground, which shades from white to dark pink. Other examples in the collection of the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadel- phia, exhibit the same characteristic, a gradual shading of color — pink, olive, light blue, or brown, and some small covered vases are furnished with handles modelled in the form of elephants' heads. Both of the above mentioned potteries were closed after a brief existence. CHAPTER XIV. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CERAMIC ART SINCE THE CENTENNIAL. THE revelations of the Centennial Exhibition set our potters to thinking and stimulated them to greater competition. Never before was such an impetus given to any industry. The best productions of all nations were sent here and exhibited beside our own modest manufactures, and it was only too apparent that America had been left behind in the race. Up to that time there had been a few sporadic instances of attempts at originality, but comparatively little had been accomplished of a really artistic nature. The existence of a true ce- ramic art in this country may be said to have commenced with the Fair of 1876, because greater progress has been made since that important industrial event than during the two centuries which preceded it. We have already re- viewed the wonderful recent advancement of the principal potteries established before the Centennial. We shall now briefly outline the history of those started since, not already mentioned. Among other prominent American exhibitors at Phila- delphia in 1876 were the Empire China Works, Green- 304 DE VEL OPM EN T OF THE CERA MIC ART. 305 point, N. Y., manufacturers of porcelain hardware and cabinet trimmings ; Isaac Davis, Trenton, N. J., white granite and decorated crockery; Messrs. Astbury & Maddock, Trenton, sanitary earthenware and china ; Messrs. Yates, Bennett, & Allen, Trenton, table and toilet wares ; Brunt, Bloor, Martin, & Co., East Liverpool, Ohio, white granite and decorated table and toilet services ; and the American Crockery Co., Trenton, N. J., makers of stone china, bisque, and white granite goods. BENNETT FAIENCE. Mr. John Bennett, formerly director of the practical work in the faience department of the Lambeth Pottery of Messrs. Doulton & Co., of London, England, came to the United States in the Centennial year and settled for a time in New York City, where he introduced his method of decorating faience under the glaze. He built his first kiln in Lexington Avenue, and afterwards erected others in East Twenty-fourth Street near the East River. At first he imported English biscuit, but after a time he em- ployed potters to make the common cream-colored body, as the tint imparted a warmth to his colors. He also used, to some extent, a white body, made in Trenton, N. J. His work was soon in great demand and brought high prices. The shapes were simple and generally devoid of handles or moulded ornaments. The decorations con- sisted chiefly of flowers and foliage, drawn from nature in a vigorous and ornate style, and painted with very few touches. A background was worked in after the painting, 20 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. in loose touches and delicate tints, and finally the whole design was boldly outlined in black or very dark color. The glaze was brilliant, even, and firm, and the coloring exceedingly rich, the mustard yellows, deep blues, and browns tinged with red giving the ware a bright and attractive appearance. A cylindrical vase decorated with red and white trumpet flowers impasted on a blue mottled ground (111. 149), and a small spherical vase with apple blossoms on a glossy black ground (111. 150), in the possession of Mr. William Lycett, of Atlanta, Georgia, are excellent examples of Mr. Ben- nett's most characteristic work. He also produced some pieces in the style of the so-called Limoges faie7icc\ by applying colored slips to the un fired clay. During the half dozen years that Mr. Bennett devoted to this work in New York many at- tempts were made to imitate his style. It seems proper at this point to quote what Mrs. Aaron F. Perry has written in her paper on " Decorative Pottery of Cincinnati " in Harper s concerning Mr. Bennett's relations to the Lambeth Pottery before coming to this country : " Mr. Bennett's attitude toward Mr. Doulton is so re- spectful and deferential, and in regard to what he has himself done is so modest, that his own statement in 149. — Bennett Faience. Wm. Lycett Collection. BE VEL OPMENT OF THE CERA MIC ART. 307 answer to an inquiry on this point is not without interest. It is as follows : ' Your impression respecting Doulton Lambeth faience is right. I introduced it, and taught all the pupils, glazed and burned ; but in justice to Mr. H. Doulton, the principal, I must say it is very doubtful whether I would have brought it to the success it attained had I not been engaged by him. His natural good taste and desire to improve in art pottery always had a stimu- lating effect upon me. You will gather from the above that I think the Lambeth faience ought to be called Donlton ; at the same time, 1 have felt slighted by no mention being made of my name in Mr. Sparkes's paper on Lam- beth pottery.' " In his last state- ment, however, Mr. Bennett is clearly in error, as Mr. Sparkes, in his article, dated June, 1876, distinctly states that about fifty young ladies were employed "at the pottery of the Messrs. Doul- . 150. — Bennett Faience. ton, painting and otherwise dec- Wm . lycett collection. orating the ware, under the immediate superintendence of Mr. John Bennett, the able Director of all the practical work in the FaYence Department." About 1882 Mr. Bennett sought retirement on his farm in the Orange Mountains of New Jersey, and although he built a kiln there, he has since done but little in the way 3 o8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. of faience decoration. The mark used on the earlier pieces was " J. Bennett, N. Y.," and later, " West Orange, N. J." At Tarrytown, N. Y., a pottery was started about 1878, under the style of Odell & Booth Brothers. They made majolica and faience, decorated under the glaze. A few years ago they closed the works, which, after remaining idle some time, were opened and operated by the Owen Tile Co., manufacturers of decorative tiles. WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA. In November of 1879 tne Wheeling Pottery Company was organized, the officers being George K. Wheat, presi- dent, William A. Isett, secretary, and Edward Meakin Pearson, general manager. To Mr. Pearson's untiring energy and practical knowledge of the business the success of the company is largely due. In 1887 the same gentle- men organized a new company known as the La Belle Pottery Co., and the same officers were chosen to manage the latter, and in January, 1889, the two companies were merged into one. Mr. Pearson was elected president of the concern a year later, and has held the position con- tinuously until the present time. The products of the original works are plain and decorated white granite ware, while at the La Belle works adamantine china, plain and decorated, is made. The entire plant consists of fifteen large kilns and thirteen decorating kilns, and forms one of the most extensive potteries in the United States. The large decorating department is under the efficient DE VEL OPMENT OF THE CERAMIC AR T. 309 management of Mr. Charles Craddock, who has been connected with the company since 1882. He is a native of Burslem, England, and was for years in the employ of Messrs. Minton & Co., of Stoke-on-Trent. 151. — Mr. Edward Meakin Pearson. Mr. Edward M. Pearson, the president of the com- pany, was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, England, on May 6, 1848, at which time his father owned the Abbey Pottery at Cobridge, old established works, which, it is said, were built in 1703, where young Pearson afterwards learned the trade. He was admitted to partnership with his father in 1869 under the firm name of Edward Pearson & Son. In 1867 and 1868 the son had visited the United 3io POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. States in the interest of their English house, which was engaged exclusively in the American trade. The partner- ship was continued until 1873, when Mr. Edward M. Pearson came to this country to remain permanently, and in July of the same year he went to East Liverpool to ascertain if white ware could be successfully made there. Nothing was then being attempted in that direction save some trials which Messrs. Knowles, Taylor, & Knowles were then making. These gentlemen permitted Mr. Pearson to carry on some experiments in their factory, which proved highly suc- cessful. The citizens of the town offered to donate the land and $10,000 toward the establishment of a white ware factory if Mr. Pearson would accept the management. Accordingly, in conjunc- I52.-Mazarine Blue and White Pitcher, tion w j t h Messrs. Homer Raised Gold Decoration. Wheeling Pottery Co. and Shakespeare Laugh- lin, Mr. Pearson accepted the offer, and in 1874 erected the plant which is now operated by Mr. Homer Laughlin. Several other pot- teries were afterwards planned and built by Mr. Pearson in East Liverpool, and of the eight which made white ware in that town while Mr. Pearson resided there, to the year 1879, ne nas been connected with five. In the last- named year he moved to Wheeling, W. Va., as we have already seen, where he has been prominently identified with the pottery industry ever since. DEVEL OPM EN T OF THE CERAMIC ART 311 Mr. Pearson is connected on his mothers side with the prominent Meakin family of potters of Staffordshire, Eng- land, from which source he receives his middle name. Although a native Englishman, Mr. Pearson has be- come thoroughly Americanized and has been prominent in the advocacy of tariff" matters before both houses of Congress. He is an active member of the U. S. Potters' Association, has held a number of prominent offices in that organization, and is now a member of several im- portant committees. THE OHIO VALLEY CHINA COMPANY, of Wheeling, W. Va., manufacture porcelain in striking shapes and decorations. The exhibit of this company at the World's Columbian Exposition was a surprise to the public. The modelling shows jagged or coarsely serrated edges with points projecting from handles, feet, and prominent parts, somewhat after the style of certain French and German wares. The decorations are of great variety and generally over the glaze, and in many instances handles and zones are perforated in an artistic manner. Fine effects are obtained by moulding Cupids in high relief in irregular alcoves or panels on the sides of vases. THE STEUBEN VI LLE POTTERY CO. In November, 1879, a meeting was called by repre- sentative business men of Steubenville, Ohio, to meet Mr. A. B. Beck, an English potter, to consider the matter of forming a joint-stock company for the purpose of manu- 312 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. facturing white granite and other wares. The existence of beds of excellent coal within the city limits, and the natural advantages of the location on the Ohio River and the great Pan Handle Railroad system, convenient to the markets of the north and east, decided the pro- jectors of the enterprise in organizing a company under the name of the Steuben- ville Pottery Company. The necessary buildings were accordingly erected and the first kiln was drawn on Feb- ruary 1 8, 1 88 1. The present officers are Mr. W. B. Don- aldson, president, Mr. R. Sherrard. Jr., vice-president, and Mr. Alfred Day, secre- tary and treasurer, who has also been for several years the popular secretary of the United States Potters' Association. About five years ago, coal was superseded by natural gas as a fuel, which insures a superior finish of the ware and better results in the baking. The products of this factory are white granite and decorated ware, in table and toilet services. The works now furnish employment to about two hundred hands, and annually produce $175,000 of finished goods. A new departure has recently been made at this pottery 153. — "Canton China" Pitcher. Steubenville Pottery Co. DE VEL OPMENT OF THE CERA MIC ART. 313 in the adoption of a semi-vitreous, opaque body of a rich cream color and exceedingly light weight, which is called " Canton china." It is made in vases, jardinieres, and toilet sets, with overglaze dec- orations on tinted and gold- stippled grounds. A graceful ewer vase, with openwork handle formed of forget-me- nots, is particularly effective. This is sold in a number of pleasing decorations, or fur- nished plain for decorators, and is already becoming popu- 1 r 1 • 154- — "Canton China" Vase. lar on account of being par- steubenville Pottery Co. ticularly well adapted for this purpose (111. 153). The stamp used on the " Beula " pattern, in white granite dinner ware, is an outline map of the State of Ohio. The Louisiana Porcelain Works of Messrs. Hernandez & Saloy were started in New Orleans about 1880, or pos- sibly earlier, for the manufacture of French china. The ware was made by French workmen, from French ma- terials, and was similar in quality to the Limoges porcelain. It was sold white, but at the time of the closing of the establishment, about 1890, a decorating department was about to be added. THE FAEINCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY of New York began in 1880 to make, at Greenpoint, Long Island, pottery decorated with hand-modelled flowers ap- 3'4 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. plied to the surface and painted under the glaze, to which the name barbotine was incorrectly given, this term being in France used synon- ymously with " slip " or liquid clay. When the temporary demand for this class of ware had subsided, the com- pany made for a time so-called majolica ware. Plain shapes, without the moulded flowers, were dipped in colored glazes, some pleasing results being obtained by blending the various tints in streaked and marbled effects. Mr. Edward Ly- cett, formerly of Staf- fordshire, England, who had since 1 86 1 carried on an exten- sive decorating busi- ness in New York 155. — Faience Vase. FaIence Manufacturing Co. City, where he em- By Edward Lycett. . . f . . ployed Irom thirty to forty people in painting and gilding imported wares, joined the Faience Manufacturing Company in 1884, Porcelain Vase. Faience Manufacturing Co. By Edward Lycett. 3i5 3 1 6 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. and assumed the direction of the factory. Being a practical potter, as well as an artist of ripe experience, he at once set to work to compound better bodies and glazes and to design new shapes and decorations, and soon began the manufacture of richly embellished pieces, such as vases and other articles of ornamental character. One of the finest examples made at this factory, which is shown in Illustration 155, is a large granite vase, in the Persian style, designed and painted by Mr. Lycett. While entirely covered with rich ornamentation, the effect is subdued and pleasing. The ground is a dark bronze, over which conventionally treated flowers, the poppy on one side and the clematis on the other, are executed in dull tones of color and outlined with raised gold, while the embossed and perforated work, handles, and foot, are covered with gold of different tints. The height of this vase is forty-two inches, and it is claimed that it was sold for probably the highest price yet paid for any single piece of American pottery. A fine grade of porcelain was introduced by Mr. Lycett, its peculiarity being that, although a true porce- lain, entirely devoid of bone, it is fired in the reverse of the usual method, being burned hard in the biscuit and softer in the glaze, in which no lead or borax is present, thus pos- sessing all the advantages, in placing and firing, of a faience or earthen body and the superior glaze of hard porcelain. Vases up to twenty-six inches in height were made of this body, which is very white and of a pleasing softness to the eye. The example here figured is modelled and painted in the Moorish style, with openwork handles, collar, and BE VELOPMENT OF THE CERAMIC ART. 317 cover, decorated in raised gold and bronzes of brown, olive, and othejr tints, on a pale ochre ground (111. 156). A dolphin-handled vase, twenty-eight inches high, is a fine example of artistic treatment. The ground is of a pale ivory tint, on which aquatic plants are painted in subdued tones, enriched and re- heightened with vein- inofs and outlines of raised work in gold and bronzes (111. 157). This is the work of Mr. Joseph Lycett, a son of the former director of the works. The handles are cov- ered with mat gold and a peculiar dark gold bronze which pro- duces a singularly mas- sive effect. The body is a fine faience, which 157.— Faience Vase. Faience Manufac- . . mi Turing Co. By Joseph Lycett. may be described as a superior quality of white granite ware. Illustration No. 158 represents a fine faience vase with painting of "A Flight of Storks" in gold and bronze on an ivory ground. The handles and cover are pierced. The height of the vase is about eighteen inches. The decoration is the work of Mr. Edward Lycett. 3i8 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. In testing various materials for improving the glazes, Mr. Edward Lycett was fortunate in observing effects of iridescence on some of his experiments, which, being con- tinued on new lines, resulted finally in the discovery of a method of making the reflecting glaze, or Re- flet metallique of the ancient Persian tiling, which has been so much admired for its brilliant reflections of prismatic and opalescent colors. Specimens of Mr. Ly- cett's Reflets nacres and metalliqncs, now before me, fully merit the de- scription of the Oriental Reflets given by our late Minister to Persia, the Hon. S. G. W. Benja- min, in his book, Persia and the Persians, and is a remarkable result of patient research. An example submitted to the South Kensington Museum, in London, was pronounced a " marvellous piece of lustre," and at the late Piedmont Exposition in Atlanta, Ga., a special medal was awarded for tiles treated with this glazing. 158. — Fine Faience Vase, " A Flight of Storks." Decorated in Gold and Bronze on an Ivory Ground. Fa'i- ence Manufacturing Co. DE VEL OPM E NT OF THE CERA MIC ART 319 Mr. Lycett has also recently sent a few of these tiles to the Technical Museum of Hanley, Staffordshire, England, and in acknowledging their receipt, Mr. William Burton, the able chemist of the Wedgwood works, and lecturer on pottery, writes : " I have just unpacked them and am surprised and delighted with the beauty and perfection of their iridescence. You have rightly named them Persian lustres, for they have exactly the qualities of the old Persian lustred ware, some of which happen to be dis- played in an adjoining case." Mr. Lycett severed his connection with the Faience Manufacturing Company in 1890, when it became the agent in this country for a French manufactory. Mr. Lycett has now retired from active business, but his three sons, Mr. William Lycett of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. F. Lycett of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Mr. Joseph Lycett of Brooklyn, N. Y., who have for many years enjoyed the benefit of their father's instruction, are still actively en- gaged in teaching and decorating. A pottery was erected at Evansville, Ind., in 1882 by Mr. A. M. Beck, who came from England. He built three kilns and commenced the manufacture of majolica ware. At Mr. Beck's death, two years later, the works were sold to Messrs. Bennighof, Uhl, & Co., who com- menced making white ware. In 1891 the Crown Pottery Co. was organized and the plant was increased to six kilns and four enamel kilns. The present products are white granite specialties in table and toilet goods, plain, white, and decorated. The trade-mark used by the com- pany is a crown. 3 2o POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. THE CHESAPEAKE POTTERY, of Baltimore, Md., although among the youngest of the American potteries, has achieved a high reputation for the variety of excellent and novel bodies and glazes it has produced, and has won still greater distinction by the beauty and originality of its designs, both in form and decoration. The works were started in 1 88 1 by Messrs. D. F. Haynes & Co., and were continued without change until 1887, when the style was altered to The Chesapeake Pottery Company, and in 1890 Messrs. Haynes, Bennett, & Co. assumed control and are still operating the pottery with marked success. Mr. David Francis Haynes, the senior partner, has stood at the head of the business since its inception. He was born in 1835, in the town of Brookfield, Mass., and sprang from a sturdy Puritan race, his emigrant ancestor, Walter Haynes, having landed in Boston, from the ship Confidence, in 1638. Mr. Haynes spent his early life on a New England farm, attending the public schools of the vicinity until the age of sixteen, when he entered a crockery store in Lowell, Mass. Here he rose rapidly, and before attaining his majority was sent to England by his employer in charge of an important trust. Possessing a natural taste for decorative work, he displayed at an early age marked talent for construction and ornamenta- tion, and his visits abroad, among the art treasures of England and the Continent, proved a revelation and an education to him. Returning to his native land in the autumn of 1856, Mr. Haynes soon moved to Baltimore DEVELOPMENT OF THE CERAMIC ART. 321 and entered the employ of the Abbott Rolling Mills, a large concern engaged in the manufacture of plate iron. In 1 86 1 he was placed in charge of these extensive mills, in which armor plates for the ironclads were made. At the close of the war he was sent to Virginia to manage a large iron property, where he became interested in the mining of iron ores and clays. In 1871, the offer of an 159. — Mr. David Francis Haynes. interest in a crockery jobbing house brought him back to Baltimore and to the handling again of the wares for which he had always retained a fondness. On purchasing the Chesapeake Pottery property, Mr. Haynes entered at once into the congenial work of pro- ducing a variety of wares, being greatly aided by the knowledge gained in the jobbing trade of the productions 15 322 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. of the Old World and the wants and tastes of the Ameri- can people. Finding that but little attention had been paid in this country to original designing for pottery pur- poses, and that practical, trained modellers, who possessed artistic sense, were difficult to procure, he commenced to design wares for the Chesapeake Pottery himself. The result of his patient study and constant practice are re- vealed in his wealth of beautiful creations which have been copied extensively both in this country and abroad. No one of our potters has done more to refine the wares for daily household use than Mr. Haynes. He has always held it to be of much greater importance to elevate the quality, as far as possible, of the entire pottery product of the country, than to produce a few fine pieces that should be within the reach of only the wealthy. To make the cup and jug of the plainest home a thing of beauty has been his ruling motive. With this in view, he has been constant in his endeavor to have the United States Potters' Association take up the work of establishing a pottery training school, the benefits of which would be shared by the entire craft. Mr. Edwin Houston Bennett, the junior member of the firm, is a son of Mr. Edwin Bennett, one of the pioneer potters of this country. The former was born in Baltimore and his business life has been spent in pottery work. His painstaking experiments in the firing of kilns and the making of wares have placed him prominently among the rising practical potters in this country, and made his share in the progressive work which is being done at the Chesapeake Pottery an important one. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CERAMIC ART 323 When this factory was started, majolica ware was in great demand. Its first product was called " Clifton " ware, and belonged to the majolica family, but was supe- rior in body and glaze, and was pronounced by judges equal to the famous Wedgwood ware of that grade. Following this came the " Avalon " ware, which was of a fine body, of ivory tint and soft rich glaze, ornamented 160. — "Severn" Ware. Chesapeake Pottery. with sprays of flowers in relief, which were touched with color and gold, making a pleasing decoration. The " Calvertine " ware, made about the same time, was simi- lar in its composition to the " Avalon," but quite different in decorative treatment, being turned upon the lathe, with spaces for bands, upon which were overlaid conventional 324 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. relief ornaments, which produced a refined effect when treated with delicate colors and outlined with darker tints of gold. In 1885 parian wares were produced, with modelled flowers, panels with heads in relief, medallions of Thor- 161. — Castilian and Alsatian Semi-Porcelain Toilet Ware. Chesapeake Pottery. waldsen's " Seasons," and similar works, which received the commendations of experts for the mellow tone, sharp- ness, and rich translucency of the body. Some cattle-head plaques in high relief, modelled by Mr. James Priestman, DE VEL OPM E NT OF THE CERA MIC ART 325 from studies of typical animals in the noted herd of Mr. Harvey Adams, were especially praiseworthy. The most original and perhaps, all things considered, the most refined and beautiful of the various Chesapeake bodies was the so-called " Severn " ware, first brought out in 1885. This was a fine, thoroughly vitreous body of a subtle grayish-olive tint, which was secured, without any artificial coloring, by a combination of American clays and 162. — Useful and Decorative Semi-Porcelain Wares. Chesapeake Pottery. other materials. Dr. William C. Prime, author of Pottery and Porcelain of All Times and Nations, said of it : " No one who is interested in the art of pottery can fail to note this ware as marking an era in the history of American ceramics." All of these bodies, excepting the parian, were made into a great variety of useful and ornamental articles, such 326 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. as jugs, plates, mugs, cups, lamps, vases, pilgrim and Ghooleh bottles. During the greater part of this time the Chesapeake Pottery was making a varied line of toilet ware, in a fine ivory body. The so-called " Roman " set, which had an embossed surface with an ornamentation of grape leaves, was one of the first produced. In 1886, the manufacture of fine semi-porcelain was commenced, and the " Arundel " dinner service was put upon the market, the first work of the kind designed by Mr. Haynes, which has since been extensively copied by American, Eng- lish, and German potters, and sent to this country for sale in china and cheaper grades of ware. Then came the u Clifton " and "Severn" dinner ware shapes, and in toilet ware the " Breton," " Castilian," "Aurelian," "Alsatian," and " Montessan," all noted for their originality, excellence of construction, and beauty of form and decoration. The " Castilian " set is worthy of special mention, being Moorish in form, in relief ornamentation, and in color, — a well-conceived adaptation of barbaric ideas to the use of the modern household. The " Alsatian " toilet set is embellished with circular panels on opposite sides of each piece, bordered with rich : 'Mm /Tli 163. — " Merchant of Venice" Vase. Chesapeake Pottery. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CERAMIC ART. 327 relief ornamentation, forming appropriate frames or set- tings for pictures. Mr. Haynes has introduced, for one of the decorations in these panels, a beautiful, conven- tional design of interlacing leaves ; for another, some well drawn peasant heads, and for a third, scenes from the Merchant of Venice, executed by a well-known artist, and printed in delicate vellum tints. On one side the trial scene is depicted, where Portia says, " The quality of mercy is not strained — it droppeth as the gentle rain from 164. — Montessan Semi-Porcelain Toilet Set. Chesapeake Pottery. heaven," and on the other the scene between Antonio, Bassanio, and Shylock, in which the latter exclaims, il And for these courtesies I '11 lend you thus much monies " (see 111. 163). The Montessan toilet set is quartered with strips of pleasing relief work and the handles bear a grotesque head, full of life and spirit. The color decorations are suited to the form, and in treatment suggest the Rococo 328 PO TTER Y AND PORCELAIN. style which prevailed about the beginning of the present century. This set was not exhibited until late in January, 1892, but was copied by a celebrated English firm and displayed in their London warerooms in May following, — a decided compliment to American work. The latest achievements of the Chesapeake Pottery are a line of parlor and banquet lamps, clocks, and large decorative vases, all characterized by originality of design, grace of form, and delicacy of execution. !65. — Lamps and Vases. Chesapeake Pottery. Mr. Haynes has also recently designed a porcelain " Pompadour " clock case, with Rococo relief ornamenta- tion and finished in rich gold (111. 166). It measures fourteen and one-half inches in height. At the exhibition of American pottery held in Me- morial Hall, Philadelphia, in the autumn of 1889, Miss Fannie Haynes, daughter of Mr. D. F. Haynes, entered in competition a large vase which attracted considerable DEVELOPMENT OF THE CERAMIC AR T 329 attention and took one of the prizes, and was afterwards purchased by the trustees of the Museum for the perma- nent collection. The chief merit of the work lies in the genuine Moorish feeling in the relief ornament and its color treatment, but the Arabic character of the English inscription, " In the History of Pottery Read the Story of the Race," which forms part of the decoration, is particularly marked, and strongly resembles, at a short distance, a real bit of Oriental lettering. Miss Haynes has inherited a fond- ness for decorative work. She studied in design at the Maryland Institute Art Schools, and afterwards in the Metropolitan Museum Schools in New York, then gave instruction in model- ling in the Pratt Institute Schools of Brooklyn, New York. At present she is engaged in making designs for leading manufacturers of silks and silkoline fabrics in New York. The most important, and perhaps the most artistic, piece of ware thus far produced by Messrs. Haynes, Ben- nett, & Co. is the " Calvert " vase, shown at the Columbian 166. — Porcelain Clock. Chesapeake Pottery. 3 3 o PO TTER Y A ND PGR CELA IN. Exposition for the first time. It measures twenty-eight inches in height and twenty-six in width, including the handles, which are in the resemblance of winged female figures terminating at the base in a richly foliated orna- ment. The lid or cover of the vase is surmounted by a well executed flame-point, which emphasizes the Renais- sance treatment of the entire piece. Bands of rich relief orna- mentation around the neck, on the shoulder, and about the foot and lower portion, en- hance the beauty of the fine lines in the form. This vase was designed by Mr. Haynes, and the handles were modelled after ideas of his and under his direction by Mr. Fred E. Mayer, a young man of con- siderable talent, who studied under Prof. L. W. Miller in the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, Philadelphia. Several copies of the " Calvert" vase have been made, and decorated in widely divergent styles. One of these shows a delicate tinting of the handles and all the relief work in a pale marine or turquoise green of mat or satin 167. — Moorish Vase Designed by Miss Fannie Haynes. Collection of the Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Phila- delphia. DE VEL OPMENT OE THE CERA MIC ART. 331 finish, enriched with dead gold, the contrast of this combi- nation with those parts of the body and cover that are left white producing a refined and beautiful effect. The entire treatment of the vase is characteristic of Chesapeake Pottery work. Another example is entirely covered with a rich dark Pompadour red, the raised horizontal lines of the orna- 168. — "Calvert" Vase. Chesapeake Pottery. mentation being overlaid with gold, combining richness and strong color effect with simplicity. A third style of decorative finish is after Worcester methods, the treat- ment having been left to Mr. Scott Callowhill of Trenton, an artist formerly employed at the Worcester works, who found in this vase a subject worthy of his best effort 332 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Mr. Haynes has also recently worked out a strong design for a water filter of large proportions, one of the decorations for it being an effective all-over pattern made up of the fleur-de-lis and a quartered rosette, employed alternately, applied in deep underglaze blu^. THE PAULINE POTTERY COMPANY. In 1883 Mrs. Pauline Jacobus started a small work- shop in Chicago under the name of the Pauline Pottery, which consisted of one small kiln and employed a single presser and a couple of decorators. In the spring of 1888 the works were moved to Edgerton, Wisconsin, and considerably enlarged. At present the products of the factory are porous cells for electric batteries and under- glaze art ware. Thirteen ladies find employment here, under the direction of Mrs. Jacobus, in painting on the biscuit. On the removal of the works to Edgerton the Pauline Pottery Company was incorporated under the laws of Wisconsin and the business has steadily increased, until at present thirty-five hands are engaged in producing the wares for the market. The decoration of the art wares is entirely underglaze, and the forms of the pieces are ornate and graceful. Ewers, vases, flower jars, bon- bon boxes, candlesticks, lamp stands, and fancy designs are produced to a considerable extent. The painting is done entirely with the brush, frequently in the Japanese style. The body of the ware is light and porous, resem- bling the ordinary Japanese Kioto ware. The resem- blance is particularly apparent in examples in which the DEVELOPMENT OF THE CERAMIC ART 333 entire surface of the glaze is covered with fine crackling. Modern Italian majolica ware is also imitated here to some extent. The Onondaga Pottery Company, of Syracuse, N. Y., produce white granite and cream-colored wares, in plain and decorated dinner and toilet services. The Mayer Pottery Company, of Beaver Falls, Pa., 169. — Pauline Art Pottery, Edgerton, Wis. manufacture stone china, lustre band, sprig ware, and decorated goods. Messrs. Goodwin Brothers operate an establishment at Elmwood, near Hartford, Conn., where they own ex- tensive clay beds. They produce cream-colored, Rock- ingham, yellow, and terra-cotta goods. The latter include an extensive variety of fancy flower-pots, hanging POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. baskets, vases, both ornamental and plain for decorators, cuspidors, jardinieres, umbrella jars, and fancy lamp- stands, hand decorated in colored and rustic designs, bronzed, silvered, and lustred. They also have salesrooms in New York City. The Nashville Art Pottery was making in 1886 a fine red ware with good brown glaze, in artistic shapes. Ex- amples may be seen in the Trumbull-Prime collection, now on exhibition at Princeton College. The Charles Graham Chemical Pottery Works, Brook- lyn, N. Y., one of the most extensive in this country, produce chemical stoneware of every description, porce- lain-lined earthenware wash-trays, fire-bricks, and acid receivers up to 500 gallons capacity. The Akron Stoneware Agency, of Akron, Ohio, of which the Boston Pottery Co. is a branch, manufactures extensive lines of stoneware, Rockingham, and yellow wares, in the usual utilitarian forms, such as jugs, jars, pitchers, flower-pots, bottles, spittoons, and household utensils. In Akron there are fifteen establishments where clay and pottery products are made. The Warwick China Company was organized in Wheeling in 1887, °f which Mr. J. R. McCourtney was the first president and Mr. George Bradshaw, formerly foreman for Mr. Homer Laughlin, of East Liverpool, manager. Mr. O. C. Dewey succeeded to the presidency in the following year, and in 1889, on the resignation of Mr. Dewey, Mr. Charles W. Franzheim, then vice-president of the Wheeling Pottery Company, became president of the Warwick China Company, and still holds that posi- DE VEL OPMENT OF THE CERA MIC ART. 335 tion. The products of this factory are semi-porcelain dinner, tea, and toilet ware. In 1887 or 1888 the West Virginia China Company was established, with Mr. Wm. L. Hearne president and Mr. James Clarke, formerly of the Trenton China Company, manager. This company was re-organized about two years ago under the name of the Ohio Valley China Com- pany (which see). Summer visitors to Martha's Vineyard are familiar with the peculiar earthenware which is made at the Gay Head Pottery of Mr. W. F. Willard, Cottage City, Mass., which is fashioned in plain vase forms from variegated clays found at the west end of the island. These deposits are bright red, light blue, and drab, and the peculiarity of the ware is that it is not burned, but sun-dried, and con- sequently not intended for use, but merely for ornament. The different colored clays are ground separately, placed together in a ball, and turned into shape, and when par- tially dry the vessel is shaved and then allowed to harden in the sun. The surface presents the appearance of striped stoneware, without glazing, the bands of red, blue, and slate-colored clays being distinct and remarkably brilliant. Articles are also made from the red clay and burned, but the coloring disappears in the kiln, and con- sequently much of the ware is sold in an unbaked state to curiosity hunters, in order to preserve the natural hues of the clays. This pottery gives employment to several hands and has been in operation for about fourteen years. 33^ POT TER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. THE LONHUDA POTTERY CO. An art pottery has been recently established in Steub- enville, Ohio, for the manufacture of underglaze faience. The firm, which is known as the Lonhuda Pottery Com- pany, is composed of Mr. W. A. Long, chemist, Mr. W. H. Hunter, editor of the Steubenville Daily Gazette, and Mr. Alfred Day, secretary of the United States Potters' 170. — Lonhuda Pottery. Association. Mr. Long has for some years been engaged in experimenting with clays and colors suitable for under- glaze decoration, with a view to producing a high class pottery which should be characteristically American. The forms of vessels have, in a great measure, been suggested by examples of Chiriqui and other Indian wares BE VEL OPM EN T OF THE CERA MIC ART 337 in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution at Wash- ington. In addition to the monogram of the company, which has been used as a factory mark, the impressed figure of an Indian's head has been adopted for use on such pieces as are distinctively American in shape. The colors used are mixed with clays to heighten or soften the lights, and applied in colored slips to the green body, over the tinted and blended grounds of refined tones of reds, warm browns, yellows, and neutral grays. After the first firing the ware is covered with a brilliant tinted glaze. Foreign clays are used almost exclusively in the body, which is more or less vitreous and of a yel- lowish color. The product is ornamental rather than utilitarian, consisting mainly of vases, jardinieres, and small articles for household use. The shapes are simple and graceful in outline, and the decorations are the work of competent artists, among whom is Miss Laura A. Fry, formerly of Cincinnati. 22 CHAPTER XV. TOBACCO PIPES. AS early as 1690 tobacco pipes were made in Phila- delphia, as stated in Scharf and Westcott's History of Philadelphia. An advertisement appeared in Andrew Bradford's American Weekly Mercury, printed in Philadelphia May 12, 1720, worded as follows : " Good long Tavern Tobacco Pipes Sold at 4s. per Gross by a single Gross, and 3s. for a larger Quantity by Richard Warder Tobacco Pipe Maker living under the same Roof with Phillip Syng Gold Smith, near the Market Place, where also any that have occasion may have their foul Pipes burnt for 8d. per Gross." These were doubt- less similar to the long-stemmed white clay pipes which had been made at Gouda, Holland, and Broseley, Eng- land, for upwards of a century. The first tobacco pipes made were fashioned of clay or stone by the aborigines of North America, and Indian pipes were carried to Europe in 1586 to serve as models for the first civilized smoking utensils for the propagation of a savage custom. The Moravians of Bethlehem, Pa., made clay smoking pipes in the last century, but as to exact form and date of manufacture I have not been able to procure definite 338 TOBACCO PIPES. 339 information. Mr. Robert Rau, of that place, is my authority for the statement that plain pipe-bowls, some white and some green, made without stems, were pro- duced by these people probably within the first decade of this century. Long-stemmed pipes seem to have been superseded by bowls about that time, and during the ensuing thirty years or so numerous local potteries throughout Pennsylvania and other sections took up this branch of manufacture. About the year 1810 Adam Maize, of New Berlin, Union County (then Northumberland), Pa., was making pipe-bowls in the form of a man's head, and prior to 1825, when he quit the business to enter politics, Philip See- bold, who had learned his trade with Maize, made the same style of bowl. The manufacture, however, was con- tinued at both potteries until about 1845, when outside competition caused it to cease. Previous to 1830 Christian Evil and Charles Zorn had potteries in Berlin, Somerset County, Pa., where they made pipe-bowls in the form of a man's head. Jacob Swope owned a pottery one mile north of Bird-in-Hand, Lancaster County, Pa., about 1820. His son, Zuriel Swope, happened one day when a lad, as he was passing along a street in Lancaster, to see one of the black-glazed pipe-bowls from Berlin in the window of a jeweller's shop, and, attracted by its novelty, went in and purchased it for three cents. He then commenced making - similar bowls at his father's pottery. His first mould was constructed of lead, which, proving too soft, was replaced by one made of block tin. He manufactured, without assistance, 340 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. as many as three hundred pipe-bowls in a day, which he took to Lancaster and sold for a cent each. About 1840 Samuel Sturgis was making quite exten- sively, at Lititz, in the same county, similar pipe-heads, which he sold largely to tobacconists in Philadelphia and other places. These were made in half a dozen different designs, and, being well burned and covered with green, brown, or yellow glaze, were very popular with the smokers of that day. At an earlier date earthen and stoneware had been made there by Mr. Sturgis and by Joseph Sturgis, his father. The business was dis- continued in 1843, on the death of the former. Mr. C. W. Sturgis, his son, resid- ing in Lancaster, in- formed me that several of the old pipe-moulds are still in possession of the family. Some years after the discontinuance of the Lititz pot- tery, about 1856, John Gibble, of Manheim, commenced to make pipes of red clay, covered with a brown glaze, in the shape of an Indian's head. Mr. Gibble, son of the original owner, is still in the business, and has sent me 171. -Glazing Rack for Pipes. Gibble Pottery. TOBACCO PIPES. 34i several samples of this form, together with one of the hand-made clay racks, furnished with numerous hooked arms, on which the pipe bowls were hung to dry after being glazed, as shown in the accompanying cut (111. 171). In 1858, Mr. J. Richards manufactured white clay smoking-pipes of different lengths and of good quality, in Oxford Street, above Frankford Road, Kensington, Phila- delphia. He sent to England for potters who had learned this branch of the art. Ten years ago, Mr. A. Peyrau, a Frenchman, was making in New York City, light red, unglazed terra-cotta 172. — Terra-Cotta Pipe Heads. A. Peyrau, N. Y. Collection of Jerome B. Gray. pipe heads. These were caricatures of prominent Ameri- cans and character sculptures. The modelling was done with boldness and remarkable fidelity to nature. The production of these portrait heads was discontinued several years ago on account of the expense of manufacture and the limited demand for a high-priced article of this nature. At present there are numerous tobacco-pipe manufac- tories scattered throughout the United States, of which POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. one in St. Louis, Mo., another at Fulton, 111., and several in Virginia, are probably among the most important. Short-stemmed white clay pipes were made for the Presidential campaigns of 1888 and 1892, with portrait bowls representing Harrison and Cleveland, by Charles Kurth, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Excellent pipe clays are found at Hockessin, Delaware, and at other points in Indiana and Missouri, suitable for white pipes, while in the latter State a red clay occurs which is used extensively in the manufacture of red bowls. Many pipes of early English and Dutch origin have been found in old Indian graves in the United States, in- cluding some of the " Fairy Pipes " with diminutive bowls, which were brought to this country by white settlers and traded to the Indians perhaps two hundred years or more ago. Dr. Charles C. Abbott has recently made an inter- esting discovery of a large number of old Dutch and English clay pipes in the ruins of an old building on an island in the Delaware River. CHAPTER XVI. ORNAMENTAL TILES. THE first wall and paving tiles produced in the United States were probably made at the factory of Abraham Miller in Philadelphia. About 1845 one of his workmen, Mr. Thomas F. Darragh, who, in 1838, when a lad of fourteen, went to Mr. Miller to learn the potting trade and remained with him for twenty years as apprentice and journeyman, now with the firm of Hyzer & Lewellen, of Philadelphia, made for Mr. Miller some Rockingham tiles of large size, probably measuring nine by eighteen inches, which were used for facing the outside of the warehouse. Mr. Darragh also produced some mottled tiles of various colors for paving in front of Mr. Miller's residence, on the north side of Spruce Street east of Broad. Miller was making at that time an octagonal spittoon for the market. By cutting these hori- zontally in half he procured an ornamental pattern of novel effect which he utilized as wall tiles, by forming a border of them around the ceiling of his office. The idea was original and characteristic of the man. At the United States Pottery, Bennington, Vt., ex- periments were made with inlaid tiles in 1853, and a 343 344 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. sufficient number were produced to cover a floor space of seven feet square, underlying the exhibit of this factory at the Crystal Palace Exhibition which was held in New York in that year. These tiles were about ten inches square and made by the wet-clay process. The body was white, inlaid with variegated colors, the designs consisting of ornamental centre-piece and border with the Ameri- can flag in each corner. It is not known what disposition was made of this tile floor after the exhibition, and it seems that the difficulties encountered in making these examples deterred the com- pany from continuing ex- periments further in this direction. Previous to 1872, Messrs. Hyzer & Lewellen, of Phila- delphia, were experimenting in floor tiles, and I have before me some interesting examples of these early at- tempts. Their first efforts were directed to the manufacture of encaustic tiles of geometrical shapes, — square, diamond, and triangular, — with natural and artificially-colored American clays, mainly buff, red, and black, the designs being inlaid to the depth of about a quarter of an inch. While these attempts proved 173. — Some of the First Fancy American Tiles. Hyzer & Lewellen. ORNAMENTAL TILES. 345 partially successful, the wet-clay method employed at that time was unsatisfactory, because the shrinkage was found to be irregular and the pieces came from the kiln of differ- ent thickness. The next experiments were made by the damp-dust process, which has been employed ever since. The accompanying illustration will show two forms of geometrical wall tiles which were made previous to 1876. They are plain tiles of yellow clay, of great hardness, the glaze being also hard and entirely free from " crazing," and fully equal in all respects to anything of the kind which has since been produced in this country. The hexagonal specimen figured is decorated with painted designs above the glaze, consisting of a green vine on a buff ground, with a red centre outlined in black. The lozenge-shaped example is painted with a black device on a lemon-colored ground. Later, several patterns of six-inch unglazed mantel tiles, with conventional floral decoration in low relief, were produced, but the manufacture of ornamental tiles was only carried on a short time. At present this firm makes a specialty of plain geometrical floor tiles of different colored bodies and of exceeding hardness. The clay used is fine and homogeneous, and when burned almost approaches stoneware. They also manufacture fire-brick, furnaces, cylinders, dental muffles, and stove- linings. Furnace tests of the standing-up power of the best known fire-bricks, instituted by the Second Geologi- cal Survey of Pennsylvania, in 1876, at Harrisburg, showed that the productions of Messrs. Hyzer& Lewellen were superior in heat-resisting qualities to all others that were submitted for examination. 34^ POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. THE LOW ART TILE COMPANY. 174. — A "Low" Tile. Mr. John G. Low, the founder of the Low Art Tile Works, was born in Chelsea, Mass., in 1 835, where five generations of the same name had pre- ceded him. From the age of sixteen until the year 1877 he devoted himself to various lines of painting, commencing with fresco and decorative work. In 1858 he went to Paris, where he studied with Thomas Couture and with M. Troyon, the celebrated cattle painter, for three years. In 1877 he became deeply interested in ceramic manufactures, and, in the follow- ing year, formed a copartnership with his father, Hon. John Low, and at once commenced the erection of a tile manufactory in his native place. Having never seen a tile made in any factory, he began experimenting on purely original lines and soon overcame the mechani- cal difficulties which presented themselves. A novel method was resorted to in the ornamentation of his earlier productions, which he patented and called the " natural " process. To secure accurate impressions of deli- cate objects, such as grasses, leaves, laces, etc., the article ORNAMENTAL TILES. 347 to be reproduced was placed on the surface of the lightly shaped and unburned tile and forced into the clay by means of a screw press. On this impression was spread a piece of tissue paper, and over this was piled a quantity of the prepared dust, which was subjected to a second 175. — View of the Low Art Tile Works, Chelsea, Mass. pressure. The tile, or pair of tiles, of double thickness, was then separated and the paper removed, when the im- pressions of the objects appeared in relief and intaglio, showing every minute detail of marking. These Mr. Low called " natural tiles." 348 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. The method employed in making embossed or relief tiles is that now used by all tile works in this country, which was patented by Mr. Richard Prosser, in England, in 1840, for making buttons, and shortly after applied by Mr. J. M. Blashfield to the manufacture of tiles, called the " dust " process, which consists in slightly moistening the dry, powdered clay and subjecting it to great pres- sure in dies containing the designs to be impressed upon them. They are then burned J 176.— An F. S. A. and afterwards glazed or enamelled in delicate colors. In a little more than a year after the works were started, we find this firm competing with English tile- makers at the Exhibition at Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, which was conducted under the auspices of the Royal Manchester, Liverpool, and North Lancashire Agricultural Society, one of the oldest in England. There they won the gold medal over all the manufacturers of the United Kingdom for the best series of art tiles exhibited. This record, probably unsurpassed in ceramic history, serves to illustrate the remarkably rapid development of an industry new in America but old in the East, and shows the vast resources at command of the American potter. In 1883 Hon. John Low retired from the firm and Mr. John F. Low became associated with his father under the style of J. G. & J. F. Low. 35o POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Mr. Arthur Osborne, who has designed the majority of the tiles produced here, joined the Lows a few months after they commenced experimenting, and is still con- nected with the factory. He is a talented and versatile No. 178. — Tile Stove. young artist, whose conceptions are chaste and classic and possess marked originality. Among his numerous designs are ideal heads, mythological subjects, portraits, Japanese sketches, and an almost endless variety of animal, bird, ORNAMENTAL TILES. 35i and floral studies. His "plastic sketches," on a larger scale, are particularly meritorious, some of the most pleasing being a group of sheep in a pasture, a drove of swine entitled " Late for Dinner," a herd of cattle wending their way homeward (111. 177), and " The Old Windmill." These are made of plastic clay, called the " wet-clay " pro- cess, and vary in size to upwards of eighteen inches in length. A beautiful conceit is the ** Fleeting Moments," i ' No. 179. — Panel for Soda Fountain. in which three cupids hover around an hour-glass, one being depicted in the act of winging his way upwards. In the high-relief tiles the undercutting is done by hand after the designs have been stamped in the press. The Low Art Tile Co. also manufacture mantel- facings, panels, stove-tiles, calendar tiles, clothes hooks, paper-weights, inkstands, clock cases, candlesticks, bon- bon boxes, and at one time made to some extent ewers POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. and vases with relief ornamentation, or in plain colors, enamelled and glazed. They at one time also made tile stoves. Lately they have been making a specialty of the manufacture of art-tile soda fountains, in which work Mr. Osborne has found a broader field for the exercise of his talents. 180. — Hon. John G. Low. A superb fountain made by this firm, and exhibited at the Chicago Exhibition, is probably the most elaborate piece of work produced by them. As an example of tile- modelling it has not been surpassed. The centre panel, measuring about six feet in width by five in height, is arched at the top, and on each side is a smaller panel of ORNAMENTAL TILES. 353 the same form. The design of the central piece consists of a group of human figures in high relief surrounding a fountain, and Cupids form the subject-design of the lateral panels. The delicate olive glaze which covers the tile- work produces a rich and harmonious effect. The Lows have never imitated other work, either do- mestic or foreign. They have never made hand-painted, mosaic, printed, encaustic, or floor tiles, and they have never employed men who were trained in other tile works. Consequently their products are characterized by a marked originality, both in style and design, which has caused them to be extensively imitated, both at home and abroad. THE AMERICAN ENCAUSTIC TILING CO. was projected in 1875 at Zanesville, Ohio, by a former resident of that place, who, while engaged in business in New York, had succeeded in interesting some capitalists of that city in the manufacture of flooring tiles from Ohio clays. The first experiments not proving satisfac- tory, Mr. George A. Stanbery, a mechanical engineer, who had been a commissioner to the Vienna Exposition, was engaged to take charge of the works, and through his energy and ability, with the financial aid of Mr. B. Fischer of New York, the president of the company, and his associates, the enterprise was finally placed upon a paying basis. In 1880 glazed or enamelled tile were first made here. Encaustic or inlaid floor tiles are made by both the plastic 23 354 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. and the damp-dust processes, and the geometrical designs for these are prepared by competent designers, who are employed by the company for this purpose. Relief tiles are also made here to a large extent, de- signed by Mr. Herman Mueller, modeller for the company, who studied in the Industrial Academy and Preparatory Art School of Nuremburg, and in the Art Academy of Munich. Special designs have been produced in single i8r. — Encaustic Tile Design. panels, twelve by eighteen inches in dimensions, of which we have seen some female water carriers of Grecian type. Plastic sketches of large size have also been executed for special orders. Among other styles produced at this factory are imitation mosaic tiles, damask, and embossed damask-finished tiles. By a peculiar treatment, pictures and portraits are also reproduced on a plain surface. This consists in modelling on a smooth surface of clay in in- ORNAMENTAL TILES. 355 taglio and filling the carved portions with a colored glaze, the shadows being regulated by the depth of the carving, the high lights being raised to near the level of the tile. The relative thickness of the glaze produces the corre- sponding depth of tint, and the effect is that of a photo- graph or flat picture instead of a design in relief. In this manner ideal heads and faithful portraits have been suc- cessfully executed. The method is clearly shown in the accompanying illustration, which represents a six-inch tile in the biscuit state, and the same filled in with glaze, the latter being an excellent like- ness of Mr. John Hoge, a director of the company (111. i8 3 ). Mr. Karl Langenbeck, the efficient chemist of the works, has had considerable experience in analyzing clays, and has charge of the labora- tory of the company, in which experimental tests are made. In the manufacture of tiles many chemical and mechani- cal problems are involved, such as the proper selection and combination of clays to insure sufficient cohesiveness to dry without warping or cracking ; the selection of a tem- perature in burning that will be suitable to all the different clays ; the preparation of a glaze for enamelled tile which will possess the same co-efficient of expansion and shrink- age as the clay bodies upon which it is placed. In the " dust " process the prepared materials are made 182.—" Old Age." 356 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. coherent by the application of enormous pressure, which, in this factory, is obtained by mechanical presses, auto- matic in action, which are controlled by the company, and constructed in the machine shops connected with the works. Some of the most artistic productions of this factory 183. — Intaglio Portrait. Modelled Tile. are the eight, ten, and fifteen tile facings, with raised designs of classic female and child fio-ures. o o Before the new works were finished, eleven large kilns were in operation. Recently the producing capacity has been very largely increased by the addition of twenty-eight ORNAMENTAL TILES. 357 kilns, which have been built on a tract of thirty-five acres in the city of Zanesville, making in all thirty-nine kilns. The new works are located on the western bank of the Muskingum River, in the northern part of the city, and r V * f | ^ " .-c t'^^" ..Kit- * ;~ 1 .„ _ ■ * ' . ■* • f . ^ * 185. — Twelve- by Eighteen-Inch Panel — " Summer." Designed by Mr. Herman Mueller. 186. — Ten-Piece Panel — Six-Inch Tiles, 12 x 30 Inches. Designed by Herman Mueller. consist of twenty-four separate buildings. They were formally dedicated on the 19th day of April, 1892, when the schools of the city were closed, and the business of ORNAMENTAL TILES. 359 the place entirely suspended, the citizens giving themselves up to the celebration of the event. A handsome souvenir tile was designed for this occasion by the company, of which fifteen thousand were distributed. This company has recently produced a new style of unglazed floor tiling, in elegant designs and attractive coloring, which is designated by the name and trade- mark of " Alhambra." Beautiful soft effects in carpet patterns have been obtained on a vitreous body of great hardness. The tinted arabesque designs are inlaid to the depth of about one eighth of an inch, simulating mosaic work. THE STAR ENCAUSTIC TILE COMPANY. The experimental period of the present Star Encaustic Tile Company, Limited, of Pittsburgh, Pa., dates back at least twenty years. In 1876 a factory was built by the Pittsburgh Encaustic Tile Company, Limited, which was merged into the present concern in 1882. The products of this factory are gas-burned, unglazed encaustic tile for geometric and tesselated pavements, floors and hearths. The great variety of shapes and colors admits of almost unlimited combinations, resulting in rich and pleasing effects. Mr. John C. Alrich is chairman of the company and Mr. Samuel Keys manager. THE UNITED STATES ENCAUSTIC TILE COMPANY of Indianapolis, Ind., was organized soon after the Cen- tennial Exposition with Mr. J. G. Douglass, president, Mr. ORNAMENTAL TILES. 361 W. W. Lyon, secretary and treasurer, and Mr. F. H. Hall, superintendent. The building soon afterwards burned down and larger and more suitable ones were erected in 1879. ^ n ] 886 the present management pur- chased the business and changed the name to the United States Encaustic Tile Works. The plant now includes six biscuit and twelve muffle kilns, the products being plain, encaustic, enamelled, and relief tiles for flooring, mantel facings, wainscoting, hearths, and other interior decoration. The clays used for white bodies come from South Carolina and Ken- tucky, and those for dark bodies are obtained from In- diana. The burning is done by means of natural gas. Miss Ruth M. Winter- botham, who models for this manufactory, has produced many beautiful designs, notably some three- and six- section panels. A series of three mantel panels, represent- ing Dawn, Midday, and Twilight, are particularly deserving of mention. Recently this factory has produced some effective tiles in raised blue designs on a white ground. Mr. Robert Minton Taylor, of England, was connected with these works from 1881 to 1883. The present officers are Mr. John J. Cooper, president, Mr. Jackson Landers, vice-president, and Mr. John Picken, secretary and treasurer. 189. — Six-Inch Relief Tile. U. S. Encaustic Tile Works. 362 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. In the Woman's Building, at the Chicago Fair, Miss Winterbotham exhibited a series of tiles and panels which she had designed and modelled for this company. A panel measuring perhaps fifteen by eighteen inches, deco- rated with three well executed female figures in relief, apparently representing the March zephyrs, attracted con- siderable attention, as did also a circular tile plaque, fifteen inches in diameter, with relief design showing a frontier scene with wood-chopper, bison, mountains, and setting sun. THE TRENT TILE COMPANY. In 1882, the Harris Manufacturing Company was or- ganized for the production of tiles, and shortly afterwards the name was changed to the Trent Tile Company. In 1883 Mr. Isaac Broome, who had formerly been connected with the Etruria Pottery, of Trenton, returned to that city from the West to accept the position of designer and modeller for the new company. He continued in this capacity for about two years, during which period he stocked the works with many excellent designs, some of which are still being produced there. The Trent Tile Company is now making a specialty of dull-finished or " Trent finished " tiles in alto-relievo, which are treated by the sand-blast process after being glazed. The effect is a soft, satin-like finish, exceedingly pleasing to the eye. The process is protected by patents. This style of finish forms a striking contrast to the glazed and enamelled varieties also made here, of which effective panels, six by eighteen inches, in one piece, are manufac- ORNAMENTAL TILES. 3 6 3 tured extensively. Larger tiles have also been produced here for special work, some of them being twelve by twenty-four inches. The company has also recently been making soda-water fountains with modelled panels. Over twenty kilns are at present operated by the Trent Tile Company, including six round biscuit kilns, and up- wards of a dozen enamelling kilns. The English muffle kilns are used for enamelling, but the firing is done at a pretty high temperature. The present officers of the iqo. — Bacchanalian Panel. Nine by Eighteen Inches. Designed by Mr.W. W. Gallimore. Trent Tile Works. company are Mr. Benjamin F. Lee, president, Mr. Alfred Lawshe, treasurer, and Mr. DeWitt C. McVay, manager. In 1886, Mr. William Wood Gallimore became de- signer and modeller for these works, having previously acquired an enviable reputation as a modeller of portrait busts and vases. Mr. Gallimore is an Englishman with thirty years' experience as a potter and designer. His father, Mr. William Gallimore, was an artist, engraver, and color maker, and under his instruction the son ob- 364 PO TTER Y AND POR CELAIN. tained a complete knowledge of the manufacture of potters' colors. The younger Gallimore began his career in the office of Mr. John Ward, solicitor, Burslem, Staf- fordshire, and his evenings and leisure hours were devoted to the study of art in the Art School of Stoke-upon-Trent. While in the law office he executed his first model, a group of figures, representing a Neapolitan fisherman and family, after an engraving which appeared in the Illustrated London News. This work attracted consider- 191. — Nine- by Eighteen-Inch Panel — Fishing Boys. Designed by W. W. Gallimore. Trent Tile Co. able attention among the artists of the district, and Mr. George Reade, a modeller of reputation, at once tendered the young artist a position in his studio at Burslem, which was accepted. Here, under Mr. Reade's instruc- tion, young Gallimore became proficient in modelling pieces of useful ware, and was entrusted with much of the outline drawing for the establishment. On Mr. Reade's retirement from business, his pupil continued his studies ORNAMENTAL TILES. 365 in figure modelling under M. Louis Kremer, a French artist of ability. Subsequently Mr. Gallimore became connected with a number of the prominent potteries in England. For six years he was at the Belleek potteries in Ireland, where he lost his right arm by the bursting of a gun. He afterwards was commissioned by Mr. William Henry Goss, proprietor of the London Road, Stoke-upon- Trent, potteries, an eminent author, to execute some busts of prominent Englishmen, which were afterwards produced by Mr. Goss in fine parian. These portrait busts were pronounced admirable likenesses of the origi- nals, including a head of the late Mr. Llewellynn Jewitt, which serves as the frontispiece to the latter's Ceramic Art of Great Britain, a bust of Mr. S. C. Hall, editor of The Art Journal, another of the present Earl of Derby, and one of the Earl of Beaconsfield. Since the loss of his arm, Mr. Gallimore has done his modelling with his left hand, and he has accomplished better work with one arm than he did when in possession of both. All of the designs produced by the Trent factory during the past six years are his work, the dies being made in his workshop by his son, under his supervision. Mr. Gallimore is a versatile and prolific sculptor, and an artist of fine ability. His style is vigorous and characteristic; his portrayals of boys and Cupids are especially pleasing. Among the more pretentious of his recent productions are a finely modelled coat-of-arms of the State of New Jersey, designed for architectural embellishment, and a six-foot panel with figures in relief. In addition to his work for the Trent Company, he has designed some of the 366 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. best vases and other pieces for the Ceramic Art Com- pany of Trenton, makers of Belleek china, and other establishments. The tile portrait which forms the frontis- piece to this volume was modelled and kindly volun- teered by Mr. Gallimore, and is pronounced an excellent likeness. Mr. William Gallimore, the father, was a designer and engraver of the old school, and did considerable work for the Wedgwoods, Enoch Wood, John Alcock, and other English potters. He died at his son's house in Trenton, N. J., in 1 89 1 , aged eighty-four, the last piece of work which he did, a short time previous to his death, being a chrysanthemum design for transfer printing, for the house of J. E. Jeffords & Co., Philadelphia. Among his papers he left a large and interesting collection of proofs from the original copper plates which he and others had engraved for the above named firms during the first half of the present century, together with many of the original drawings from which the engravings were made, and some proofs of curious old engravings for " bat-printing." Mr. W. W. Gallimore's sons, William and Jesse, have recently commenced business on their own account, under the supervision of their father, as designers and modellers of useful, ornamental, and figure subjects, — the sons hav- ing inherited the artistic talents of their father and grand- father. Miss Flora and Miss Marian Gallimore, the daughters, are also clever modellers of floral designs for applied ornamentation, and have done considerable work of this character. ORNAMENTAL TILES. 367 THE PARK PORCELAIN WORKS. In 1884, Mr. H. R. Mitchell, of the Park Porcelain Works, West Philadelphia, experimented in glazed relief tiles, examples of which are on exhibition in the Pennsyl- vania Museum of Art. He modelled a number of designs from natural objects, such as leaves and turtle-shells, the latter being exact reproductions, both in form and color- ing, of the original models. The manufacture does not seem to have advanced beyond the experimental stage, although the workmanship was creditable and some of the glazes excellent. THE PROVIDENTIAL TILE WORKS. of Trenton, N. J., were projected about 1885 and the first goods were turned out in the spring of 1886. Mr. Isaac Broome, who had previously been with the Trent Tile Company of the same place, was the first designer and modeller of the new establishment, and some of his designs are still being produced. The products of this factory are glazed tiles, plain and in relief. At one time embossed tiles were made in two colors, the raised ornamentation being of a different color or tint from the ground, and some good results were ob- tained by this treatment. Underglaze decoration was also employed for a time, but both styles were abandoned as being unsuited to the American market. The present output consists principally of embossed tiles for mantels, hearths, and wall decorations. Some of the newest 368 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. designs are relief tiles, measuring six by twelve and six by eighteen inches, and among the most popular pieces are hunting panels for mantel facings, with representa- tions of fighting bucks, stag's heads, sportsmen, and dogs. The present designer and modeller is Mr. Scott Callowhill, recently, for a short time, connected with the Phcenixville (Pa.) pottery. He came to this country in 1885, from the Royal Worcester works, England, where with his brother, Mr. James Callowhill, now of Roslindale, Mass., he had charge of two of the principal decorating-rooms in which the finer class of decoration, in raised paste and gold bronze, was done. He also while in England worked for the Doultons at Lambeth. Mr. Callowhill has recently ex- ecuted some artistic panel de- signs, one of which is a six- by twelve-inch tile, " Mignon," after 192. — Relief Panel — "Mignon." Jules Lefebvre, and another, a By Scott Callowhill, after , . , ... f Lefebvre. S1X " b Y eighteen-inch piece, after Mr. Benjamin W. Leader's pic- ture, entitled " February fill Dyke," in intaglio. This panel is glazed in a single color and is one of a set of three intended for a mantel facing. Amongthe latest productions of this factory are gilded and decorated tiles in the style of the Royal Worcester cloisonne, exceedingly rich and pleasing in effect. One ORNAMENTAL TILES. 3^9 variety consists of raised designs, glazed and outlined in gold, the relief portions being finished in shades lighter or darker than the ground, while another style possesses arabesque reliefs painted in delicate overglaze colors and 193. — Intaglio — " February fill Dyke." By Callovvhill, after Leader. gold against glazed grounds of white, ivory, pale pink, and French gray shades. The general effect is that of metal cloisonne. The works are under the management of Messrs. James H. Robinson and C. Louis Whitehead. THE BEAVER FALLS ART TILE COMPANY, LIMITED. of Beaver Falls, Pa., was organized in 1886 by Mr. F. W. Walker, who is secretary, treasurer, and manager. 194. — Beaver Falls Stove Tiles. The works started with the manufacture of plain enamels, and a few months later added embossed and intaglio tiles, 24 POTTER Y AND PORCELAIN. as well as tiles for stove decorations, of which this com- pany has since made a specialty. The discovery of natural gas and the advantages to be obtained by its use as a fuel for the burning of all pottery wares was the inducement for Mr. Walker, who had been very much interested in the investigation of tiles and their manufac- ture, to organize the company, and his ability as a che- mist soon enabled him to place the works in a position to manufacture a line of glazes of soft, rich tones, and their remarkable freedom from crazing soon won for the fac- tory a high reputation in the trade. Their delicate tints of pale blue and greenish and purplish grays are particularly beautiful examples of transparent colored glazing. These works have always em- ployed the best designers that could be obtained. Prof. Isaac Broome, a sculptor of rare artis- tic ability, became connected with the factory in 1890. Among his most highly admired pieces is a six-inch tile with a classic female figure (Sappho) in relief, leaning on a harp. The factory is now making a specialty of artistic tile designs suitable for solid wall decorations, in all the lead- ing styles, for libraries, dining-rooms, and bath-rooms. One of the most chaste patterns recently produced is a dado in Romanesque style, of which a section is here represented (111. 198). The examples figured are char- 195. — Six-Inch Relief Tile — "Sappho." By Broome. ORNAMENTAL TILES. acteristic illustrations of the geometric, floral, and figure embellishment of the Beaver Falls productions. A circular four-and-a-half-inch likeness of Mrs. Grover Cleveland was executed here a few years ago, which is an excellent example of tile portraiture. Among the most recent productions of the works are a series of six- by eighteen-inch panels, representing Poetry, Music, and Painting (111. 197), and some twelve- by twelve-inch heads, including one of Wash- ington. Prof. Isaac Broome is one of America's most versatile artists. He was born at Valcartier, Quebec, on May 16, 1835. He first became interested in the subject of ceramics when, as a young man, he visited the museums of Europe to study the col- lections of Grecian and Etruscan vases for archaeological material for use in his chosen professions of sculpture and paint- ing. After some years he turned his attention to the potter's art, and about the 196.— Passion-flower close of the Civil War he established a By Broome terra-cotta manufactory at Pittsburgh, where he made vases, fountains, and architectural de- signs. His productions, however, were in advance of the public taste, and the venture had to be abandoned. After a period of portrait-painting, frescoing, sculpturing, and modelling, he started architectural terra-cotta works in Brooklyn, N. Y., about 1871, and produced some large pieces of artistic work, but he was finally compelled to 372 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. relinquish this second enterprise by the arbitrary ruling of the city Board of Health which, under the pretext that the firing of his kilns endangered the safety of the adjacent buildings, ordered him to close the works. Just previous to the Centennial, as we have already seen, Mr. Broome was engaged by the Etruria Pottery of Trenton, N. J., to prepare some special designs for the approaching exhibition. In 1878 he was appointed a special commissioner on ce- ramics to the Paris Exposition, and, in conjunction with General McClellan, made a thorough study of the ceramic art as it exists abroad. While connected with the Ott & Brewer Company at Trenton, he made some original drawings on stone for some special and general work which were printed in black, in colors, and in gold, said to be the first lithographic printing on pottery ever done in America. In the year 1880, on his return to Trenton from abroad, he utilized the time in recovering from an attack of illness in putting into practical application some ideas which he had previously thought out in the production of a variety of ware never before attempted in this country. The body was a well vitrified porcelain with underglaze color effects, the paste, colors, and glaze being thoroughly incorporated together by a single firing. The result was a ware difficult to describe, but most pleasing in its modest 197. — Relief Panel- " Music," from Painting, Poetry, and Music Facing. By Broome. 198.— Dado in Romanesque Style. Beaver P alls Art Tile Co. 373 1 374 PO TTER Y AND POP CEL AIN. tones and the softness and depth of translucent effect. Only about one hundred of these vases were made, for the most part of small size, ranging from three to ten inches in height, the forms being simple but full and rich in outline, and particularly adapted to the peculiar style of coloration in analogous or contrasting harmonies. These pieces were made entirely by Prof. Broome, assisted by his young son, the clays being prepared in the basement of his residence, dried in plaster moulds in the sun, thrown, turned, glazed, and colored on the green clay in a second- story room, and finally taken to Davis' pottery in Trenton and fired in a regular ware kiln. All of these interesting pieces were sent to a dealer in New York and scattered in collections throughout the country (see chapter on Marks). In T883 Mr. Broome became connected with the Harris Manufacturing Company, now the Trent Tile Company, as designer and modeller, and afterward, in 1886, was instrumental in establishing the Providential Tile works, of Trenton, and designed many of their best works. He is an indefatigable worker and a prolific artist, his sculptures being characterized by exquisite con- ception and the most painstaking execution of details. i\mong the more important works of Prof. Broome are a marble bust of Dr. Ducachet, in a niche in St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia, executed in 1858 ; a semi-colossal marble bust of Washington in the Phila- delphia Club-house, Thirteenth and Walnut streets, made from the most authentic portraits in the same year ; and a ceramic bust of Hon. Joseph D. Bedle, New Jersey's Centennial Governor, now in the State Library at Trenton. ORNAMENTAL TILES. 375 THE CAMBRIDGE ART TILE WORKS were established at Covington, Kentucky, in March of 1887, by Messrs. A. W. Koch, F. W. Braunstein, and Heinrich Binz, all of Cincinnati, for the manufacture of enamelled and embossed tile, since which date the plant has been enlarged from year to year to accommodate the constantly increasing business. These works are produ- cing to-day an extensive line of high-grade art goods of vari- ous shapes for interior decoration — friezes, moulding, and 199. — "King Lear." mantel facings — ranging in size from one half inch square to six by eighteen inches. In addition to relief work for mantel and wall decoration, the intaglio treatment has also been employed to some extent, whereby photographs may be reproduced with good effect by filling in the depressions with colored glazes. Imitation mosaic work is also a spe- cialty of this factory. The glazes used on the various productions are remarkably free from crazing. From a large number of excellent designs we have 376 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. selected for illustration a six-inch head, representing King Lear, which was modelled by Mr. Clem. Barnhorn, who recently received the European scholarship offered by the Cincinnati Art School. 200. — "Winter." Modelled by Mersman. The principal designer and modeller for the works is Mr. Ferdinand Mersman, formerly connected with the Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati, who studied at the ORNAMENTAL TILES. 377 Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. One of his designs, a six- by eighteen-inch panel, representing Winter, is here figured, and of his more pretentious works we give an illustration of a ten-piece design entitled " Daughters of the Sea." THE MENLO PARK CERAMIC COMPANY was started at Menlo Park, N.J., in October, 1888, by Mr. J. T. Smith and Mr. Charles Volkmar, for the manufacture of art tiles and other interior ceramic decorations. Mr. Volkmar, who came from Baltimore, Md., springs from a family of artists. His father's reputation as a por- trait painter and restorer of pictures is well known, and his grandfather was an engraver of considerable prominence. The younger Volkmar began his art studies in his native city, and as early as 1859 attracted attention as an etcher of merit. Before reaching his majority he went to Paris and studied under Harpignies and others. Here he re- mained for a number of years, acquiring an enviable repu- tation as an animal and landscape painter in oils and water 378 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. colors, and his works were exhibited in several of the salons. During this period he became greatly interested in the Limoges method of underglaze painting in clay, and, entering a pottery in one of the suburbs of Paris, de- voted himself to the study of the various processes of manufacture, the composition of glazes, and the mysteries of the kiln. Later he became connected with other pot- teries, in the capacity of an ordinary workman, and in this manner acquired a knowledge of the art of underglaze decoration which could not have been obtained in any other way. Returning to America about 1878, he built a kiln at Greenpoint, Long Island, and subsequently another at Tremont, near New York City, where he began to make decorated tiles and art pottery. The " Volkmar faience" of that period was of the same character as the Haviland slip-decorated ware. In 1883 he produced a limited num- ber of so-called " barbotine " vases, decorated on plain surfaces or modelled in relief. His process differs from that in vogue elsewhere, in that the colors are applied to the thoroughly dried surface of the unbaked ware in- stead of to the moist or green clay, by which method he claims that he can obtain better results in the avoidance of unequal shrinkage of the body and the securing of greater brilliancy of effect. Recently Mr. Volkmar has been devoting himself to architectural work. One of the most important pieces of special work executed by him in the last two years is the interior decoration of the William Rockafeller man- sion at Tarrytown, N. Y., consisting of enamelled terra- cotta, or faience, in a vestibule with groined arches and ORNAMENTAL TILES. 379 loggia, the latter embellished with a five-foot frieze, heavy cornice, and panelled ceiling. This work was modelled after special designs of the architects, Messrs. Carrere and Hastings. The style of decoration is Italian Renaissance 202. — Portion of Five-Foot Frieze in Loggia of the rockafeller mansion, tarrytown, n. y. in high relief, the color of the enamel being in such per- fect harmony with the wainscoting of Tennessee marble that at a short distance no difference in shading is per- 3 8o' POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. ceptible. This terra-cotta body is white in color and of a somewhat sandy nature, fired hard, and covered with a glaze or enamel. Mr. Volkmar's method of decorating tile consists in the use of enamels instead of transparent glazes, which he is able to shade to the most delicate and subdued tints, to match any variety of marble, onyx, or other material. His "old gold" and "old ivory" are just now particularly popular for decorative purposes, to harmonize with the light furnishings which have recently been revived. Another peculiarity of his tiles is the employment of slightly relieved lines, to indicate the design, in place of high-relief effects, which are often decorated in two shades of the same color, or in two harmonious colors of low, broken shades. Some of Mr. Volkmar's tile work may be seen in the ceiling of the Boston Public Library, in light gray-blue coloring. In the Market and Fulton National Bank building, New York City, over eight thousand six-inch Volkmar tiles were used for wall decorations, in Roman- esque style, the color scheme being old ivory, pale blue, and light maroon. Mantel facings and hearths, with raised designs, of artistic conception, finished in old ivory and gold, have also been made by Mr. Volkmar for many of the residences of prominent people. Mr. Volkmar has taken steps to organize a new com- pany, which will be established in Menlo Park, to be known as the Volkmar Ceramic Company. The manu- facture of artistic tiling will be a specialty of the new ORNAMENTAL TILES. 38i establishment, as well as high-grade architectural clay work of every description. The Menlo Park Ceramic Works are still being operated by Mr. J. T. Smith. THE ROBERTSON ART TILE COMPANY was formed at Morrisville, Pa., opposite Trenton, N. J., in 1890, by Mr. G. W. Robertson, who had been assistant manager at the East Boston Pottery from 1865 to 1871, and for several years afterwards associated with his father and brothers, James Robertson & Sons, at the Chelsea 203 — Panel after the French. Robertson Art Tile Co. Keramic Art Works, Chelsea, Mass., and from 1878 to 1890 connected with the Low Art Tile W orks, of the same place. Morrisville was selected for the new venture by reason of its many natural advantages. The new factory was called the Chelsea Keramic Art Tile Works, and Mr. Robertson became general manager for the company. The business started with the manufacture of a fine grade of glazed brick, and for some time plain enamelled 382 PO TTER Y A ND POP CELA IN. wall tiles have been produced. The glazes and enamels are of most excellent quality and remarkably free from a tendency to craze, and the color scale possesses a wide range. A specialty is the manufacture of rough tiles with stucco finish for interior decoration. Recently some excellent etched and relief art tiles have been made, of which two six- by twelve-inch panels are here illustrated, one of which, in high relief, is a reproduction, probably, of a French design. The other, in low relief, was modelled by Mr. H. C. Robertson of Chelsea after one of Dore's illustrations of 2G4-PANEL MODELLED BY ^ F on ta j n e ' s fableS. H. C. Robertson after Dork. THE COLUMBIA ENCAUSTIC TILE COMPANY, of Anderson, Indiana, manufacture natural-gas burned tiles, their specialty being plain enamelled tiles. Inlaid floor tiles and, to some extent, embossed tiles for mantels and ornamental purposes are also made here. Of the latter some twelve-by thirty-inch panels are now under experiment. The officers of the company are Mr. B. O. Haugh, president, Mr. George Lilly, vice-president and treasurer, and Mr. Samuel Hughes, secretary. ORNAMENTAL TILES. 383 Some of their best six-inch designs are those with boy figures representing the seasons, and some children's heads. A mantel facing representing " The Return of the Swallows" is worthy of notice. THE C. PARDEE WORKS, of Perth Amboy, N. J., produce front, fire, and paving brick, salt-glazed sewer pipe, and, to a more limited ex- tent, floor and glazed tiling. Recently art tiles for wall decora- tion have been made here, the latter includ- ing some intaglio modelled heads of Emperor William, Ex- President Benjamin Harrison, President Grover Cleveland, and other celebrities. Seven tile kilns are now in operation and greater attention will hereafter be given to this branch of the business. Some supe- 1 1 -i 205. — The Wilkes Screw Tile Press. nor hand-painted underglaze tiles of pleasing designs have been produced by way of experiment and it is the intention of the man- POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. agement to commence the manufacture of printed under- glaze and overglaze goods in the near future. Recently these works commissioned Mr. W. W. Gallimore to exe- cute some new designs which are now being produced. In the manufacture of printed, inlaid, and relief tiles, America has advanced rapidly, but in the production of hand-painted art tiles she is sadly deficient. This is a branch of the art that must be developed through the in- fluence of our mechanical art schools, which are paving the way for an early revolution in the ceramic industry in the United States. Various tile machines have been designed for the man- ufacture of tiles from dust or semi-dry clay, but we are unable here to reproduce more than one. Illustration 205 shows a screw press, made by Mr. Peter Wilkes, of Trenton, for the Trent Tile Company, and will give an excellent idea of the principle on which the majority of such machines are operated. This forms tiles six inches to twelve inches square, the die being placed between the "push-up " and "plunger." It can also be used for mak- ing plates, oval dishes, and other wares. CHAPTER XVII. ARCHITECTURAL TERRA-COTTA. IT is interesting to note what the fifth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1815, contains relative to this subject : " Worlidge, and others after him, have endeavored to excite brick-makers to try their skill in making a new kind of brick, or a composition of clay and sand, whereof to form window-frames, chimney- pieces, door-cases, and the like. It is to be made in pieces, fashioned in molds, which, when burnt, may be set together with a fine red cement, and seem as one entire piece. The thing should seem feasible." And so we shall find that it was. Terra-cotta, the most enduring of all building mate- rials, has been used to a greater or lesser extent from a high antiquity in continental Europe, and in England terra-cotta trimmings were used in building as early as the fifteenth century. In the United States this material does not seem to have been introduced until after 1850. Ex- periments were made in this direction in 1853 by Mr. James Renwick, a prominent New York architect, but the innovation was not received with favor by builders. In 1870 the Chicago Terra-Cotta Company brought over 2 5 385 386 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. from England Mr. James Taylor, superintendent of the well known works which were established by Mr. J. M. Blashfield in 1858. By the introduction of the English methods, the Chicago establishment soon turned out better work than had been produced before in the United States. The Southern Terra-Cotta Works of Messrs. P. Pelle- grini and Z. Castleberry were established in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1871, for the manufacture of architectural and horticultural terra-cotta. Their red and buff garden vases and statuary are justly noted for excellence of design, and their architectural work, for exterior and interior decoration, is of a superior character. Some of their terra-cotta mantels, supported by female figures, and their fire-place and chimney panels are especially meritorious. The Perth Amboy Terra-Cotta Company, of Perth Amboy, N. J., was incorporated in 1879, ar| d at once em- barked in the manufacture of large designs for architec- tural purposes, from clay obtained in the neighborhood. The plant of this company has expanded so rapidly that at present it includes twenty-two kilns, some of them measuring forty-eight and one third feet in height by twenty-four and one sixth in diameter, which are among the largest of the kind on this continent, if not in the world. This company has in its employ a number of eminent artists in this particular line, and has furnished terra-cotta details for many prominent buildings throughout the country. Of these may be mentioned the Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine, Florida ; Biological Laboratory, 388 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Princeton College ; the Produce Exchange, Cotton Ex- change, Washington Market, Post Building, World Build- ing, Century Club, Racquet Club, Freundschaft Club, Tiffany House, and Mills Building, New York City ; Long Island Historical Building, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Penn- sylvania Railroad Station, Philadelphia, Pa. ; Iroquois Hotel, Buffalo, N. Y. ; Dearborn Station and Rialto Building, Chicago, 111. ; Hastings Hall, Boston, Mass. ; De Soto Hotel, Charleston, S. C. ; the Montgomery County Court House, Birmingham, Alabama ; Adams Express Company, Cincinnati and St. Louis ; and Masonic Hall, Trenton, N. J. In addition to the red and buff terra-cotta employed in brick structures, this company also manufactures a white terra-cotta which has been used in the Madison Square Garden, Imperial Hotel, Judge Building, Edison Building, New York City, and many other large edifices. The officers of this company are Mr. E. J. Hall, president, Mr. W. C. Hall, vice-president and Mr. G. P. Putnam, secretary and treasurer. The Winkle Terra-Cotta Company, of Cheltenham, St. Louis, Mo., commenced business in 1883. They manufacture a high grade of architectural terra-cotta in a variety of shades to match the different colors of building bricks. The officers are Mr. Joseph Winkle, president, Mr. Andrew Winkle, vice-president and Mr. John G. Hewitt, secretary and treasurer. The New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company, of which Mr. Walter Geer is president, was organized in the latter part of 1885, and the services of Mr. James 389 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Taylor were secured to superintend the works. On the ioth of May following, the first kiln of terra-cotta was burned, in the newly completed works at Long Island City, opposite 58th Street, New York. The main build- ing is 1 70 by 115 feet in extent, and six stories in height, and is built of brick and terra-cotta. In 1891 an addition, 95 by 80 feet, was erected in the rear, to accommodate the rapidly increasing business of the company. The twelve kilns are situated on the second floor and the walls ascend through the third, fourth, and fifth floors, thus helping to warm the apartments and fur- nishing surplus heat for drying the plastic work in the pressing and finishing depart- ments, which are lo- cated there. Designs for archi- tectural purposes are made usually in moulds, except in special work, then turned out on the floor of the drying- room, and, if requiring extra finish, or undercutting, are afterwards carved or modelled by hand. The larger designs are made in sections, of a size that can be con- veniently handled by two men. After being sufficiently dried, the pieces are placed in the kilns, where they remain about seven days in the burning and cooling processes. The Long Island City Works have furnished details 20S. — Bas-Relief in the St. Anthony Club- house, Philadelphia, Pa. Perth Amboy Terra-Cotta Company. ARCHITECTURAL TERRA-COTTA. 39 r for more than two thousand buildings, scattered through- out the principal cities of the Union. Among these may be mentioned the Mclntyre Building, Manhattan Athletic Club, Music Hall, Plaza Hotel, and Colonial Club, of New York City, and the Montauk Club of Brooklyn. The latter, designed by Mr. Francis H. Kimball, archi- tect, is an elaborate Venetian Gothic structure, in a com- bination of three colors. The terra-cotta is of a pure yellow, in surface ornamentation, upon a soft, brown ground, with columns of Indian red, the whole framed in a setting of bright buff brickwork. 209. — Military Panel, G. A. R. Memorial Hall, Wilkes Barre, Pa. New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company. A medallion portrait of J aim is an example of vigorous treatment in terra-cotta sculpture and is one of a set of three made for the Turn Hall, Trenton, N. J. The others are portraits of Goethe and Schiller. These heads, made of white terra-cotta, form a harmonious and pleasing con- trast with the light Pompeiian color of the brickwork, and the semi-glazed old-gold color of the adjacent terra- cotta. The New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company have lately produced a white terra-cotta which is said to 39- PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. be fully equal to the red in durability and hardness, which has been used recently in the rebuilding of Harrigan's Theatre and in the Fifth Avenue The- atre, New York. The effect is novel and pleasing. The latter is one of the best examples of the new develop- ment of white terra- cotta in New York. The color of the brickwork, which forms the ground, is lemon or pale yellow. The lower story is constructed of white marble from Vermont, and the effect is pecu- liarly appropriate in tone and richness of detail for a struc- ture devoted to the higher order of his- trionic amusement. In Illustration 210 may be seen one of a pair of panels in this theatre em- blematic of dancing and singing which are used in the 210. — Panel in Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York. N. Y. Architectural Terra-Cotta Co. ARCHITECTURAL TERRA-COTTA. 393 upper foyer windows. The experiments already made by this company and others in the production of a white terra-cotta have proved highly satisfactory, and it now seems only a question of time when the more perishable marble, as a building material, will be superseded by this more enduring substitute. The color of terra- cotta is governed by the character of the local clays used in its manufacture. Until recently the red brick used almost exclu- sively in the Eastern States necessitated the employment of blood-red terra-cotta, but since the low rates of freight have o of late years enabled our architects to use exten- sively different colored bricks from various locali- -M ties, the demand for other tints of terra-COtta has 211.— Panel in Residence of Mr. George Alfred Townsend, Gapland, Md. increased. It has been new York architectural ascertained that the color terra-cotta company. of the material has little relation to its strength or durability. The weather-resisting quality of burned clay is due to the presence of metallic oxides, which act as fluxes in the process of burning, thus cementing the parti- cles of silica and alumina together, the color being im- POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. parted by the predominating oxide. Iron produces red, manganese black or gray, and white calcium creates a buff or light tint. The entire absence of oxides results in a white body which is difficult to vitrify on account of the want of fluxes, hence it is not suited for a building material, but by the use of a good weather clay for the body and the application of a skin of fine white clay, the 212. — Works of the New York Architectural Tekra-Cotta Co., Long Island City, N. V. terra-cotta is made equally hard and durable, as the skin takes up enough of the flux from the main body to render it of an equal weather value without seriously affecting its purity of color. That the New York Architectural Terra- Cotta Company has succeeded in producing a material answering to these requirements is amply demonstrated in a specimen which is now before me, which is of a ARCHITECTURAL TERRA-CO TTA. 395 beautiful creamy whiteness, fine texture, and of the neces- sary hardness. The Boston Terra-Cotta Company, of Boston, Mass., manufacture architectural and decorative terra-cotta, also faience or glazed terra-cotta for interior and exterior em- bellishment. Probably the most notable work of the latter class thus far produced is the interior decoration of the cor- 213. — Medallion of General Winfield S. Scott. ridors of the Charlesgate and the Adams House of Boston. Of the many prominent buildings throughout the country for which architectural terra-cotta has been furnished by this company, the Barnum Institute of Science and History, of Bridgeport, Conn., may be mentioned as a fair example. This structure contains a frieze divided into panels repre- 396 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELA IN. senting the different epochs in the history of Bridgeport, with figures about half the size of life. Medallion busts of eminent men, of heroic size, are inserted between the panels, which are remarkable for their fidelity to nature. 214. — Floral Panel. Stephens, Armstrong, & Conkling. Those of the late Mr. P. T. Barnum, the donor of the building, and General Winfield S. Scott, are especially praiseworthy as examples of lifelike portrait-modelling. Messrs. Fiske, Coleman, & Co. are the managers of the ARCHITECTURAL TERRA-CO TTA. 397 Boston Terra-Cotta Company, as well as managers and agents of the Boston Fire-Brick Works, and associated with them are Messrs. Atwood & Grueby, in the produc- tion of architectural faience. In 1886 Messrs. Stephens & Leach started a factory for architectural terra-cotta in West Philadelphia, and later the firm name was changed to Stephens, Armstrong, & Conkling. During the six years of the works' existence they have furnished material for hundreds of important structures in Philadelphia and other cities, of which par- ticular mention may be made of panels and gable work in the library of the University of Pennsylvania, and the J Drexel Institute, West Phila- J delphia. A series of animal- I head medallions, in high re- 1 lief, are particularly excellent, and some bas-relief portraits of eminent men, modelled by such sculptors as H. T. J 215. — Medallion of Columbus. Ellicott, John Boyle, and E. N. Conkling, are among their best productions. A medallion of Columbus by Mr. Conkling, and a Cupid and floral panel by Thomas Robertson, are here repre- sented. Admirable work is also being produced by other establishments in Boston, Chicago, and most of our larger cities. The Indianapolis Terra-Cotta Company, located at Brightwood, Indiana, commenced business, under its 39§ POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. present management, in 1886. Mr. Benjamin D. Wal- cott is president and treasurer, Mr. William F. Stilz, vice-president, and Mr. Joseph Joiner, secretary and superintendent. The latter is a gentleman of large expe- rience in this field, and a highly qualified architect. 21C. — Finials. Indianapolis Terra-Cotta Company. The products of these works are architectural and horticultural terra-cotta, of excellent quality and work- manship. Since about 1880 the demand for architectural terra- cotta has rapidly increased, and to-day many manufactories are in operation in various parts of the country. CHAPTER XVIII. AMERICAN MARKS AND MONOGRAMS. ft /l ANY important facts pertaining to American pot- * " * tery and porcelain have been allowed to pass into oblivion for the want of a chronicler, and more than one erstwhile prominent pottery has been forgotten, and the unmarked wares, once celebrated, have seemingly disap- peared, without leaving a trace to show that they ever existed. We must be content with the bare information that certain products were manufactured by our ances- tors, who, when they passed away, carried the knowledge of their works with them. Who is there to-day that can identify a single piece of the white ware or " chiney " pro- duced at Burlington, N. J., in 1688? What collector can positively assert that he possesses a veritable example of the "tortoise-shell," or "green colour" ware made in 1769 at the Boston factory ? Where can be found an authenti- cated specimen from the China Manufactory which was turning out queensware in Philadelphia in the year 1800? In the older countries of the East, it has been the custom for centuries to place upon ceramic wares, which were considered worthy of preservation, distinguishing marks, monograms, or symbols, by which their origin 399 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. should be known for all time. Had such precaution been adopted by our earlier American potters, many a priceless gem would now grace our collections, for many a sus- pected rarity can be found in our private cabinets and public museums believed to be American, but, alas, un- authenticated. Before me stands a quaint old porcelain coffee-pot, embellished with bunches of hand-painted roses, which tradition assigns to the city of Penn pre- vious to the Revolution, yet we have no knowledge that polychrome decoration was practised in this country at that period. Here is a graceful teapot of somewhat simi- lar body, decorated with clusters of minute flowers in natural colors and bronze bands, bought of a dealer on the assurance that it, also, had been made in Philadelphia more than a century ago. On the other hand, unmarked pieces of undoubted genuineness have been handed down to us carefully from the time of our grandparents, and by means of these the ceramic student may hope to be enabled to penetrate the vail of uncertainty which surrounds others. Fortunately, we find now and then a specimen bearing a mark among the productions of discontinued factories of the present century. We can at least commence now to gather to- gether what is still to be procured from the past and to collect material for the history of the potter's art as it exists in America in our own time. Further delay would seem inexcusable, because it would result in the loss of information, which, while now obtainable, could not be procured a few years hence. No attempt has ever been made, so far as we know, to compile a list of marks and makers' designs on Ameri- MARKS AND MONOGRAMS. can wares. That which follows is, therefore, necessarily imperfect, but it will serve as a nucleus for the prepara- tion of a more complete one hereafter. It has not been deemed necessary to include all of the trade marks which occur on the ordinary utilitarian or commercial grades of recent wares, many of which appear in the body of this work. THE AMERICAN CHINA MANUFACTORY, PHILADELPHIA, PA. Mark used in 1828, painted in red, beneath the glaze. A porcelain lucioe* %s B\)!litvQ.. vase-shaped pitcher thus marked ^WAojd.et^Ai was presented to the Pennsylvania \%X% Museum in Fairmount Park, Phila- delphia, by Mr. Charles Henry Hart. Tucker % S-uulme t%2% Another mark used in the same year. Three decorated porcelain pitch- ers are known which bear this inscription, in red. In 1833 and 1834, after the i A a . factory had passed into the hands \ 3oI HempK*)) ° * ge J oseph Hem P hlll > thls \a POTTERY Co LA Mark used by D. & J. Hender- son of the Jersey City Pottery, about 1830. It occurs on a stone- ware " Toby Jug," impressed in the body. Mark used about 1840 by the American Pottery Co. of Jersey City, N. J. This occurs on a cream-colored water-pitcher, with black printed portrait of General William Henry Harrison, and picture of log-cabin. The mark is printed in black beneath the glaze. Mark used at Jersey City Pot- tery from 1840 to about 1845, impressed in the ware. Impressed mark used at Jer- sey City Pottery about 1840 and later. This is found on a many- sided pitcher with Toby head. POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. THE UNITED STATES POTTERY, BENNINGTON, VT. \Fenton'sWbr/cs;\ Bennington,) Vermont, Mark found on a few pieces of parian ware supposed to antedate the estab- lishment of the U. S. Pottery, Benning- ton, Vt. Letters impressed in a raised panel. Mark used at the United States Pottery of Lyman and Fenton, Bennington, Vt., on parian and porcelain about 1853. The letters and figures are im- pressed in a raised ribbon. The figure to the right varies on dif- ferent pieces and was probably the pattern number. ^ v ,Hto*f ^ IMAMIL FAT Mark used on Lyman & Fen- ton's Patent Flint Enamelled ware, in 1 849. Impressed. MARKS AND MONOGRAMS. POTTERY Go*^) V ^ Mark used on " scrodled " and other ware made at U. S. Pottery. Impressed. A.P.M.C? Mark of the American Porcelain Manu- facturing Co. of Gloucester, N. J., from 1854 to 1857. Impressed in the body of the ware. Impressed mark used on telegraph in- sulators, and probably porcelain, by the Southern Porcelain Company, of Kaolin, South Carolina, previous to, and at the commencement of, the Civil War. THE CHELSEA KERAMIC ART WORKS. CHELSEA KERAMIC AftTW0*K$ Chelsea (Mass.) Pottery of James Robertson and Sons. This mark was employed to some extent between 1875 an d 1880 and was impressed in the clay. g Stamped or impressed in art pottery made at KA the Chelsea Keramic Art Works of Robertson and Sons from 1875 t0 1889. Impressed mark used by the Chelsea Pot- tery, U. S., at Chelsea, Mass., on art wares, from 1 89 1. Hugh C. Robertson, manager. 406 PO TTER Y AND PORCELAIN. THE UNION PORCELAIN WORKS. U.P.W. I UNION PORCELAIN WORKS GREEN POINT, N.V. /umon\ /P0RC£lain\ 1 WORKS I First mark used by the Union Porcelain Works of Messrs. Thomas C. Smith & Sons, Greenpoint, Long Island, adoped 1876 and impressed in their commercial hard porcelain. In 1877 the same mark was printed in green under the glaze. Mark used by same factory since 1877, printed in green under the glaze, on commercial porcelain. In a few instances, this mark has been used in raised ornamental form on large exhibition pieces, as a tablet applied to the bottom of the ware. Decorating-shop mark used at the Union Porcelain Works since 1879 ! printed on decor- ated porcelain, usually in red, over the glaze. Decorating-shop mark adopted in August, 1 89 1 . GREENWOOD POTTERY COMPANY. Mark first used on the Greenwood Pottery art wares, at Trenton, N. J., about 1883 to 1886, printed in purple. The Nc Plus Ultra art pottery was copied from the Royal Worcester, having an ivory finish and raised gold decoration. The figures in the centre indicate the date of the establishment of this factory (1861), the design having been sug- gested by the Worcester mark. MARKS AND MONOGRAMS. Stamp used on hard porcelain body art ware, printed in purple beneath the glaze, from 1886 to the present time. A modification of the above, also used on art ware. THE NEW ENGLAND POTTERY CO., EAST BOSTON, MASS. N.E.P. Co- Mark used on ironstone china by Messrs. Thomas Gray and L. W. Clark, from 1878 to 1883. Bird stamp, New England Pot- tery Co., used on a special order of goods made by this company for a purchaser. Stamped or printed on plates, etc., in black, under the glaze. Used on stone china from 1883 to 1886. 4 o8 PO TTER Y AND POP CP LA IN. Printed in black on " C. C'orcream- ^Dcolored ware, under the glaze. R1ETI Printed in black, under the glaze, on stone china and white granite wares, since 1886. Printed in black, under the glaze, on " Rieti " ware, from 1886 to 1888. Printed in black, under the glaze, on colored bodies, denominated " Rieti" ware, from 1888 to 1889. Printed in red, above the glaze,on " Rieti " and the finer decorated wares, since 1889. ROOKWOOD. Mark used at the Rookwood Pot- tery, Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1880 to 1882, to a limited extent. This was designed by Mr. H. F. Farny, and printed on the ware in black, beneath MARKS AND MONOGRAMS. the glaze. In 1883 a small kiln mark was impressed in the ware made during that year. Mark used on a few pieces in 1882, impressed %\ in the clay. Special mark used only on a trade piece (large beer tankard with raised figures) made expressly for the Cincinnati Cooperage Company, in 1882. The letters are impressed on a raised ribbon. ROOK WOOD Employed on art pieces made from 1882 to 1886, the date being changed 1882. each year. Impressed in the clay. 5P Mark adopted in June, 1886, and used during the remainder of that year, impressed. In 1887 a flame point was placed above the % monogram to indicate that year, and one point has been added each year since, so that the date mark used on pieces made in 1893 possesses seven points. 5P PO T TER Y AND POP CP LA IN. c Cream-colored clay. R Red clay. W White clay. s Sage-green clay. Y Yellow clay. G Ginger-colored clay. O Olive clay. Body marks impressed in the clay. PHCENIXVILLE POTTERY. Mark used by Messrs. Griffen & Smith, at the Phcenixville (Pa.), Pot- tery, between 1880 and 1890, on majolica ware. Impressed. The central monogram was also used on majolica or C. C. ware, alone. It is com- posed of the letters G., S., & H., Griffen, Smith, & Hill. The words Etruscan Majolica were sometimes impressed in a straight line. Mark used on a peculiar vitrified porcelain body with underglaze color effects, the color, glaze, and body being thoroughly incorporated together ; made by Prof. Isaac Broome at Tren- MARKS AND MONOGRAMS. 411 ton, in 1880, on a throwing wheel. Only about one hun- dred small vases of this character were produced. These pieces, different from any other ware made in America, are scattered among collectors, and are highly prized for their beauty and rarity. This mark is an arbitrary one, being a modification of the sign of the planet Jupiter, and should not be confused with that used on old Plymouth (England) porcelain, which is somewhat similar. THE CHESAPEAKE POTTERY, BALTIMORE, MD. Mark used to some extent by Messrs. D. F. Haynes & Co., on their "Clifton" ware, belonging to the majolica family. Adopted before 1883. Used occasionally on " Avalon " ware, about same period. Used on " Ivory Body " ware, same time. Used on semi-porcelain ware. These marks, however, were employed only to a limited extent, the greater portion of the ware being unmarked. 4 1 2 POTTER Y AND PORCELAIN. "tRUNDEl. ARUNDEL. CtEN ROSE. 0|C Marks adopted in 1889 to designate the style of decoration and shape. They were printed over the glaze in the same colors as the decoration. The letters C. P. stand for Chesapeake Pottery ; H. B. for Haynes and Bennett. Other marks, with slight variations, were also used. Mark used at the Hampshire Pottery of J. S. Taft & Co., of Keene, N. H., printed in red above the glaze, on art ware of an opaque white body. THE CINCINNATI ART POTTERY. The earliest mark of the Cincinnati Art Pottery Co. was a little turtle. Later it was discovered that an Indian name for turtle was " Kezonta," which name was added to the device about 1886. The mark opposite was printed on the finer grades of ware, in red. Mark impressed on the plainer wares, such as the blue and white pottery for decorators. MARKS AND MONOGRAMS. 4i3 OTT & BREWER CO., TRENTON, N. J. Mark used on opaque china table ware. CHINA BELLEEK Mark used on fine egg-shell Bel- leek ware, printed in red above the glaze. st . ?. e. • Another mark in red or brown overglaze. Willets Manufacturing Co., Trenton, N. J. — Mark printed in red above the glaze, on decorated Belleek ware. CERAMIC ART CO. Overglaze stamp, printed on " Belleek ' ware, made by the Ceramic Art Co., of Trenton, N. J., in red, since 1889. Used on art ware of the Pauline Pottery Co. of Edgerton, Wis., since 1888. On the earlier productions this mark was impressed. On the later it is printed. v»ur ts 4 i4 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. Impressed mark used on underglaze art LONHUDA ware ma< ^ e by the Lonhuda Pottery Co., •rn Steubenville, Ohio, 1892. The lower mark jjg is the monogram L. P. Co. On some of the later pieces, after native American designs, the figure of an Indian's head is impressed. FMG Mark used on decorated faience and porcelain made by the Faience Manufactur- ing Co. of New York, 1886 to 1892. Incised mark used on majolica and so-called barbotine ware by the Faience Manufacturing Co. of New York. j03Tc^ Printed mark used on thin art porcelain of I c&na^ the American Art China Works, of Messrs. vgAft&P Rittenhouse, Evans, & Co., Trenton, N. J. Mark of Messrs. Morris & Willmore, Trenton, N. J., manufacturers of art wares, adopted in 1893. CHAPTER XIX. TILES FOR DECORATIVE EFFECT. NEXT to paintings, etchings, and engravings, nothing can be more effective for wall decoration than artis- tically modelled tiles, in which color and shading are replaced by contour. The tile designer combines the arts of the painter and the sculptor, and his ceramic creations, partaking both of the nature of pictures and of delicate carvings, are well deserving of a place among the objects of art which adorn the dwellings of the cultured. It is a remarkable fact that, while the art of tile making in this country is practically not more than fifteen years old, the United States to-day excels the world in the manufacture of relief figure tiles and tile panels. True it is that we have had the benefit of the skill and knowledge of some of the foremost modellers of Europe, who have come to our shores, but we have also developed a number of American sculptors, whose work, in this direction, has fully equalled the best that has yet been accomplished. Within the past year or so we have progressed with such marvellous rapidity in the mechanical, as well as the artis- tic, treatment of clays and glazes, that we are now able to produce tile panels of eighteen to thirty inches in length, 415 416 PO TTER Y AND FOR CELAIN. in a single piece, with almost the same facility with which it was possible formerly to make six-inch tiles. Many of these tile sculptures are genuine works of art, and should be displayed in a tasteful and appropriate manner. What we call taste is merely the ability to recognize that which is beautiful. We are endowed with what is commonly termed good or poor taste according to the de- gree of perfection to which this faculty has been developed. He who is said to possess poor taste is that one who is deficient in this perceptive faculty, and is therefore unable to appreciate the harmonious relation of conditions which constitute the beautiful. Fashion is often the perverter of taste, and fashions frequently change, but beauty is ever governed by fixed laws of nature. And so, when we see a beautiful picture in clay, modelled with the skill of a true artist, it is not a mere " matter of taste," or, in other words, a question of individual opinion as to the manner in which it shall be mounted to bring out its beauties the most effectively. We are too prone to accept the dictates of fashion in such matters, without regard to the suita- bility of contrasting materials, but experiment will often point out to us the path which leads to good taste. Thus custom has almost succeeded in convincing us that a glazed art tile, when used for decorative effect, should always be placed in a perishable, plush-covered frame, instead of in a light, graceful setting. Fashion might seek to persuade us that a fine oil painting would appear to the best advan- tage in a framework of incongruous velvet, but good taste could never be thus deceived. The coloring of the canvas requires the plain, rich contrast of the gilded frame. On TILES FOR DECORATIVE EFFECT 417 the other hand such a setting would prove unsuitable for tiles, except in rare instances, as where white or cream- colored designs are mounted in light openwork frames of £old. . We see in the window of one of the foremost art stores a modelled tile surrounded with a broad plush frame, decorated with brass mountings. The whole ap- pears stiff, dull, and unattractive. We place a similar panel in a light wooden frame of soft ivory white, deli- 217. — Light Blue Double Panel, Oxidized Silver Frame. Low Art Tile. Designed by Arthur Osborne. cately carved and pierced, and the surface at once lights up with life, and its beauties are fully revealed. The coloring of the glaze or enamel which covers the tile sculptures must largely govern the character of their setting. In general, dark-colored tiles should be framed in ivory white. Light-blue may be, with good effect, placed in wooden frames of oxidized silver, but in all cases the moulding should be chased or carved to produce the appearance of lightness. In some instances a border of delicately tinted silk plush may be inserted between the 27 4i8 PO TTER Y AND POP CELA IN. frame and picture, as, when the former is of old ivory and the latter of a cool gray color, a narrow line of pink or light terra-cotta may be added with excellent results. An ochre or burnt umber glaze will often harmonize with a terra-cotta moulding, but the ivory-colored frame will produce a dainty effect in combination with almost any tint of glazing. Beautiful as are the highly glazed and enamelled products of the tile kiln, they sometimes acquire an additional charm when subjected to the sand- blast process, which im- parts a softness and deli- cacy of effect to the sculptures not otherwise obtainable. The achieve- ment of a dull finished surface on decorative tiles is a distinct step forward in the direction of artistic treatment, just as the dull gold ornamentation of a porcelain vase is generally a vast improvement over the harsh burnished gilding which is so often suggestive of commercial cheapness. To this latter style of tile finish the judicious application of plush mountings would be more harmonious than to a glazed surface, and, in certain instances, as where a tile of a delicately tinted, velvety surface is framed in plush of a darker shade of the same color, a rich effect may be secured. 218. — " Sappho." Purplish-Gray Glaze, in Ivory Frame and Pink Plush Bor- der. Beaver Falls Art Tile Co. Designed by Prof. Isaac Broome. TILES FOR DECORATIVE EFFECT. 419 A six- by eighteen-inch pastoral panel, made by the Trent Tile Company, of Trenton, N. J., in their " Trent finish," is here figured. The glaze is of a dainty shade of claret, the frame of old ivory (111. 220). The framing of art tiles should be governed, in a large degree, by the subject of the design, and the same may be said of the tinting of the glazes employed. Panels symbolical of the four seasons should be colored, as a general rule, in keeping with the idea intended to be conveyed. Thus " Spring " should be finished in a delicate apple- green or apple-blossom pink ; " Summer " in azure blue ; " Autumn " in light red-brown or umber, and " Winter" in a dainty shade of French gray. Suitable frames for these tones of glazing are white or blue, oxidized silver with pink orna- mentation, dark terra-cotta, and pink, respectively. A set of twelve- by eighteen-inch "Season" panels, so finished, by the American Encaustic Tiling Company, of Zanes- ville, Ohio, and mounted in accordance with these sug- gestions, are among the most beautiful works of art in our collection. In hanging framed tiles, it would be well to choose subjects which are in keeping with the positions selected. 219. — Olive-Green Glaze in Old Ivory Setting. Low Art Tile. Designed by Osborne. POTTERY AND PORCELAIN, 220. — Pastoral Panel in Dull Finish. Glaze ok Pale Claret, Framed in Old Ivory. Trent Tile Company. Modelled by Gallimore. 221 —" Spring " Panel. Pale Apple-Green Glaze, Framed in Pinkish White. American Encaustic Tiling Co. Designed by Herman Mueller. TILES FOR DECORA TIVE EFFECT. 421 Ideal heads, modellings of child and female forms, and designs after paintings may with propriety be placed in the parlor ; portrait tiles and plastic sketches, in the library ; game and sporting tiles, in the dinine-room or hall ; while designs of a more general character, such as pastoral and season panels, may, with good taste, be hung in any part of the house. Art tiles may also be util- ized in other ways for interior decoration. A good effect may be obtained by attaching a set of three framed panels to the woodwork of the man- tel facing, a vertical design being hung or nailed on each side and a horizontal one across the top. When so utilized, the tile frames should harmonize, in material and carving, with the background. By thus applying aesthetic principles to the preparation of art tiles for interior decora- tion, incongruous combina- tions of colors and materials, which detract from the beauty of the objects themselves, are avoided and we have genuine works of art which are creditable alike to 222. — Three-Tile Panel — "Twi- light." Blue Glaze, Cream White Frame. United States Encaustic Tile Works. De- signed by Miss Ruth Winter- BOTHAM. 422 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. the modeller, the manufacturer, and the purchaser. Al- ready our tile-makers have produced many of these " pictures in clay," which, as examples of the fine arts, are worthy of a place in any home, and the rapid development of this branch of the ceramic art promises to furnish us, at an early day, with works of a still higher art value, which are destined in a great measure to replace the more expensive paintings and water-colors on the walls of our dwellings. CHAPTER XX. CONCLUDING REMARKS. THE history of pottery and porcelain in America, as presented in the foregoing pages, may be summed up briefly as follows : Building bricks were made in Virgin ia as early as 1 6 1 2. White ware was first manufactured in this country about 1684. * Clay tobacco-pipes of European design were probably first made in America in 1690. Terra-cotta roofing tiles were made in Pennsylvania previous to the year 1 740. Slip-decorated earthenware was fabricated in Pennsyl- vania as early as 1 760. The earliest attempt to manufacture white ware (and possibly porcelain) with underglaze decorations was made in Philadelphia in 1770. William Ellis Tucker, of Philadelphia, was the first to successfully produce hard porcelain, in the year 1825. The first Rockingham ware was made in the United States at East Liverpool, Ohio, by James Bennett in 1839. Transfer printing from engraved plates was first ap- 423 4 2 4 PO TTER Y AND POP CELAIN. plied to pottery in this country at the Jersey City Pottery previous to 1840. Parian ware was first produced at Bennington, Ver- mont, about the year 1846. Inlaid floor-tiles were made at the United States Pot- tery in Bennington in 1853. Pottery coat-buttons were manufactured at Norwalk, Connecticut, about the same time. Architectural terra-cotta was not made in the United States until about 1870. Ornamental relief tiles were not produced until after the Centennial Exposition. Belleek or egg-shell porcelain was first made in this country, at Trenton, in 1884. The Great Exhibition of 1876 marked the ceramic art movement which has since resulted in the wonderful development of the pottery industry in this country. For more than a century intelligent and public- spirited men and women in Europe have been interested in gathering together, from the four corners of the globe, examples of ceramic manufactures, which, above all other objects of human industry, have been instrumental in recording the history of nations, the customs and manners of peoples, and the artistic progress of races. Sovereigns and subjects have vied with each other in forming collec- tions of the quaint, the curious, the beautiful in art, as exemplified in the handiwork of the potter. In our own country no serious attempts were made in this direction by collectors until a comparatively recent period, and previous to 1876 but few private or public CONCLUDING REMARKS. 425 collections of potteries or porcelains could be found in the United States. Since the Philadelphia Exhibition, however, widespread interest has been awakened among students and collectors in the ceramic art, and to-day many valuable cabinets are to be found in the land filled with rare and costly examples of Old World skill. We have our specialists who confine themselves to the study of Oriental art ; our collectors of Grecian and Roman potteries ; our ceramists who are particularly interested in the wares of mediaeval Europe, of Sevres, of Wedgwood, and a few general collectors who cover the fictile arts of the world. The one fertile field, however, from which we may expect to reap the most abundant harvest, has thus far been neglected, although a step has been made in the right direction by one of our prominent public institutions, the Pennsylvania Museum, of Philadelphia, which has recently commenced the formation of a collec- tion of American wares to illustrate the history and development of the potter's art in the United States from the first settlement of the country to the present time, which shall serve as a permanent reference collection for the student and the artisan. The unreasonable prejudice which has heretofore existed against American ceramic production is rapidly disappearing as the discriminating public becomes more familiar with them. One of the foremost pottery concerns in this country, which was a few years ago forced to re- move its trade-mark from its goods, in order to insure their sale in the home market, has recently resumed the marking of its wares, because the people have discovered 426 POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. that they are fully equal, in every respect, to imported china of the same class. It has not been more than three or four years since a leading jewelry establishment in one of our large cities refused to handle the thin Belleek china made in Trenton, unless stamped with a foreign or misleading mark. To-day these wares are meeting with an extensive sale on their own merits and through the domestic marks which are placed upon them. Our potters are themselves largely responsible for the ignorance of the American public in respect to the progress which has been made in this country in ceramic manufac- ture. The inquirer is met at the outset by an almost in- surmountable difficulty in ascertaining where many of the best wares are to be procured. Some of the most meri- torious productions of prominent potteries are rarely seen on sale outside of their respective warerooms, and a search through the crockery shops of any of our cities will bear but scanty fruit in the discovery of American wares. Even in Trenton, the manufacturing centre for the finest Ameri- can goods, it is impossible to see the various manufactures of different establishments without visiting some thirty separate works. Not until a permanent bourse or ex- change shall be established, by a combination of the potters of this country, can the general public be fully educated to the knowledge that the best pottery and porcelain can be purchased at home. The petty jealousies which actuate many of our manufacturers must be over- come, and they must consent to enter into friendly rivalry before they can hope to successfully present their claims for popular favor. Every important city should have its CONCLUDING REMARKS. 427 exchange where the best wares from all sections can be congregated together for examination and comparison. Such a movement would benefit all of our potters and eventually result in the decreased consumption of im- ported goods and the large increase of exports. Another means of fostering, to some extent, our home manufactures would be the refusal to admit foreign-made wares to any of our exhibitions of decorative execution. Awards of merit should be confined to work done by our professionals and amateurs on American bodies. There is no reason for the selection of imported china by decorators when our own manufactories are producing wares for orna- mentation in sufficient variety and of equal, if not superior, excellence to any that are imported for this purpose. The possibilities of American art should appeal strongly to our art patrons, and our potters should receive the en- couragement which wealthy connoisseurs have heretofore confined to foreign factories. Where could their patronage be more worthily and profitably bestowed than upon the artistic conceptions of our manufacturers, which only need proper recognition to insure greater originality and a still higher order of merit ? We cannot but believe that it should be the duty of those high in authority in the National Government to give their support to this branch of our national industry. The un-American sentiment which actuates the ordering of a service of china from abroad for use in State cere- monies should be discountenanced by our patriotic citizens. We are fully capable of producing table services equal to the best that can be obtained from foreign factories, and « 428 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELAIN. our manufacturers are certainly entitled to official recogni- tion. It is gratifying to know that already some of our Chief Executives have patronized home manufactures by commissioning Americans to make special services for the White House, and the recent example of a cabinet officer selecting a dinner set for his own table from a Trenton factory, after considering many which were submitted in competition, is one which, we trust, may be extensively emulated in the future. Thus far our potters have been, in a great measure, imitative rather than inventive, and the result is that we have largely reproduced, though in a most creditable man- ner, patterns and designs, bodies, glazes, and decorations, of foreign factories. With some few exceptions, our commercial manufacturers have been content to copy and imitate the products of foreign establishments and have, in consequence, unconsciously assisted in perpetuating certain offences against good taste, as, for instance, in the continued production of the ancient style of table plates with depressed centres and horizontal borders, the modern use of individual salts, butters, and bread and butter plates rendering the plate rim no longer necessary. It should, therefore, be discarded as being obsolete and inelegant. The most convenient, useful, and graceful form of plate is that with the simple, sweeping, curved line, not made, how- ever, except by a few progressive English potters. Our producers have also yet to learn that modern table etiquette demands a reduction in the size of many pieces intended for family use. It is no longer necessary to make butter dishes and gravy boats large enough to CONCLUDING REMARKS. serve the purpose of vegetable dishes, nor the latter of a capacity sufficient for an ordinary soup tureen. The in- creasing refinement of our modern civilization rebels against the continued use of the capacious and clumsy utensils of pre-Centennial times. While the quality of our domestic table wares is not inferior to that of the foreign, the commercial element in design and workman- ship must be made secondary to the artistic before our manufacturers can expect the more cultured classes to abandon, to any great extent, the imported for domestic manufactures. We are progressing rapidly in the right direction, however, and some of the designs of a few of our more progressive potteries have been copied exten- sively by English and German factories. The modelling of pieces for services is receiving more careful attention, and underglaze decorations are gradually superseding the inappropriate and unsubstantial overglaze work in table ware. One of our acquaintances, who is greatly interested in American china, recently conceived the idea of giving a series of mid-day entertainments to her lady friends, which she christened " American Luncheons," for the reason that not only was the bill-of-fare distinctively Ameri- can, but the china ware used on the table was entirely of American manufacture. As this suggestion may be fol- lowed by others with profit, we subjoin a sample MENU. BLUE POINTS ON HALF-SHELL. {Oyster Plates of Mazarine Blue, made by the New England Pottery Co., East Boston, Mass.) POTTERY AND PORCELAIN. BOUILLON. (Two-handled, covered cups, Belleek ware, made by the Willets Manu- facturing Co., Trenton.) CREAMED SALMON. SARATOGA CHIPS. (Semi-Porcelain Plates, Clifton shape, underglaze blue " peony " deco- ration, made by the Chesapeake Pottery, Baltimore, Md.) BROILED QUAIL, CURRANT JELLY. (Semi-Porcelain Plates, underglaze Royal Blue decoration, made by International Pottery Co., Trenton.) SWEETBREAD PATES. (Fluted China Shells, made by International Pottery Co., Trenton.) BREADED LAMB CHOPS WITH MUSHROOMS. (Thin vitreous China Plates, made by the Greenwood Pottery Co., Trenton.) TOMATO SALAD. CHEESE AND WAFERS. (Thin China Plates, made by Knowles, Taylor, & Knowles, East Liverpool, O.) NESSELRODE PUDDING. (Ice-cream cups on platters of thin Belleek China, made by Ceramic Art Co., Trenton.) COFFEE. (After-Dinner Coffees of Egg-Shell China, made by the Ott & Brewer Co., Trenton.) At the four corners of the centre-piece were Cupid candelabra, made by the Ceramic Art Co., and in the centre an artistic jardiniere from the Burroughs and Mountford factory, of Trenton, containing ferns. On the table were faience almond-shells in underglaze decora- tion, from the Rookwood Pottery, Cincinnati, with salted CONCLUDING REMARKS. peanuts ; bonbonnieres in underglaze, triangular and heart- shaped, after the Japanese Kioto ware, made at the Pau- line Art Pottery, Edgerton, Wis. ; individual salts of pink Belleek, in the form of snail-shells, from the Etruria Pot- tery of Ott & Brewer ; bread and butter plates, from the Willets Manufacturing Co., and butter spreaders, with decorated china handles, made by the Ceramic Art Com- pany. Beside each guest was a delicate souvenir consist- ing of a china shell flower, holding sweet violets, from the American Art China Works of Trenton. No foreign productions could be more dainty and artistic than this combination of domestic wares, though selections from other American potteries could have been made with equally satisfactory results. Some of the most prominent ceramic artists and artisans of England, France, and Germany are now con- nected with our American manufactories, contributing their experience and skill in the elevation and improvement of the standards of our productions. The United States have also produced potters, designers, decorators, and modellers who stand in the front rank of progressive workers in this branch of industry, and the art schools and industrial institutions which have been established in many parts of the land are educating our youth in the practical arts, and preparing them for this new field of labor. It is to be hoped that, at no very distant day, a National School of Pottery and Porcelain may be insti- tuted, under the auspices of the Federal Government. The day is not far distant when the legends, " Made in England," " Made in France," or " Made in Germany " 43 2 PO TTER Y A ND FOR CELAIN. will not be necessary to insure the sale of ceramic pro- ductions in this country. On the contrary, we are rapidly approaching that time when the purchasing public will discriminate in favor of such wares as shall bear the marks of domestic manufactories, or the words " Made in the Un ited States. INDEX. Abbatt, Robert, 118 Abbott, Dr. C. C, 48, 342 Aboriginal pottery, 24 Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadel- phia, 42 Adams, Harvey, 325 Agnew, Wilton, 139 Akron, Ohio, 334 Akron Stoneware Agency, 334 Alabama war ship, 190 Albany, N. Y., 112 Albert ware, 17, 90 Albertine ware, 90 Allen, Yates, & Bennett, 305 Alpaugh & Magowan, 238 Alrich, John C, 359 American Art China Works, 241, 414, 431 American China Co., 240 American China Manufactory, 126, 154, 401 American Crockery Co., 305 American Encaustic Tiling Co., 353, 358, 360, 419, 420 American Institute, N. Y., 132, 194, 228 American Museum Natural History, 28 American Porcelain Manufacturing Co., 183, 405 American Pottery Co., 179, 403 American Pottery Manufacturing Co., 119, 121, 125 American Pottery Works, 209 American Stilt Works, 210 Anchor Pottery, 242 Anderson, Ind., 382 Anderson, James, Jr., 159 Anderson, Knowles, Taylor, & Co., 207 Architectural terra-cotta, 17, 385 ct seq. Armstrong, Robert Williams. 215 Armstrong, Stephens, & Conkling, 396, 397 Arsenal Pottery, 241 Artificial porcelain, 21 Associated Artists of Cincinnati, 284 Astbury & Maddock, 305 Atlanta, Ga., 306, 386 Atwood & Grueby, 397 Avon Pottery, 303 Bagaly & Ford, 165 Baggott, Samuel and William, 200, 210 Bailey, Joseph, 177, 278, 292, 293 Bainbridge, Edmund T., 157, 159 Baker, Jacob, 152 Baltimore, Md., 194, 320 Bands, Mr., 246 Barber, Enoch, 175 Barlow & Marsh, 240 ! Barnhorn, Clem., 376 Barnum, P. T., 396 Basten, John, 151 Batchelder, Mr., 172 Bates, Reuben, 159 Bath, S. C, 248, 249 Beach Pottery, 176, 177 Beach, R. B., 176, 177, 293 Beattie, Herbert W., 199 Beauchamp, Rev. W. M., 29 Beaver Falls, Pa., 333, 369 Beaver Falls Art Tile Works, 53, 369, 373, 4i8 I Bechtel, Abraham, 183 434 INDEX. Bechtel, Martin H., 183 Beck, A. B., 311 Beck, A. M., 319 Bedle, Hon. Joseph D., 374 Beerbower & Griffen, 268 Beerbower, L. B., & Co., 118 Bell, William, 159 Belleek ware, 20, 202, 215, 229, 233, 236 241, 242 Benjamin. Dr. Marcus, iv., 266, 303 Benjamin, Hon. S. G. W., 318 Bennett & Bros., 194, 199, 200 Bennett, Daniel, 194 Bennett, Edwin, 194, 197, 198, 322 Bennett, Edwin, Pottery Co., 196, 197 Bennett, Edwin H., 322 Bennett, E.' & W., 195, 196, 198 Bennett faience, 305 Bennett, Haynes &, 320, 329, 412 Bennett, James, 192, 194, 423 Bennett, John, 305-308 Bennett Pottery, 193 Bennett, William, 194 Bennett, Yates, & Allen, 305 Bennighof, Uhl, & Co., 319 Bennington, Vt., 104, 105, 156, 157, 165 etseq., 173-175, 181, 186, 187, 244, 245, 248 Berge, Benjamin, 85, 86 Bethlehem, Pa., 51 Big Stone Gap, Va., 177 Billingsley, William, 178 Binney & Ronaldson, 11 1 Binz, Heinrich, 375 Birch, William, 137 Bird-in-Hand, Pa., 51 Birmingham, Pa., 194 Bishop, Dr. J. Leander, 46 Black, William K., 272 Blakely, John S. and James, 201 Blakely, Woodward, & Co., 201 Bland, John B., 159 Blashfield, J. M., 348, 386 Bloor, Martin, & Co., 305 Bloor, Mr., 218 Bloor, Ott, & Booth, 215 Bloor, William, 208 Blountville C. H., Tenn., 177 Boch, Noah, 163 Boch, William, & Bro., 162, 164 Bockins, George, 183 Bodleian Library, 55 Bodley, E. F., & Co., 190 Bonnin, Gousse, 93, 97, 99 Booth Bros. & Odell, 308 Booth, Ott, & Bloor, 215 Booth, Richard, 201 Booth, Taylor, 292 Booth, Ward, 292 Boston Athenaeum, 101 Boston Fire-Brick Works, 397 Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 260-266 Boston Pottery Co., 334 Boston Terra-Cotta Co., 395, 397 Boulter, E. A. & A. L. , no Boulter, C. J., 108, no, 152 Bourg-la-Reine of Chelsea, 263 Bourne, Mr. 268 Bowman, O. O., 240 Bow Works, 61, 97 Boyce, A. J., 3 Boyce clay press, 2, 3 Boyle, John, 397 Bradshaw, George, 334 Brandywine Summit, Pa., 212 Braunstein, F. W., 375 Brewer, Hon. John Hart, iv., 215, 218- 220, 239 Brewer, Ott, & Co., 215-218, 233, 236, 242, 372, 413, 430, 431 Brick- and tile-making, 46 Brightwood, Ind., 397 British Museum, 65 Britton, Nathaniel E., 239 Brockmann, C. E. 274 Brockmann Pottery Co., 275 Brockmann, Tempest, & Co., 274 Bromley, John, 215 Bromley, William, 215, 216, 233, 236, 273, 274 Bromley, William, Jr., 215 Brooklyn, N. Y., 334 Broome, Prof. Isaac, iv., 53, 127, 220- 224, 362, 367, 370-372, 374, 4io, 418 Broomneld, Mr., 287 Brownfield, William, & Sons, 160 INDEX. 435 Browning, Abraham, 184 Brunt, Bloor, Martin, & Co., 305 Brunt, Henry, 196 Brunt, Henry, & Son, 210 Brunt, William, Son, & Co., 201 Bryan, William, 137 Buck, J. H., 108, 134 Buck, William J., 70 Bucknall & Stevenson, 158 Budd, James, 57 Budd, Mary, 58 Bullock, R. B., 191 Burd, Charles, 141 Bureau of Ethnology, 30, 45 Burford Bros., 210 Burgess & Co., 210 Burgess, William, 229 Burlington, N. J., 54, 55 Burroughs & Mountford Co., 223, 225, 430 Burton, McNicol, & Co., 210 Burton, William, 319 Callowhill, James, 368 Callowhill, Scott, 270, 331, 368, 369 Cambridge Art Tile Works, 287, 375 Cambridge, Mass., 88 Camden, N. J., 179 Campbell, J. A., 229 Carpenter, George W., 119 Carr & Clarke, 232 Carrere and Hastings, 379 Carr, James, 179, 180, 229 Carr, Morrison &, 179, 252 Cartlidge, Charles, 163, 164, 187 Cartlidge, Wm., 163 Cartwright Bros., 209 Cartwright, Croxall &, 210 Casseday, Samuel, 159, 161 Cassedy, John, 120 Casting, 10 Castleberry, Z., 386 Central New York Pottery, 113 Ceramic Art Co., 235, 237, 366, 413, 430, 431 Challinor, Wood &, 181 Chamberlain, William, 152 Chamberlin, Perly, 15*9 Champion, Richard, 63, 189 Chelsea Bourg-la-Reine, 263 Chelsea faience, 262 Chelsea Keramic Art Tile Works, 381 Chelsea Keramic Art Works, 260, 261, 264, 381, 405 Chelsea, Mass., 16, 260, 265, 347, 405 Chelsea Pottery, U. S., 267, 405 Chemical stoneware, 179 Cherokee Indians, 29, 62 Chesapeake Pottery, 320-328, 331, 411, 412, 430 Chetwynd, Cockson &, 209 Chetwynd, Joseph, 209 Chetwynd, Wallace &, 209 Chicago Terra-Cotta Co., 385 China, 19 China clays, 59 et seq., 191, 212 China for Confederate government, 190 China works, first in Phila., 91 et seq. Cibola, 41 Cincinnati, Ohio, 16, 273 et seq. Cincinnati Art Pottery Co., 299-303, 412 Cincinnati Art School, 376 Cincinnati Museum of Art, 276, 279, 281- 283, 288, 301, 302 Cincinnati Pottery Club, 276, 278, 284 Cincinnati, woman's work in, 275 Clark, Decius W., 166, 175, 187, 244 Clark, Fenton &, 244, 245 Clark, L. W., iv., 166, 170, 187, 244, 246, 407 Clarke, Edward, 229 Clarke, James, 335 Clarke, Robert, & Co., 293 Clay, Henry, 133, 134, 164 Clay, purifying potter's, I Cleveland, Mrs. Grover, 371 Cleveland, President Grover, 383 Clews, Henry, 161 Clews, James, 156-160 Cockson & Chetwynd, 209 Coleman, Fiske & Co., 396 Columbia Encaustic Tile Co., 382 Columbian Art Pottery, 242 Columbian Pottery, Philadelphia, 11 1 Columbus, 397 Confederate Government, 190, 250 43^ INDEX. Conkling, Armstrong, & Stephens, 396, 397 Conkling, E. N., 397 Connelly, Thomas, 228, 229 Cook, Chas. H., 239 Cook, Edward, 120 Cook, Elias, 239, 241 Cookworthy, Wm., 60, 61 Cooper, Charles, 60 Cooper, John J., 361 Cope, Gilbert, 54 Cope Pottery, 73 Cope, Thomas P., 137 Copeland, Thomas H., 245 Corlies, Brinton, 135 Cottage City, Mass., 335 Coughclough, John, 175 Coultry, P. L., & Co., 276, 299 Couture, Thomas, 346 Covington, Ky., 287, 375 Coxe, Dr. Daniel, 54-58 Coxon & Thompson, 238 Coxon, Jonathan, Sr., 235 Crackle ware, 19 Craddock, Charles, 309 Cranch, E. P., 90, 293-295 Cranch, Richard, 90 Cream-colored ware, 18 Crescent Pottery Co., 239 Crolius Pottery, 63 Crown Porcelain Works, 240 Crown Pottery Co., 319 Croxall tS: Cartwright, 210 Croxall, Jesse, 199 Croxall, John, 199 Croxall, John W. , & Sons, 199, 210 Croxall, Samuel, 199 Croxall, Thomas, 199 Crystal Palace Exhibition, 162, 163, 170, 180, 182 Cuddy, James McG., 157 Curtis, John, 104 Cushman, Charlotte, 255 Cushman, Paul, 112, 113 Cyclopedia of American Biography, 267 Daily, Haughwout &, 182, 183 Dale & Davis, 239 Dallas, Frederick, 274, 278, 293 Dallas Pottery, 285 Daly, Matt A., 293, 299 Danner, George H., 72, 91 Darragh, Thomas F., 343 Davies, Col. Thos. J., 189, 191, 248-250 Davis, Bishop, 189 Davis, Dale &, 239 Davis, Isaac, 305 Day, Alfred, 312, 336 Day, Miss Josephine, 263 Decoration, 13 Deetz, Thomas B., 74 Delaware Pottery, 228 Dengler, F. X., 261, 263 Dewey, O. C, 334 Dewey, Timothy, 118 Dillwyn, Lewis Weston, 156 Dixon, Alexander, 128, 139, 140 Dodd, Mrs. Wm., 277 Dominick, Mrs. George, 277 Donaghue, C. W., 242 Donaldson, W. B., 312 Dore, 263 Douglass, J. G., 359 Doulton & Co., 305-307 Doulton, H., 307 Doulton Works, 177 Drake, John C, 183 Dreer, Ferdinand J., 95, 137 Dresden Pottery Works, 209 Ducachet, Dr., 374 Duggan, F. A., 242 Duggan, Mr., 238 Du Halde, 61 Dummer, George, 118 Durell, Jonathan, 102 Dutch potters, 53 Dwight, John, 60 Eagle Pottery Works, 210 Early potting in America, 53 East Big Stone Gap, 177 East Boston Pottery, 381 East Liverpool, Ohio, 156, 161, 163, 192 etseq., 334 East Morrisania China Works, 164 East Trenton Pottery Co., 242 INDEX. 437 Edwards, James, 200 Eger, Hermann, 179 Eggers, Miss, 275 Egyptian Pottery Co., 242 Ellicott, H. J., 397 Ellis, Mrs. F. R., 277 Empire China Works, 162, 164, 304 Empire Pottery, 238 Enterprise Pottery Co., 228, 242 Equitable Pottery Co., 242 Etruria Pottery, 215, 223, 362, 372, 431 Edgerton, Wis., 332 Etting, Col. Frank M., 93 Evans, Lewis, 47 Evans, Rittenhouse &, 241, 414 Evansville, Ind., 319 Evil, Christian, 339 Eyre, Isaac, 69 Faience, 16 Faience Manufacturing Co., 313-319, 414 Falconer, J. M., 255 Farny, H. F., 408 Farrar, Wm. H., 186, 188 Fay, Charles, 228 Fell & Thropp Co., 239 Fenety, G. W., 262 Fenton & Clark, 244, 245 Fenton, Christopher Weber, 165-170 Fenton, Lyman &, 165, 174, 175, 404 Fenton, Norton &, 157, 165 Fenton's Works, 175, 404 Fillman, Michael, 84 Firing, 11 Fischer, B., 353 Fiske, Coleman, & Co., 396, Flemish stoneware, 114 Fletcher, Miss Clara, 277 "Flint Enamelled" ware, 166, 404 Flood, John, 139 Flushing, N. Y., 162 Ford, Bagaly &, 165 Forrest, Edwin, 254, 258 Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 98, 99, 107-109, 116, 118, 119, 121, 130, 131, 138, 148, 154, 165, 176, 194 Franzheim, Charles W., 334 Frederick, Charles, 152, 402 Freedley, Edwin T., 184 Frey, S. L., 112 Freytag, Daniel, 115 Frost, Mr., 201 Frost, Vodrey &, 157 Fry, Miss Laura A., 277, 282, 283, 337 Fry, Theophile, 166 Frye, Thomas, 59 Fulton, Robert, 132 Gallimore, Miss Flora, 366 Gallimore, Jesse, 366 Gallimore, Miss Marian, 366 Gallimore, Wm., 363, 366 Gallimore, Wm. W., 236, 363-366, 384, 420 Galloway & Graff, 272 Garvin, Wm., 159 Gast, Henry, 118 Gay Head Pottery, 335 Geer, Walter, 388 Gerard, Mr., 185 Germantown, Mass., 90 Gibble, John, 340 Gilchrist, John, 120 Glasgow Pottery, 213, 239 Globe Pottery Co., 210 Gloucester China works, 179, 183-185 Gloucester, N. J., 405 Goodwin Bros., 200, 333 Goodwin, John, 200 Goodwin, Taylor, & Co., 200 Goss, William Henry, 60, 215, 216, 365 Graff, Galloway &, 272 Graham, Charles, Chemical Pottery Works, 334 Gray, Jerome B., 341 Gray, Thomas, 245, 407 Greatbach, Daniel, 121, 124, 166, 170 Great Western Pottery Works, 210 Greeley, Horace, 170, 174 Green, Caleb S., 239 Greenpoint, N. Y., 253, 254, 276, 305, 313, 406 Greenwood Pottery Co., 163, 226, 227, 406, 407, 430 Griffen & Smith, 410 Griff en, Beerbower &, 268 438 INDEX. Griffen China Co., 270 Griffen, Love, & Co., 269 Griffen, Smith, & Co., 269 Griffen, Smith, & Hill, 268, 410 Grimly, Solomon, 50, 51 Grueby, Atwood &, 397 Gummere, Barker, 239 Haig, James, 116 Haig, Thomas, 116, 117 Hall, E. J., 388 Hall, F. H., 361 Hall, Henry D., 165 Hall, Dr. Isaac H., 181 Hall, S. C, 365 Hall, W. C, 388 Hallworth, Philip, 183, 185 Hamilton Road Pottery, 274, 282 Hampshire Pottery, 270, 271, 412 Hancock, Frederick, 156 Hancock, John, 156 Hancock, W. S., 239 Hand, William, 152, 185, 402 Hard paste, 20 Harker & Taylor, 208, 293 Harker, Benjamin, Sr., 199 Harker, George S., 199, 208 Harker Pottery Co., 199, 207 Harned, Thomas B., 152 Harper's Magazine, 284, 306 Harpignies, M., 377 Harris Manufacturing Co., 362, 374 Harrison, Ex-President Benjamin, 383 Harrison, Charles, 156 Harrison, John, 165 Harrison, Mrs. Joseph, 137 Harrison, Gen'l. Wm. Henry, 403 Harrison, W. H., 120 Hart, Charles Henry, gi, 128, 141, 401 Harvey, Isaac A., 201 Harvey, Moland, & Co., 272 Haugh, B. O., 382 Haughwout & Daily, 182, 183 Haynes & Bennett, 412 Haynes, Bennett, & Co., 320, 329 Haynes, David Francis, iv, 16, 320~322 j 326-330. 332 Haynes, D. F. & Co., 411 Haynes, Miss Fannie, 328, 329 Haynes, Walter, 320 Headman, Andrew, 86 Headman, Charles, 86, 87 Headman, Michael, 86 Hearne, Wm. L., 335 Hemphill, Judge Joseph, 133-135, 137, 138, 140-142, 144, 401 Hemphill, Robert Coleman, 135, 138 Hemphill, Mrs. R. C, 141, 142 Hemphill, Tucker &, 2, 109, no, 133, 134, 139, J 40, 142, 147, 153, 155, 254 Henderson, David, 120, 125 Henderson, D. & J., 119, 120, 403 Hendrickson, W. C, 242 Herbert, J. T., 208 Herbertsville, N. J., 106 Hernandez & Saloy, 313 Hewitt, John G., 388 Hews, Abraham, 88, 89 Hews, A. H„ 88 Hews, Horatio, 89 Heylyn, Edward, 59 Hildenbrand, Frederick, 82, 83 Hill. Dr. Asa. 181 Hill, Griffen, & Smith, 268, 410 Hinchco, Benjamin, 160, 161 Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 128 Hockessin, Del., 212 Hodgkin, Edith, 66 Hodgkin, John Eliot, F. S. A., 66 Hoge, John, 355, 356 Holabird, Miss Alice Belle, 277 Holmes, Prof. Wm. H., iv., 30, 32 Homer, William H., 245 Hoopes, Israel, 139 Horn, George L., 179 Horner & Shirley, 154 Horseman, Mr., 185 Houdayer, John F., 238 Houston, Bernard, 156 Hughes, Archbishop, 164 Hughes, Samuel, 382 Hulme, Thomas, 131 Hulme, Tucker &, 131, 140, 141, 401, 402 Hunter, W. H., 336 Huntington, Frank, 300 INDEX. 439 Husson, Appollinaire, 238 Husson, Edmund, 238 Hydrostatic press, 3 Hyzer & Lewellen, 343-345 Imperial Porcelain Works, 242 Indian pottery, 25 Indiana Pottery Co., 159, 192 Indianapolis, Ind., 359 Indianapolis Terra-Cotta Co., 397, 398 Industrial Pottery Works, 209 International Pottery, 208, 229, 231, 430 Ipsen, Widow, 89 Ironstone, 19 Isett, William A., 308 Jackson, Andrew, 131, 132 Jackson, W. H., 37 Jacob, John J., 157 Jacobus, Mrs. Pauline, 332 Jagou, Peter, 48 Jeffords, J. E., & Co., 251, 252, 366 Jennings, John S., 117 Jensen, J. L. , 164 Jersey City Pottery, 118, 122, 166, 192, 260, 403, 424 Jersey Porcelain and Earthenware Co., 118 Jesse Dean Decorating Co., 242 Jewitt, Llewellynn, 56, 59-61, 365 "Jigger," 5, 6 Johnson, Mrs. Moses, 139 Joiner, Joseph, 398 "Jolly," 5, 7 Jones, Joshua, 241 Jones, Josiah, 187 Jones, White, & McCurdy, 186 Kaolin, S. C, 175, 186, 189, 405 Keam, T. V., 38 Kearns, Anthony, 192, 194 Keene, N. H., 270, 271 Keller, George B., 183 Kelly, James E., 266, 267 Kendall family, 273 Keys, Samuel, 359 Kick-wheel, 5 Kilns, 10, 11 Kimball, Francis H., 391 Kimble, Warren, 242 King, Mrs. 191 Kline, Peter, 73 Klinker, Christian, 70 Knowles, Homer S., 202 Knowles, Isaac W. , 201 Knowles, Taylor, & Anderson Co., 207 Knowles, Taylor, & Knowles Co., 201 et seq., 310, 430 Knowles, Willis A., 202 Koch, A. W., 375 Kremer, Louis, 365 Kurth, Charles, 342 La Belle Pottery Co., 308 Lacey, Thomas, 69 Lacy, Israel, 212 La Fontaine, 263 Lambeth Pottery, 305-307 Landers, Jackson, 361 Langenbeck, Karl, 355 Lathe, potter's, 7 Laughlin Bros., 209 Laughlin, Homer, 209, 310, 334 Laughlin, Shakespeare, 310 Lawshe, Alfred, 363 Lawton, John, 175 Lawton, Mr., 185 Leach, Stephens &, 397 Leader, Benjamin V/., 368 Lee, Benjamin F., 363 Lee, Francis B., 57 Lee, John, 175 Lee, Joseph G. , 202 Lee, Pope &, 242 Leek, Wm. and Charles, 175 Lefebvre, Jules, 368 Leidy, John, 74-76 Leman, Johanes, 84 Lenox, Walter S., 235 Leonard, Mrs. E. G., 277, 284 Levigating mills, 269 Lewellen, Hyzer &, 343-345 Lewis, Jacob, 157, 159 Lewis Pottery Co., 157, 159 Lilly, George, 382 Lincoln Pottery Co., 229 44Q INDEX. Lippincott 's Magazine, 127 Lock, Mr., 185 Locker, Thomas, 179 Lockett, Frank, 164 Long, W. A., 336 Longworth, Joseph, 285 Lonhuda, 16 Lonhuda Pottery Co., 336, 414 Louisiana Porcelain Works, 313 Louisville, Ky., 156, 157 Love, Griffen, & Co., 269 Low art tiles, 417, 419 Low Art Tile Co., 346, 351 Low Art Tile Works, 347, 381 Low, Daniel, 271 Low, Hon. John, 346, 348 Low, John F., 348 Low, John G., 261, 262, 346, 352 Low, J. G. & J. F., 348 Lukens, Abel, 184 Lycett, Edward, iv., 122, 123, 183, 209, 314-319 Lycett, F., 319 Lycett, James, 105 Lycett, Joseph, 317, 319 Lycett, W., 123, 306, 319 Lyman, Alanson Potter, 165, 175, 176 Lyman & Fenton, 165, 174, 175, 404 Lyman, Fenton, & Park, 165 Lyon, W. W., 361 Machines, potter's, 3, 383, 384 Mackey, C. C, 139 Maddock, Astbury &, 305 Maddock, Thomas, 228 Magowan, Alpaugh &, 238 Maize, Adam, 339 Majolica, 14, 18, 241, 268, 270, 308, 314, 319, 323, 410, 411 Manigault, Dr. G. E., 188 Marks and monograms, 399 et seq. Marquis of Rockingham, 18 Marsh, Barlow &, 240 Marshall, Chief-Justice, 164 Marshall, Mrs. Thomas W., 145 Martha's Vineyard, 335 Martin, Brunt, Bloor, & Co., 305 Maryland Institute, 194 Mayer Pottery Co., 333 Mayer Pottery Manufacturing Co., 241 Mayer, Fred E., 330 Mayer, Joseph S., 241 McBirney, David, 215 McClellan, General, 372 McCormick, John D., 54, 104 McCourtney, J. R., 334 McCurdy, Jones, & White, 186 McDonald, W. P., 299 Mcllvaine, Mrs. William, 141 Mclntire, Mr., 184 McKinley, Gov. Wm., 207 McLaughlin, Miss M. Louise, 276-280, 283, 284 McLoyd, Charles, 35, 37 McNamee & Co., 191 McNicol, Burton & Co., 210 McNicol, H. A., 209 McNicol Pottery Co., 200 McPherson, Joseph, 240 McVay, DeWitt C, 363 Mead, Dr., 115 Meagher, Frederick, 245 Mear, Frederick, 156 Mear, Salt &, 201 Mease, Dr. James, 99, 100 Menlo Park Ceramic Co., 377-381 Mercer Pottery Co., 239 Meredith, Sir William, 61 Mersman, Ferdinand, 287, 376, 377 Meteyard, Miss Eliza, 61 Metropolitan Museum, N. Y., 125, 181 Miles, Thomas, 57 Milledgeville, Ga., 251 Miller, Abraham, 107-110, 343 Miller, Andrew, 107 Miller, J. Dickinson, 120 Miller, Prof. L. W., 330 Miller, Matthew, Jr., 183 Mitchell, H. R., 367 Mitchell, Hon. James T., 142, 143 Moland, Harvey, & Co., 272 Moore, Enoch and Thomas, 175 Moorhead, A. S., 259 Moorhead Clay works, 259 Moravians, 51, 338 Morgan, George, 151 INDEX. 441 Morgan, Joseph, 152, 402 Morgan, Matt, 303 Morley, George, & Son, 201 Morrison & Carr, 179, 252 Morris, George Anthony, 93, 97 Morris & Willmore, 414 Morris, W. T., 242 Morrisville, Pa., 381 Morse, Prof. Edward S., iv., 48 Moses, James, 239 Moses, John, 213-215, 239 Mound-builders' pottery, 31 Mould-making, 7 Mountford, Burroughs &, 223, 225, 430 Mountford, Rowe &, 209 Mueller, Herman, 354, 357, 358, 420 Midler, Karl, 254, 255 Mullowny, Capt. John, in, 112 Museum of Practical Geology, 65, 117 Muzzey, William M., 138 Nase, John, 79-81 Nash, Mr., 113 Nashville Art Pottery, 334 National Kaolin Co., 212 National Museum, 36 Natural porcelain, 21 Neesz, Johannes, 79 Negus, William S., 144 Nelson, William, 57 New England Pottery Co., 187, 244-249, 407, 408, 429 New Jersey Historical Society, 57 New Jersey Pottery Co., 239 New Orleans, 313 Newton, Miss Clara Chipman, 277, 280, 281, 284, 288 New York City Pottery, 180, 252 New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Co., 388, 391-394 Nichols, Mrs. M. L., 277-279, 285, 286, 288 North Cambridge, Mass., 88 Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, 116 Norton & Fenton, 157, 165 Norton, E. L., 104 Norton, John and William, 104 Norton, Julius, 165 Norwalk, Ct., 105, 106, 181 Norwich, Ct., 103 Novelty Pottery Works, 200, 210 Oberholtzer, Mrs. S. L., 103 O'Connell, Daniel, 124, 177 O'Connor, E. M., 210 Odell & Booth Bros., 308 Ohio Valley China Co., 311, 335 Old Bridge, N. J., 106 Oliphant & Co., 228 Onondaga Pottery Co., 333 Ormsby, Robert, 157 Osborne, Arthur, 350-352, 4 r 7, 419 Ott & Brewer Co., 215-218, 233, 236, 242, 372, 413, 43o, 43i Ott, Booth, & Bloor, 215 Owen, Hugh, 63 Owen Tile Co., 308 Palmer, Joseph C, 90 Pardee Works, The C, 383 Parian, 20, 166, 172, 173, 189, 220, 324 Paris granite, 19 Park Porcelain Works, 367 Park, Lyman, & Fenton, 165 Pate dure, 21 Pate tendre, 21 Pauline Pottery Co., 332, 413, 431 Paxson, Chief- Justice, 69 Paxson, Thomas, 69 Peale, Charles Wilson, 136 Pearson, Edward M., 308-311 Pearson, Edward & Son, 309 Peeler, Anson, 165, 187, 248, 249 Pegg, Daniel, 46 Pellegrini, P., 386 Pennington, John, 140 Pennsylvania Hist. Soc, 128 Pennsylvania Museum, 67, 71, 82, 88, 115, 125, 141, 147, 148, 174, 176, 185, 268, 291, 297, 303, 330, 367, 401, 425 Peoria, 111., 175, 244, 245 Perine, M., 154 Perine, T. P., 154 Perry, Mrs. Aaron F., 284, 306 Perry, Sanford S., 178 Perth Amboy, N. J., 383 442 INDEX. Perth Amboy Terra-Cotta Co., 386-390 Peyrau, A., 341 Philadelphia City Pottery, 251 Philadelphia Water Works, 129 Phillips, J. W. 245 Phillips, Moro, 178 Phoenixville, Pa., 267 Phcenixville Pottery, 267-269, 410 Phoenixville Pottery, Kaolin, and Fire- Brick Co., 267 Pickel, Baltes, 241 Picken, John, 361 Pies, Stephen, 175 Pipes, smoking, 28, 338 Pitman, Miss Agnes, 277, 284 Pitman, Benn, 275 Pittsburgh Encaustic Tile Co., 359 Pittsburgh, Pa., 194, 201 Plimpton, Mrs. C. A., 277, 281, 282 Plimpton, L. F., 283 Plot, Dr., 46 " Plungers," 3 Poole & Stockton, 242 Pope & Lee, 242 Porcelain, 19 Porcelain, artificial, 21 Porcelain, hard, 20, 126, 253 Porcelain, natural, 21 Porcelain, processes of firing hard, 258 Porcelain, soft, 20, 21 Porcher, Mrs. J. S., 189 Port Richmond Pottery Co., 251 Post, Henry, Jr., 118 Potter's clay, purifying, 1 Potters' Co-operative Co., 209 Potters' Supply Co., 207 Potter's wheel, 4 Preparation of clays, 1 Press, clay, 2 Pressing, 9 Priestman, James, 196, 324 Prime, Dr. William C, 325 Princeton College, 174, 334 Printing, transfer, 13, 120 Processes of manufacture, 1 , 8 Prospect Hill Pottery, 239 Prosser, Richard, 181, 348 Providential Tile Works, 270, 367, 374 Pruden, Mr., 117 Pueblo pottery, 35 Putnam, G. P., 173, 388 Quarll, Joseph S., 139, 140 Queen Charlotte, 16 Queensware, 16, 105 Quincy, Mass., 90 Randall, Edward, 57, 58 Ranney, Willis, 159 Rau, Robert, 51, 339 Rawlinson manuscripts, 55 Read, Alexander, 137 Reade, George, 364 " Rebekah " tea-pot, 195, 196 Reflets me'talliqties, 318 Reflets naere's, 318 Reiss, Wm. Sr., 183 Remmey, Henry, 64 Remmey, John, 63, 64 Remmey, John F., 64 Remmey, Joseph Henry, 63, 64 Remmey, Richard C, 64 Renwick, James, 385 Rice, Taplin, & Co., 5 Richards, J., 341 Rich Hill, Pa., 86 Richmond, A. G., 119, 120 Ridgway, 121, 163 Ridgway, J. & W., 161 Ridgway, William, 161, 162 Rigby, T., & Co., 200 Rittenhouse, Evans, & Co., 241, 414 Riverside Knob Manufacturing Co., 210 Robertson Art Tile Co., 381 Robertson, A. W., 260, 264 Robertson, A. W. & H. C, 260 Robertson & Co., 240 Robertson, G. W., 381 Robertson, Hugh C, 260, 262-264, 266, 267, 382, 405 Robertson, James, 260, 264 Robertson, James, & Sons, 260, 381, 405 Robertson, Thomas, 397 Robinson, James H., 369 Robitzek, D., 164 Roche, Young, Toland, &Co., 180 INDEX. 443 Rockafeller, William, 378, 379 Rockingham, Marquis of, 18 Rockingham ware, 18, 194, 195 Ronaldson, Binney &, in Roofing tiles, 48-52 Rookwood Pottery, 16, 177, 278, 284- 299> 303, 376, 408-410, 430 Rose, Mr., 302 Roundabout, N. J., 106 Rouse, John Owen, 122, 124, 125 Rowe & Mountford, 209 Rynex, John, 138 Saggers, 11 Saloy, Hernandez &, 313 Salt & Mear, 201 Salt, James, 156 Sampson Pottery Co., Tempest, Brock- mann &, 274 Sanders, John, 161 San ford, Charles R., 169 Sang-de-Boeuf of Chelsea, 264, 265 Sang-de-Chelsea, 265 Savery, Peleg B., 184 Sayreville, N. J., 106 Scharf, Mr., 184 Schreiber & Co., 267 Schreiber, W. A. H., 59 Scott, George, 274 Scott's Sons, George, 274 Scott, Gen. Winfield S., 395, 396 Scribjters Magazine, 267 Sears, Miss Kate B., 237 Sebring Bros. & Co., 209 Seebold, Philip, 339 Seixas, David G. , 115 Semi-porcelain, 19 Setley, George, 183 Seymour, Israel, 112, 156 Sgraffiato ware, 65 et sea., 402 Shaddinger, H. F., 73 Sheetz, Jacob, 184 Shepley & Smith, 178 Sherrard, R., jr., 312 Shirayamadani, Kataro, 293, 297 Shirley, Horner &, 154 Shirley, William W., 118 Sholl, Jacob, 83, 84, 402 Shultz, John H., 184 Sibley, G. B., 166, 173, 176 Silliman & Goodrich, 173 Simms, B. C, 208 Slip-decorated ware, 65 et sea. Slip kilns, 2 Slosson, Mrs. Annie Trumbull, 191 Smith, A. E., 106 Smith, C. H. L., 252 Smith, Esther, 69 Smith, Griffen, & Hill, 268, 410 Smith, Griffen &, 269, 410 Smith, Henry, 241 Smith, Horace J., 140 Smith, Joseph, 69, 70 Smith, J. T., 377, 381 Smith, Dr. Lettie A., 70 Smith, Shepley &, 178 Smith, Thomas, 70 Smith, Thomas C, 252-254, 276 Smith, Thomas C, & Sons, 406 Snow, Rev. F. E., 125, 175 Snyder, Gov., in Soft paste, 20, 21 Souderton, Pa., 75 South Amboy, N. J., 54, 57, 63, 106, 156, 179 Southern Porcelain Co., 186, 188, 189, 405 Southern Terra-Cotta Works, 386 South Kensington Museum, 65 South Norwalk, Ct., 175, 181 Southwark, Phila., 96, 97 Sparkes, Mr., 307 Speeler, Henry, 207, 208 Speeler, Taylor &, 211, 239 Speeler Works, 229 Spencer, Graham, 139 Spencer, Miss Mary, 277 Spiegel, Mrs. Amanda, 143 Spiegel, Isaac, 144, 152, 155 Spiegel, John, 155 Spring Mills, Pa., 259 Stanbery, George A., 353 Standard Pottery Co., 209 Star Encaustic Tile Co., 359 Staudacher, Lorenze, 180 Steele, John, 120 444 INDEX. Stephens, Armstrong, & Conkling,396,3g7 Stephens & Leach, 397 Stephens, James P., 226 Stephens, Tams & Co., 226 Steubenville, Ohio, 16, 336 Steubenville Pottery Co., 311-313 Stevens, Alexander H., 186 Stevenson, A., 158 Stevenson, Bucknall &, 158 Stickney, W. J., 163 Stiegel, Baron William Henry, 91 Stilz, William F., 398 Stockton, Poole &, 242 Stofflet, Henry, 73 Stoneware, 17, 63, 64, 105, 112-114, 116, 154, 156, 177, 173, 334 Storer, Mrs. Bellamy, 285, 286, 288, 296 Stout, Abraham or Isaac, 70 Sturgis, C. W., 340 Sturgis, Joseph, 340 Sturgis, Samuel, 340 Swan Hill Pottery, 179 Swartzlander, Miss Laura, 70 Swope, Jacob, 51, 339 Swope, Zuriel, 339 Syng, Phillip, 338 Syracuse, N. Y., 333 Taft, J. S. & Co., 270, 412 Tams, James, 226 Tams, Stephens, & Co., 226 Taplin, Rice, & Co., 5 Tarrytown, N. Y., 308 Tatham, John, 54, 56 Tatler Decorating Co., 242 Tatler, Elijah, 164 Taylor & Speeler, 211, 239 Taylor, Goodwin, & Co., 200 Taylor, Harker &. 208, 293 Taylor, James, 199, 208, 238, 386, 390 Taylor, Col. John N., 202, 206 Taylor, Knowles, & Anderson Co. , 207 Taylor, Knowles, & Knowles, 201 et seq., 3io, 430 Taylor, Robert Minton, 361 Taylor, W. W., iv., 288, 296, 298 Taylor, Zachary, 164 Temperance Hill Pottery, 178 Tempest, Brockmann, & Co., 274 Tempest, Brockmann, & Sampson Pottery Co., 274 Tempest, M. & N., 274 Terra-cotta, 17, 88, 272 Terra-cotta, architectural, 17, 385 etseq. Terry, James, 28, 29, 36, 68, 69, 73, 103, 104 Tests, porcelain, 20, 21 Thatcher, C. W. 104 Thomas, Mrs. F. S., 265 Thomas, Gabriel, 54 Thomas, R., & Sons, 210 Thompson, C. C, & Co., 208 Thompson, Coxon &, 238 Thompson, J. C., 208 Thompson, Josiah, 208 Thompson, Rockland, 138 Thropp, Fell & Co., 239 Thropp, Samuel E., 239 Throwing, 8 Throwing wheel, 4 Tile press, 383, 384 Tiles, hard porcelain, 256 Tiles, ornamental, 343 et seq. Tiles, roofing, 48-52 Trtigle, George, 120 Tittery, Joshua, 54 Tobacco pipes, 28, 338 Toft, Thomas and Ralph, 65 Toland, Young, Roche, & Co., 180 Tools, potter's, 3 Townsend, George Alfred, 393 Transfer printing, 13, 120 Trenton, N. J., 211 et seq., 362 Trenton China Co., 238, 335 Trenton Potteries Co. , 242 Trenton Pottery Co., 200, 238 Trenton Terra-Cotta Co., 240 Trent Tile Co., 362-365, 367, 374, 384, 419, 420 Trotter, Alexarder, in Troxel, Samuel, 78 Troy, Ind., 157, 158 Troy, N. Y., 112, 156 Troy on, M., 346 Trumbull- Prime Collection, 118, 143, 174, 334 INDEX. 445 Tucker & Hemphill, 2, log, no, 133, 134, 139, 140, 142, 147, 153, 155, 254 Tucker & Hulme, 131, 140, 141, 401, 402 Tucker, Benjamin, 127 Tucker, Thomas, 128, 130, 135, 137, 138, 145 Tucker, Mrs. Thomas, 146, 147, 149 Tucker, W. E., 133 Tucker, William Ellis, 126, 127, 130, 132, 133, 139, 140, 423 Turner, Nathaniel, 122, 125 Turning, 9 Tyler's Port, Pa., 79 Tyndale, Mrs. Annie C, 140, 164 Tyndale, Gen. Hector, 145, 165 Uhl, Pennighof, & Co., 319 Union Porcelain Works, 162, 164,252-258, 276, 406 Union Pottery Co., 241 United States Encaustic Tile Co., 359, 361, 421 United States Pottery, Bennington, Vt., 165, 173-176, 181, 186, 187, 244, 343, 404, 405, 424 Utica, N. Y., 113 Valentien, A. R., 291, 293 Van Briggle, A., 299 Van Wickle's Pottery, 106 Varick, John V. B., 120 Vaughan, Samuel, 123 Vickers, Thomas, John, and Paxson, 103 Vivian, M., 152, 402 Vodrey & Brother, 201 Vodrey & Frost, 157 Vodrey, Jabez, 161, 201 Vodrey, Woodward &, 201 Volkmar Ceramic Co., 380 Volkmar, Charles, 377, 378, 380 Walcott, Benjamin D., 398 Walker, Andrew Craig, 152, 402 Walker, F. W., 369, 370 Walker, George, 178 Wallace & Chetwynd, 209 Ward, John, 364 Warder, Richard, 338 Warwick China Co., 334 Washington, General, 123, 136, 137, 222, 254, 371, 374 Washington, Mrs., 222 Washington Pottery, Philadelphia, in, 112, 241 Way, Jacob, 140 Wayne, Maj.-Genl. Anthony, 136 Wayne, Col. Isaac, 136 Wayne, Hon. William, 136 Weber, Adam, 1 Webster, Daniel, 164 Wedgwood, John, 117 Wedgwood, Josiah, 16, 61, 62, 97, 156, 181 Weikel, Peter, 183 West Chester, Pa., 51, 144 West, Esther H., 140 West Philadelphia, Pa. , 397 West Troy, N. Y., 178 West Virginia China Co., 335 Weston, Mass., 88 Wetherill, John Price, 141 Wetherill, Mrs. Francis D., 141 Wetherill, Samuel P., 141 Wheat, George K., 308 Wheatley, Thomas J., 299, 300 Wheel, potter's, 4 Wheeler, L. D., 181 Wheeling Pottery Co., 308, 310, 334 Wheeling, W. Va., 308, 311, 334 White, Charles N., 113 White granite ware, 19 White, McCurdy, & Jones, 186 White, N. A., 113 White, Nicholas and William, 113 White, Noah, 113 White, William, 241 Whitehead, C. Louis, 369 Wilcox, Dr. S. R., 173 Wilkes, Peter, 5, 384 Willard, W. F., 335 Willets, Daniel, 232 Willets, Edmund R., 232 Willets, Joseph, 232 Willets Manufacturing Co., 232-235, 413, 430, 43i William, Emperor, 383 446 INDEX. Williams, J. S., 70 Willis, Mrs. Edward, 188, 189 Willmore, F. R., 242 Willmore, Morris &, 414 Wilson, Samuel, ifoi Wilson, William L., 259 Wilson's Landing, Va., 178 Winkle, Andrew, 388 Winkle, Joseph, 388 Winkle Terra-Cotta Co., 388 Winn, William, 58 Winterbotham, Miss Ruth M., 361, 362 421 Wintter & Co., 180 Wolfe, William, 177 Woman's work in Cincinnati, 275 Wood & Challinor, 181 Wood, Enoch, 175, 181, 182 Wood, John, 181 Wood, Thomas, 181 Woodbridge, N. J., 65 Woodward, Blakely, & Co., 201 Woodward & Vodrey, 201 Woolverton, John, 239 Woram, William, 182 Worcester, Mass., 157 Wylie, John, & Son, 210 Wyoming Historical and Geological So- ciety, 26 Yates, Bennett, & Allen, 305 Yellow ware, 18 Young, Roche, Toland, & Co., 180 Young, William, & Sons, 232 Zanesville, Ohio, 353 Zell, Miss Hannah A., 174 I Zorn, Charles, 339 THE KN0WLES, TAYL0R & KN0WLES & East Liverpool, 0\)\o MANUFACTURES, BESIDES ITS PRODUCTIONS OF WHITE GRANITE and VITRE0US H0TEL CHINA (SOLD EITHER PLAIN OR DECORATED) A VERY SUPERIOR GRADE OF ART $gk CHINA UNDER THE NAME OF LOTUS WARE This ware is adapted to the requirements of amateur or pro- fessional decorators, and may be obtained usually through first-class Crockery Dealers. It is of a variety peculiar to itself ; very pure and translucent in character, having a beautiful, soft, transparent glaze. It is made in artistic shapes, designed for practical utility. Ask your dealer for, and insist upon getting L0TUS WARE international J>otter£ Co. TRENTON, N.J. flDanufacturera of Burgess anb Campbell's Celebrate d = IRo^al Blue porcelain = Our Royal Blue Porcelain decorated in under- glazed colors has been fitly described as the finest production of the American Potter's Art. Unsuccessful efforts have been made in this country to imitate it, and our patterns have been copied by foreign manufacturers, but all lack the richness of color and attractiveness of the original. The Staffordshire (Eng.) Sentinel refers to " this exceptional richness of color as rivalling that of the Queen's Sevres Vases." We call attention to our rich effects in Decorated Toilet Ware. More especially our raised gold work upon a background of vellum color, to match the most delicate tints in wall decoration or hangings, samples of which will enable us to decorate Chamber Sets to any special order. We invite the most critical inspection. Trade Mark ROYAL BLUE g q PORCELAIN ESTABLISHED 1846 DWI N BENNETT : : POTTERY CO. Edwin Bennett PRES. & TREAS. Henry Brunt MANAGER Jos. L. Sullivan SECY. BALTIMORE MD. MANUFACTURERS OF Fine Opaque China, Decorated Toilet, Dinner, and Teaware, Colored Glazed Jardinieres : : and other specialties Japan in Hrt ano Ifnoustq? WITH A GLANCE AT JAPANESE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF FELIX REGAMEY, BY M. FRENCH- SHELDON AND ELI LEMON-SHELDON. 12MO, WITH IOO DESIGNS BY THE AUTHOR $1.75 This work will be found to include, among other subjects, chapters on Woodwork, Metal-work, Ceramics, Textile Fabrics, Lacquer, and the Graphic Arts. " It abounds in instruction, brief, precise, and decisive, on the crafts, industries, conditions of labor, and processes of manufacture. . . . His pen is vivid, alert, and picturesque. On the other hand his drawings have so much verve and so much character that they might almost suffice of themselves and might be said to be speak- ing. Text and drawings thus form an ensemble of a very unique value, as agreeable as truly practical." — Extract from the Report of the Societe de Ge'ographie Commerciale de Paris. G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK 27 West Twenty-third Street LONDON 24 Bedford Street, Strand The Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati has its history told in some pages of this volume. Its future will interest all those who recognize its present unique position. It will continue to work out the ideas upon which its success has been established, and these ideas are to give the freest play to individual artistic expression through methods which stamp a consistent character upon the entire production. The results will be seen in increasing technical excellence, and in the gradual introduction of new styles, but above all, the aim will be a high artistic quality. The possibilities of Rookwood have been indicated, but in every department work is going on which should show in time an attainment far beyond the present. IS? GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 3 3125 00726 9406