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LIBRARY | Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. U. of I. Library Ee 4 SUN 26 1942 Brio 8 | 27 1945 MAR 138 [a ia i 7 an a | i | | | | aay 9S 1965 17625-5 SHOR ask ANE tn BS P (HE POTTER’S WHEEL. AND a 4 | Sa HOW IT GOES AROUND, A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY IN AMERICA. PUBLISHED: BY | BURROUGHS & MOUNTFORD, TRENTON, N. J. min de EE DEEBION,:°10,000% COPLES. Copyrighted by ¥ . BURROUGHS & MOUNTFORI Trenton, N.J : ; . . - - ~ i i < ‘ ‘ 4 A Ae { é ‘ : a ‘ \ . 4 x J $f Ne . ’ > « : 4 it ' ; - PRESS OF hg G . “CROCKERY & GLASS JOURNAL, | se ee NEW YORK. AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, ' HOSE THRIFT IS THE BULWARK OF THE YOUNG REPUBLIC, AND WHOSE PURE Be IS THE BEST GIFT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS, THIS LITTLE 1 VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY “THE. AUTHOR. ” VITH GOOD WISHES OF BURROUGHS & MOUNTFORD, TRENTON, N. J. er PREFACE. Preemwiay happen that this little volume will fall into the hands of the practical potter and the professional decorator of china, either or both of whom may be greatly disappointed in finding nothing in its pages which adds an iota to their present stock of information en the art of potting. The book was not written for that purpose, as its dedication will indicate, but is rather intended to convey to ten thousand women of the New World an idea of the manner in which their plates and dishes are made. To do this it has been deemed necessary to describe the processes in the plainest and most simple English at our command; avoiding all technical terms or historical references which might confuse the reader. The most caustic critic can only attack its very simplicity, and for that the author makes no apology. THE AUTHOR. WANGdae IN’ I Ss CHAPTER L THE CRASH, : CHARTER Il. IN THE MIXING Room, CHAPTER IIL MopELING AND MOLD MAKING, CHAPTER. LV; MAKING THE DISH, ate CHAPTER V. THE THROWER, : ; CHAPTER VI. FROM THE GREEN ROOM TO THE KILN, CHAPTER VIL. GLAZING AND FIRING THE GLAZE, CHAPTER VIII. DRAWING THE GLOST KILN AND DECORATING, ORE St) Pe nan 4 ~ rac®, ’ é bee ae ; fed . Py ‘ a7 - a” * { 7F Re . Ve ; ' of “ r 7 ra n “4 - + 4 ," 9 ‘ ° ated s a i 4 t } ‘ 4 f Ke s > 7 i ents 5 . - 4 ‘ - ir ‘ ‘ 5 r ¢ ; ' olny x é ef “4 Bor og ARE area le es oS al OINAAs a NLT? Se AAR RAR ERANCR Moana 5. es baal Tore SS IE apni? ptr ietmwcpain 0? mist OFS LELUSPRAVIONS. THe CLAY PRESS, . ; ‘ r pi THE PRESSER, ‘ : F ; ; : THE THROWER, : ; ; ’ : THE TURNER, : ; ‘ ; : 5 THE GREEN RooM, ; : : : - SECTION OF SAGGER, ; : : : SaGGER MAKER. : : : : P PLACING IN SAGGERS, : THE Door OF THE KILN, : ; A DIPPING THE WARE IN THE GLAZE, . ', ; ‘ THE GLOST WAREROOM, : ? THE DECORATORS AT FOOTBALL. ee : ; First FLoor oF DECORATING SHOP, : : 7 SECOND FLOOR OF DECORATING SHOP, ’ aoe ‘ PRINTING AND TRANSFERRING, , 2 , SHOWROOM FOR DECORATED WARE, a: ‘ ; ee COPTER Se WHEE, CHAP TERY: THE CRASH. ‘“‘MERCY onus! What’s that?’ * The person who gave utterance to the above interrogative exclamation was a woman of the most approved American type, just rounding into middle life, with all of that charming serenity and repose of manner that marks the prudent house- wife, The person to whom it was addressed was similar in appearance to the first speaker, with the exception of a marked difference in age, and the absence of a full mourning costume. That they were sisters no one could doubt, and it was also evi- dent that they were sustaining a household between them for their mutual benefit, getting as much comfort as possible out of a moderate income by the exercise of care- ful, but not by any means penurious, economy. The younger sister, who was a cool, matter-of-fact individual, raised her head from the writing table where she sat, and said : “Well, Mary, it sounds very much as though Ellen was smashing up all of our dishes.” Mrs. Kane looked at her sister for an instant; then listened for further sounds of destruction to come from the kitchen. Assured by the quiet that succeeded the crash, she went to the kitchen door and pushed it open, Before her was a tableaux that made her weep on one side of her face and laugh on theother. The best. portion of her choicest dinner service lay on the floor in a confused mass of jagged pieces. In front of it stood Ellen, the maid-of-all-work, with her usually rotund face as long as the law of Moses and as pallid as if she had been shot at and missed. ‘*Goodness! Ellen, how did you come to do it ?” asked Mrs. Kane. ‘‘Indade, ma’am,” Ellen began, ‘‘I didn’t come to doit at all. Sure, I wouldn’t sy THE POTTER’S WHEEL. be comin’ annywhere to smash chiney. Yez can see fer yersilf, ma’am, that it was _ the little rigamajig of a patent table that is no good at allthat doubled up like a man hit wid a club, and down goes me beautiful dishes to smash; and yersilf could be no } more sorry nor I, ma’am.”’ | During this colloquy between mistress and servant Anna Parmly, the younger sister, stood in the doorway gazing at the wreck, her only thought being that of making an extra effort to replace what was lost without drawing upon their mutual income. Mrs. Kane directed Ellen to gather up the fragments, then turned with her sister to go into the sitting room from which they had been summoned by the dismal crash. ; Next to.a_case.of illness in the family there is no event that casts deeper shadows of gloom than the destruction of one’s favorite china. Mrs. Kane and her sister were not exceptions to womankind in general, and although they resigned themselves to a philosophical view of the accident, yet they could not restrain their feelings, which found vent in sorrowful expressions and womanly ‘mprecations on the head cf the man who sold them the folding table that proved so treacherous. As a final load on her own crushed spirits Mrs, Kane lugubriously said : ‘*T suppose it will take an awful lot of money to replace that service, and china is very expensive.” | ‘‘ Never was cheaper,” was the laconic remark in a baritone voice that came from the recesses of the bay window, where a well-built man of thirty-five years sat poring © over the figures of an engineer’s field-book. This was John Parmly, a cousin of the sisters, who was making his temporary home with them during the construction of a. new line of railroad under his supervision which was then being built through their little town, a pretty inland resting place about two hours’ ride by rail from the great metropolis of New York. ‘Never was cheaper, my dear cousin, since the day you were born.” ‘‘ How do you make that out, John?” asked Anna Parmly. “Very easily,” was the reply, ‘‘ When Mary was born the pottery adusteyn in the United States was so small that it failed to establish its own importance as a branch | of the national trade. But shortly after she was born an effort was made by those who had come to the country from England to start in business for themselves to advance the art to such a position that it would become recognized as an ‘important feature of industrial life in this country. When the civil war broke out in 1861 there were one or two small potteries'in operation in Trenton, N. J. The exigencies of war de-— mand an import duty on all imported articles, and as crockery had been one of them, and I may say an important one, it was included among the protected articles of manufacture. This course of action resulted in stimulating the pottery business in this country to such an extent that pottery after pottery was erected in that city, until now there are twenty-three in all. Thousands of dollars have been in- vested and lost in the effort to establish the pottery business firmly on this side of the Atlantic, and thousands of technical difficulties had to be overcome before perfection of results could be accomplished, for of all manufacturing under the | THE CRASH. ‘a sun that of the potter is the most difficult and uncertain. You have only to read the lives of famous potters to convince you of this fact. During the progress of the war the potters who were then in business worked under the least favorable conditions as to the development of materials and labor, and in selling their goods they established a price-list which has been in force for twenty-five years, with a few exceptional changes, from which they made a reduction of twen- ty-five per cent. Within that time they have improved their facilities for working the clays and added so largely to their productive capacity that they are enabled to sell better—yes, far better—goods for less money than ever before, forty per cent. being the minimum discount. Competition among the different manufacturers in Trenton has been the principal cause of this great reduction in prices and remark- able improvement in the quality of the goods made by them. In fact, the shapes, designs and general finish of their goods are so much superior to those which they made twenty years ago that the wares of the two periods seem as if they were made in different countries.” if :* Well,” said Anna, ‘‘I’d like to know what special difficulty there is in taking a piece of clay and making a dish out of it.” ‘““So would I,” said Mrs: Kane. ‘‘ Would you?” queried Mr. Parmly, ironically. ‘‘ Well, it may interest you to know that an ordinary white plate, such as your Ellen just smashed up for you, has to go through from thirty to thirty-five different handlings and operations before the crude clay becomes a finished plate, and that it requires expensive ma- chinery, appliances, and high-priced labor, all to be secured and tried before a mas- ter potter can consider his business really begun; and the worst of it is that thou- sands of dollars’ worth of it may be put through thirty-four of these processes only to be lost in the thirty-fifth.” “Indeed !” said Anna, who was becoming thoroughly interested in her cousin's narrative. ‘‘I don’t see how that can be.”’ ‘Tt is true, though,” said Mr. Parmly, ‘‘ because the last thing that is done with pottery of any kind is to pass it through an intense heat, and heat, which is essen- tial to the perfection of porcelain, is sometimes fatal to it, in spite of all the skill of the potter. Now, let us have surcease of sorrow about these broken dishes, and as soon as I have finished my preparations for this week’s work we will all go to Trenton, where we may see the operation of potting, or making dishes, as you call it; and when you have gone through a pottery I venture to say that your present Cistress arising from smashed dishes will vanish in a higher appreciation of the potter's art. Now, I have an acquaintance at one of the potteries in Trenton, and Lam certain that the gentleman in charge there will be pleased to show us through the factory, and as it is one of the leading establishments we will be able to see and examine all of the improved methods that ‘have been applied to modern potting.” “<<'That is where they make the plates and dishes, isn’t it?” said Anna. * Well, I’d ‘like to see that, of course; but what I would like to see more particularly is the pro- a ae Sb oe cess of decorating as it i is done ina pottery. Do Bip eh eee, . make them ?” | , Riteame ae ft ie . ; et Certainly,” gaid John, ‘‘and that branch of the ar is quite : as il CSE making. T want you to see how potting is done, so that you will pee tire process from the mixing of the clay to the finished piece.” — ‘Ge Both ladies expressed the great pleasure and delight with “whic their cousin’s proposition, and Anaa Parmly declared that ‘the Crest especial interest to her inasmuch as she might then “‘see how they do ok elegant grounds of color which some of the girls in our panes cle puzaling Ae Penile over.” . x . . “¥) 4 ee. IN THE MIXING ROOM. 15 LAr TTR: t0 IN THE MIXING ROOM. WHEN the day arrived for John Parmly to fulfil the pleasurable anticipations of his cousins by taking them to see the pottery establishment in Trenton he announced to them his readiness, and added that he felt some misgivings in promising so much when there was a probability of their expectations having been raised so high that they might possibly be disappointed. ** But,” said he, ‘‘ 1 have some consolation in knowing that no matter how much you may be disappointed in the general processes of pottery, there is one point of ab- sorbing interest to everybody, and you will come away wondering, just as everyone else does.” ‘‘ What is this wonderful part of the process ?” asked Anna. ‘‘ The thrower,” said John; ‘‘and when you see him at his wheel you will see the true art of potting as it was practised when the Egyptians pictured the thrower and his wheel on the Beni Hassan tombs four thousand years ago,’’ _ John Parmly delivered this reassuring speech to his cousins for the reason that he knew the first place he would have to take them to make a perfect inspection of ) the work would be to the cellar, where the clays are prepared, and he wanted them to feel as though there was something of interest in store for them as they got deeper into the mysteries of this apparently simple art. But his fears had ‘‘o’erleapt” themselves, for the clay cellar is far from being a dull andclammy region—at least, so the practical Anna declared after she had made ner matter-of-fact investigation of it. | The morning on which they started was that of a bright, cheerful day in June, and after what seemed a very brief journey through the hills and dales of New Jer- sey they approached the city of jugs and jars, which they easily recognized by the numbers of conical-shaped structures they saw from the car windows, which John explained were the kilns, or ovens, as they are called in England. After alighting from the train they walked through a deeply-shaded avenue until they came upon a large cluster of factories standing together, from each of which there were numbers of brick beehives projecting above the roofs around them, John Parmly singled out of tais cluster the Eagle Pottery, toward which they directed their steps. Upon 16 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. arriving at the oitice of the works the party were graciously reseed by Mr. Mount: ford, of the firm of Burroughs & Mountford, the proprietors, who, instead. of dele- gating a subordinate to escort them through the works, kindly volunteered to take is them under his own special direction. Mr. Mountford then guided the party toa stair . way leading to the lower floor of ‘the building, down which they felt their way to the clay cellar. On one side of the rcom there were great bins filled with yellow ‘lumps of clay, each tint of that color being in separate bins, Two other bins were THE CLAY PRESS. filled with a floury-looking material which appeared to be the same thing in both bins, but upon close inspection they were found to differ in shade of color. ‘What is the difference between them ?” asked Anna. ‘** The difference is,” said Mr. Mountford, “that one is fliniand the other_is spar, © the flint being the whiter of the two. The actual difference is that flint, or silica, is. infusible in the heat of a potter’s kiln, while spar, or feldspar, melts into an opaque, glassy mass at at 3, 200° heat. So you sce that the greatest care must be exercised in the preparation ion of these materials to prevent their becoming mixed before they come tous. Sometimes it happensthrough carelessness, and then the damage begins, with IN THE MIXING ROOM. 17 no telling where it willend. Now, both of these materials are found in a rocky state in various parts of the country, and after they have been carefully selected at the mines each material is put into a kiln very similar to our own and heated to such a degree that the shrinkage is reduced by removing all of the natural moisture. These mate- rials after being calcined, as the process is called, are taken separately and crushed be- neath huge stone rollers, after which they are ground to an impalpable powder, either in stone-lined pans filled with water or in porcelain or wood-lined cylinders, which grind the stuff by the attrition of smooth pebble flints from Iceland.” ‘** How can you tell when it is fine enough ?” inquired Mrs. Kane. ‘* Well, those whose business it is to prepare these materials generally test their fineness by passing them through a fine silk lawn or sieve. The potter always tests the fineness of any material by crunching it between his teeth.” ‘‘ Why is it, Mr. Mountford ?” said Anna, ‘‘that you have several kinds of clay ?” ‘‘ A great many reasons are given,” said he, ‘‘and most of them are plausible. I think, however, that the several clays are mixed to secure the proper condition of the clay in the hands of the workmen. The general method of mixing clays for the manufacture of earthenware is to combine ball or pipe clay with the china clays to make the composition tougher and more plastic. In our experience we have found that by combining several varieties of china clay we could secure the desired qual- ities without the use of ball clay, and by that means produce a finer and whiter mate- rial without the use of any ‘stain,’ which is the blue of cobalt to render the goods white, just as a washerwoman blues_her linen with indigo. The china clays of this country are remarkably tenacious asa rule, some of them approaching ball clay in toughness. The best comes from Delaware and Pennsylvania, where the mining and preparation of clays give employment to a large number of men. Illinois, Missouri, Vermont, Tenneseee, Texas, and Alabama, produce fine china clays, some of which have been used here.” ** What do you mean by the ‘ preparation of clay ’?” asked John Parmly. *“Yes,” said Anna, ‘‘ that’s something I'd like to have explained. I always thought that clay was ready to use as soon as it was dug out of the ground.” ** Well, hardly,” said Mr. Mountford, smiling. ‘* My allusion was mainly applied to china clay, which is claimed by all geologists to be the result of the decomposi- tion of granitic and feldspathic rocks. It is generally found associated with the rock from which it is derived, which is always in the form of fine flinty sand, which must be removed before it is fit for our use. Everything of a foreign nature has to be carefully washed out so as to leave the clay a pure, smooth ma- terial, free from anything that might discolor the ware after it is made. When the clays are brought out of the ground they are put into large tanks, like that one over there,” pointing to a large tub-like vessel on the other side of the cellar. **Tt is then reduced to the consistency of cream, and then passed through a number of tanks, the finer particles-of-clay” running off into large receivers in the form of a solution, while the coarser particles, which result from imperfect decomposition, are precipitated to the bottoms of the tanks, The water 1s then separated from the I Pe Saee © 5 18 THE POTTER’S WHEEL. clay by pressure, as I will show you in a moment, and it is then brought to us as you see it here.” “*But you don't wash it over again?” said Mrs. Kane, ‘* Practically we do,” replied Mr. Mountford. ‘‘ We take these several materials —the different china clays, flint, and spar—and after weighing out the exact portions of each they are thrown into this tub, or blunger, as it is called. A certain amount of water is run into it, and when these cogs are thrown into gear, the revolving arms, which you can see by looking over the sides, break up and mix the materials togeth- er. When they have been reduced to the consistency of cream we call it slip. We then start this pump, which draws the slip out of the blunger and deposits it on the face of the ‘‘lawns” which you see over the second tank. There are two or three lawns of different degrees of fineness, according to the kind of clay we want to pre- pare. The finer and whiter the goods the more lawns and the oftener it is passed through them.” . ‘‘ What makes them shake so?” asked Anna; ‘‘ they make one feel as though they had St. Vitus’ dance.” ‘The shaking is done by machinery,” said John; ‘and I suppose it is necessary in order that the lawns be kept free to allow the clay to pass through. I notice that the coarse, dirty-looking stuff falls down in front, as the shaking jerks it along.” ‘“‘Now,” continued Mr. Mountford, ‘‘ when this slip has been passed through the lawns until all the impurities and the foreign substances are removed from it, the pump is changed over to this pipe, which leads to the press where the water is forced out of the clay.” ‘* Force the water out of it?” asked Anna. ‘ I don’t see how you can force water out of the clay when the clay seems all water itself.’ Just as she spoke the two workmen began to loosen the long bolts that held the press together. As they lifted off the first ‘‘ leaf” and unfolded the canvas bag the visi- tors saw a semi-solid mass of clay which only a few moments before had been aliquid. They saw also that this result was accomplished by folding strong canvas bags between heavy, shallow trays of wood, which are grooved or ribbed on both sides like an old-fash- ioned washboard. When they are placed together one after another, the bag is sus- pended in a narrow space between the leaves, and a brass pipe leading from the bag to the main pipe makes the connection through which the slip is pumped into the bag. As the pressure from the pump increases the water is forced through the meshes of the canvas bags, leaving the clay in a thin layer inside of them. The entire party watched the workmen remove the clay, leaf after leaf. Each layer was rolled up like jelly cake and piled on a barrow to be wheeled away to the storage vault for the clay, where it is left for several days before it is used. The lit- tle party then stepped into this underground apartment, where several tons of pre-- pared clay were piled up and steaming, not from heat, but from the slow evaporation of the remaining moisture. While they stood there punching their fingers into the pasty mass of clay—a temptation that is irresistible, even in spite of kid gloves—one of the workmen appeared in the vault, and lifting a large, spade-shaped instrument eel ~ IN THE MIXING ROOM. ; 19 from the pile of clay plunged it into the end of the heap farthest away from the end where tue new clay was being piled, and after cutting out a chunk that weighed nearly a hundred weight tossed it on his shoulder. “Now,” said Mr. Mountford, ‘ the process of making the ware begins. _Let’s follow this man and we will see.the operation from beginning to end.” They then followed the man with the lump of clay on his shoulder until he stopped in front of a large block supported by a solid brick foundation. As he stepped back- ward and threw his head forward, the lump of clay went down on the block with a thud. He then took a piece of fine brass wire from around his neck, and passing it through the lump of clay he split it from end to end. Then lifting the upper half of the lump at arm's length above his head he brought it down on the lower portion with all the force of his powerful arms and back. The moment it struck both ladies sprang back and exclaimed: ‘‘ Oh, goodness !” The concussion of the two pieces com- ing together had spattered them all over with patchés of clay, and before they had time to protest and get out of the way they received another shower. Mr. Mount- ford laughed at their dismay, and relieved their minds by telling them that potter’s clay was perfectly harmless, and that if it should happen to strike a grease-spot it would remove it. ‘ But,” said Anna, ‘‘ why do they slap the clay together in that way ?” ‘“ The process is called ‘wedging’ by the English, and the object of it is to expel the air, which if allowed to remain in the clay would make blisters in the goods after they were fired, and it also serves to make the mass of a closer and more even ‘texture. You notice that when he cuts the clay with his wire he looks at the sides of the cut to see if it shows any air holes.” *‘ Well,” said Mrs. Kane, ‘‘I never would have thought that the clay had to go through so much of a process as this to make a dinner plate.” ‘Neither did I,” said Anna, ‘‘To see all of these manipulations gone through with would make one think that it would cost a fortune to make a single plate.”’ ““ And soit does, ” said John Parmly; ‘*‘ for to start a business of this nature and get it into a profitable condition takes from one hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand dollars.” ** And,” Mr. Mountford added, ‘‘if there are any errors made in this portion of the building it costs a great many dollars, for they cannot be discovered until the ar- ticles have all been made and actually finished, as they may finish right or wrong _ depending upon the certainty with which the work has been done at the beginning. So you see that this end of the business requires the closest attention and unremitting care to avoid heavy losses. Now, tohave you understand more clearly what we are going to see in the workshops, I think it would be better to take you up in the mold- maker’s room, so that you may see the process of making one of the first requisites of the potter, the mold, for there are but few of the pieces of modern pottery that are made without a mold.” ® 20) . THE POTTER'S WHEEL. CHAPTER UT MODELING AND MOLD-MAKING. As soon as the party entered the precincts of the mold-maker they saw at once that they were in an interesting portion of the works. At one end of the room stood a white-aproned workman, manipulating a piece of clay that was gradually taking the shape and form of a covered dish. ‘‘ What is he doing?” asked Anna. ‘‘He is modeling a new style of cover dish, which will go to make one of the many pieces required to complete a new dinner service that we are getting ready to put on the market.” ‘¢ But isn’t it larger than some?” queried Mrs. Kane. ‘*Oh, yes,” said Mr. Mountford; ‘‘ we have to make it about a twelfth larger on account of the shrinkage in the clay during the process of drying and firing. Now, here is a piece that is finished ready for the mold-maker. He will take it and build a dam of clay and rubber around it.” As they stepped forward at Mr. Mountford’s suggestion, they saw the mold-maker fold a pliable block of clay lengthwise aroun 1 the model; then taking up a piece of rubber belting he wrapped that around the clay in such a way as to form a water- tight box, leaving the model resting in the middle, ben taking a huge pitcher, partly filled with water, he began to sprinkle plaster-of-Paris into it and mix it with his hand until it had the appearance of cream. Lifting the pitcher and its contents to the bench, he began to pour the plaster gently on the face of the model until the box was filled. ‘ees ‘*Now what does that do?” asked Anna. ‘‘That makes one half of the long side of the dish,” said Mr. Mounéaete “and when he takes a cast from the other side he will have what is called the ‘ block’ mold; and when he gets both sides he will put them together, and after making them perfectly tight with clay he will fill the opening in the centre with plaster, and from that he will get the cast.” ‘© But won’t the whole thing stick together ?” inquired John Parmly, who eee of the sticky qualities of plaster. : “Yes, Isee,” said Mr. Mountford, laughing. ‘‘ I forgot to call your attention to one MODELING AND MOLD-MAKING, 21 of the other men who is making some working molds from the case of another piece. You will notice that before he places his case in position he will take a sponge soaked in a solution of soft soap, prepared especially for this purpose, and rub the plaster MODEL OF THE ‘‘ LIMOGES”’ COVER DISH. block with it until it has absorbed enough of the soap to give it a polished surface, which is oily and repels water. This precaution allows him to separate the mold from the block without much trouble.” I YN YE ONO ION Y ————— ee —————— ae il MODEL OF THE ‘‘ LIMOGES”? COMPORT. ‘Then they put the clay inside around that block and make the dish, don’t you see ?’’ said Mrs. Kane, turning to Anna. “Yes,” said Anna; ‘‘isn’t that a cute idea ?”’ Vd THE POTTER'S WHEEL. A broad smile went around the workroom at the expense of the enthusiastic ladies, and Mr. Mountford, hastening to the rescue, said : **Oh, no; not at all. You see, the working mold is to be made from the case, or, rather, a set of working molds, for it takes from six to twenty molds for each dish, and sometimes more than that.” . ‘**Oh, I see now,” said Anna; ‘‘ you put the clay on the inside of the mold.” ‘‘ Yes,” said Mr. Mountford. ‘‘ Now,” he continued, ‘‘ there must be a mold to make the bottom and the cover, besides a lot of small molds to make the knobs and handles.” ‘*‘ How long does it take to model a set for a dinner service ?” asked John. ‘*From the time the idea is conceived to the time when the molds are ready for the workmen we usually count from four to six months’ steady work. This depart- ment is one of the most expensive and yet one of the most necessary in our busi- ness. Good modelers and good mold-makers command high wages, Our plaster bills run into a great deal of money which returns no direct profit on the invest- ment. Fashion is constantly demanding something new; so that as soon as the modeler has finished one thing he must set his wits to work on something new for the next season. Now, if you will step this way we will follow the working molds through the hands of the potter to the ‘ biscuit’ kiln.” Just as they were stepping out of the mold-maker’s shop Mrs. Kane stopped short, and turning to Mr. Mountford, said: ‘“‘T notice that the workman uses a great deal of water in mixing the plaster, and that the thin mixture gets as hard as wood in a few minutes after he pours it out. Now, tell me, where does the water go ?” ‘That is a prize conundrum,” said John, ‘‘and J don’t think anybody can answer it in a way to satisfy any but the most scientific people.” MAKING THE DISH. 23 CHAPTER IV. MAKING THE DISH. Mr. MOUNTFORD then led the party into a long, well-lighted workshop where rows of men were standing in the various attitudes demanded by the different oper- ations of potting. They stopped before one of these whitened workmen who was just then preparing to start on a new round of work. Around him on three sides were shelves containing a series of molds similar to those they had seen made in the mold-maker’s room. At his right, resting on a portion of the bench, was a large lump of the clay which they had seen piled away in the vault below. In front of him ‘LIMOGES”’ PICKLE DISH. se was a circular block of plaster fastened to a spindle running through the bench, and so arranged that it revolved at the slightest motion of the hand. Taking one of the molds from the shelf above his head, the workman proceeded to separate the two parts, which were held in place by dowels or ‘‘ notches” so that one part registered perfectly with the other. Laying one half of the mold on the ‘‘ whirler,” which is the potter’s name for his hand wheel, he stepped to the right and cut off a strip of clay, which he slapped down on the face of a square plaster block in front of him. Then picking up a round block of plaster with a handle on it, which is called a ‘‘bat- ter,” he proceeded to flatten out the clay until it assumed a circular form and looked like a pie-crust after it has been rolled. His next movement was to pick up a long, 94 THE POTTER'S WHEEL 'bright-bladed steel knife, which he drew gently across the face of the “ bat” of clay until the surface was highly polished. ‘What is that for?” asked Anna, ‘‘TIt serves two purposes,” said Mr. Mountford. ‘It polishes that side of the clay that goes next to the mold and makes it smooth, and at the same time it shows the workman the defects, if there are any, such as air-holes or lumps that would de- stroy his work, and of course make it worthless.” As he spoke, the potter lifted the polished bat of clay from the block, and placing it in the mold began to press it into place by tapping it gently with a moist sponge until the clay was evenly deposited in all parts of the mold, filling every corner and recess that would make the shapeand design appear on the outside of the dish, The ‘** LIMOGES” SALAD BOWL. other half of the mold was treated in the same manner, and then the bottom mold came in for its turn, When allof the parts of the mold were filled with clay the pot- ~ ter mounted both halves of the side molds on the bottom piece, and slipped a strap down over the tapering sides of the entire mold, as it stood assembled, until it had wedged the two pieces tightly together. Almost before the visitors had time to notice it the potter had rolled out a long strip of clay which he began to lay carefully over the joints or seams where the mold came together. In another instant the sponge was in his hand and inside of the mold, softly but firmly bossing the clay into place. Turning his wheel slowly around so that he could see into all parts of his work, he sponged out all superfluous clay, patted, ‘‘ bossed,” and trimmed away all of the lumps until the inside of the dish was perfectly smooth. The mold with the dish inside of it was then placed on a board, which, after being filled with molds, was car- ried to a row of racks which the potters call “« stillage, ” Le eet Sea a hora ith TY ann yag any! KN Tih \\ A Wy WN MAKING THE DISH. 2 alt 9) THE PRESSER. 26 THE POTTER’S WHEEL. ‘* What does he put them there for?” inquired Mrs. Kane. ‘‘Aren’t they ready | to go into the kiln now ?” ‘Oh, no,” said Mr. Mountford ; ‘it isn’t finished yet. When the plaster mold has absorbed a portion of the water from the clay the dish will then be dry and contracted sufficiently to be removed from the mold. Then the presser will take '* LIMOGES ” SAUCE BOAT, it oué and trim up the seams and edges and sponge the surface until it is perfectly smooth, The handles and knobs must be made and put on in their proper places. before the dish may be regarded as finished.” ‘* What is the distinctive name of the workman who makes these dishes?” in- quired John. ‘* Well, all workmen who make porcelain of this kind by hand and in molds are called hollow ware pressers. Now, if you will step this way we will watch the THE ‘‘ DERBY.” operations of the ‘ flat ware presser,’ or plate maker, which is another distinct branch of the trade.” As the visitors approached this workman they saw that he was assisted by ma- chinery, for in front of him there was a rapidly-revolving cup of iron in which he dropped a mold, the upper surface of which was modeled with the reverse form of” the inside round plate. MAKING THE DISH [iw a | “What do you call this one?” asked Anna, smiling, as if she thought the names were amusingly peculiar, ‘*We call this one a ‘flat presser,’’’ said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘ or ‘plate maker,’ And the machine he is using is called a ‘ jigger,’ but why it is so called I do not know,” While they were talking the plate maker had batted out a piece of clay in the Same way that they had seen the hollow ware presser do it, and after slapping it down on the mold, which was then revolving rapidly, he began to form the whirling clay with his hand, roughly fashioning it into the semblance of the under part of a plate. He then took upa curiously-shaped profile implement, which is called a ‘‘ tool,” and pressing it on the ductile surface of the clay he made it almost instantly assume the perfect form of a plate upside down. Without stopping the “ jigger” he Ss sS= = == —~—S ZS THE ‘‘ROYAL WORCESTER.”’ lifted it deftly from the cup or head, and taking another mold from the hands of a little lad, he had another plate made almost in the twinkling of an eye. *‘Now,” said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘ we have seen all the operations in this depart- ment, because every man excepting the ‘ thrower’ works in either of the two ways that you have seen. All of the pieces are allowed to remain in the mold until they are sufficiently dry to be removed from the mold easily. This is accomplished in this case by placing the molds on these sliding shelves, a set of which will hold about seventy-five dozen pieces. Heated air is radiated through these shelves from thesteam- » pipes, which run through the entire factory. Stoves were formerly used, but steam- heat is better and less dangerous. When the ware has been taken from the molds ° and finished it is then placed on boards and taken to the ‘ green ’room, which we will visit, and there allowed to become perfectly dry. All of the large hollow ware, such as ewers, slop jars, soup tureens, covered dishes, jugs, pitchers—in fact, any piece 8 aid of machinery.” i ia Tae 5 “The < aid’ seems to te very small,” said ae Parmly, oe watching a saucer-maker at work. ‘So far as I can see, the machine! the motive power, and never really takes the pes of the workm every other branch of manufacture.” — : . . ide me atic is true,” said Miry’ Mountford. ize “The steam power woe fac called ‘turning jigger.’ Now let us : go to the other side of the. shop an dy thrower.” a i a THE THROWER. 299 CHAPTER V., THE THROWER, THE little party of visitors then made their way past boards of ware and floury- looking boys until they came to a door leading into another part of the factory. As they entered they saw that it was partly occupied with machinery. Perched upon a wooden saddle sat a man who was moving his hands up and down over a piece of clay that seemed to be stuck fast to a circular wheel that was revolving on a pivot. ‘* What is he doing ?” asked Mrs. Kane of Anna in a stage aside. ** Playing, I should judge,” replied Anna. ‘** No, he isn’t,” said Mr. Mountford; ‘‘ he is throwing ‘ linings,’ as we call them, for cups, because it is the best way of preparing the clay for the jigger.” Oh, look !” said Anna, ‘‘he is making a vase.” ‘‘ Well, I declare!” exclaimed Mrs. Kane; ‘‘isn’t that curious ?” - The thrower, knowing that visitors were on hand, had changed the motion of his hands, and in the twinkling of an eye he had made a beautiful vase, Beautiful, because it was pure in form without any mechanical measuring and planning. The thrower then proceeded to manipulate the clay in all imaginable forms by simply moving his hands and fingers up and down the revolving lump of clay; then pushing it down ina heap again. With a sudden twist of the hand he thrust his thumbs in the top of the shapeless lump, and then, as if by magic, made the clay follow his hands and fingers in the directions suggested by the form in his mind’s eye, and quickly threw the once inert lump into the form of a vase which seemed to be endowed with life. “‘Tt looks very easy,” said Anna. ‘I believe I could do that myself.” ** Yes, you could,” said the thrower, ‘‘ after you had been ’prentice seven years. I’ve been at it goin’ on thirty-odd year, and I am not that perfect yet as I can say I’m level wi’ the best on ’em.” ** They have been working on that same kind of a wheel for the past 4,000 years,” said John, ‘‘ for the figures on some of the old tombs in Egypt show potters work- ing in just that way, except, of course, that they had no steam.” “* How did they turn it?” asked Mrs. Kane. 30 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. ‘* With their feet,” said John. *< Yes,” said Mr, Mountford, ‘‘ that was what they calla kick-wheel, and in some small potteries it is still in use. Of course, the thrower nowadays does not turn and finish his work on the wheel, because there is no real need of his doing so. He puts the clay in the proper shape, and the turner takes it after it is partly dried out and turns it on a lathe in the same manner that wood is turned. In the case of these cup linings the thrower puts the clay in such a shape that it will drop down aa i eu i | set THE THROWER. » e% \ Ms into the mold, and the work of making the cup is finished on a jigger, such as we saw in the other part of the works. I said finished, but that is hardly correct, for no operation of either mold or machinery ever finishes the goods. Every piece must be taken up by the potter and finished by hand. The sponge plays an important part in finishing the goods, and it is required to be very fine so that there may be as few defects as possible on the surface of the ware. Goods that-are thrown and turned, however, do not require any sponging because the process of turning the clay gives a very high polish, which the sponge cannot improve. Now THE THROWER. 3H | yeernee : a / f i | a ll i il ne Y I | | ) | ee : a Hi thy HIMINK a THE TURNER. s . | a eee, ‘WOOU NAWUO AHL a a ne. SSE \ \ ‘ | \ | i} —=> cer So ny HIS Shy \ : HIN ey ce ISS ; \ S MA SRAN ~ Se NS) S.. WSSS S EL. D THE POTTER’S WHI SS SS SSSR EL SSS SSS. == a te THE THROW xR. 33 that you have been through all the departments where the goods are actually made you.can readily see that it is no exaggeration to say that it takes from thirty to forty different operations to get a single complete piece of pottery. Let us follow this man into the ‘ greén room’ and we will see how the ware looks before it goes into the kiln.” . The workman who was then passing had a board on his shoulder on which a line of freshly made ewers was waving about in the air as if the workman had an idea they were made of cast iron instead of tender clay. At least, so it ap- peared to the visitors, who expected see the whole line slide off the board on to the floor. But the potter rarely permits such a humiliating thing to happen, and the little party of visitors were relieved to see the board and its contents deposited on the racks in the green room, 34 THE POTTER’S WHEEL. CHAPTER VI. FROM THE GREEN ROOM TO TOT KILN. - WHEN the visitors had seen the workman relieved of his treacherous board of ware they looked around the room and saw that it was filled with racks, and the racks in turn were being rapidly filled with boards on which were piled wares of all the shapes and sizes made in the workshops. At the further end of the room they noticed that the goods were turning chalk white, and Anna Parmly, turning to Mr. Mountford, said: oy “I should think this was anything but a green room. It looks more like a white room to me.” SECTION OF SAGGER, SHOWING MANNER OF PLACING ON PINS. Mr. Mountford assured the little lady that the color of the room had nothing to do with the name of it, and that it derived its title from the fact that the ware which was put in there to dry was ‘‘ green” or damp; hence the name green room. ‘On some of the flat ware,” continued Mr. Mountford, ‘‘such as plates and sau- cers, we put an additional finish with a piece of fine flannel, which has the effect of leaving a velvety surface that is very desirable, because plates, saucers and dishes are so nearly flat that they show imperfections when they are glazed much more dis- tinctly than other pieces,” | . While Mr. Mountford was talking, workmen were carrying out board after board of the driest goods in the room, and as he motioned the visitors to follow him FROM GREEN ROOM TO KILN. 35 they soon found themselves in front of a huge circular structure of bricks belted with iron bands. Around the sides of the room, which was paved with brick, were piles of buff-colored boxes made of fire-clay On one side of the room in front of the windows was a long bench on which was a pile of beautiful snow-white sand. As they were watching the motions of a man coming out of the doorway of the circu- lar beehive John Parmly took occasion to ask if the structure alluded to was not the kiln. Mr. Mountford said yes, and was about to add something further when Mrs. Kane exclaimed: ‘* What do you call those yellow bandboxes ?” THE SAGGER MAKER, ‘‘ They’re called saggers,” replied Anna. ‘I know that much,” ‘*Step up to nig eee said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘and you can see how they are used. These men are called ‘placers.’ They place the goods in the saggers and place the saggers in the kiln.” One of the placers had picked upa pile of plates from a board just in front of him, and placing them on the bench began to fillup the spaces between each plate with the white sand. Then lifting the pile in both hands-he placed it gently in thesagger and carefully settled the plates until they were firmly bedded in the sand at the bottom of the sagger. When the sagger was filled he took a strip of red clay and ran it around the top edge of the sagger, making a complete circuit of it. Lifting the sagger to the top of his head he walked into the kiln and stood there until the visitors 36 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. could get inside. As soon as they were all in the cavern-like structure the placer began to mount a-short ladder, still carrying the sagger on his head. When he had reached the point where he had “‘placed” the last sagger he stopped, and lift- ing the one from his head he dropped it gently in position at the top of the fs or “bung,” a the placers call it. “I see thatthe bottom of one sagger forms a cover for the one beneath it,” said John Parmly, ‘‘ and that the strip of clay closes the aperture very tightly.” “Yes,” said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘ the ‘ wad,’ as we call it, is indispensable in this de- partment, as it serves to steady the ‘bung,’ and, mainly, to keep all fumes from en- il amr um) | : Mii! nau) i mM i tun (ell | Au o- ti 01 Jie ae Debi iy PTL) ci } 1 "a | PLACING WARE IN THE SAGGERS. tering the sagger and consequently spoiling the ware. You see, we run up to nearly eighteen feet, and the piles of saggers must be nicely balanced to prevent them from tumbling down. When the kiln is full we close up the door with bricks and plaster them over with clay to make it perfectly tight. Now, if you will come this way we will look at a kiln that is nearly finished, or fired, and you “can see the operation of firing a ‘biscuit’ kiln.” . Stepping into another section of’the kiln shed they found it rather warmer than the first, for around the second kiln there were ten raging fires, each of which was sending a powerful blast of heat to the inside of the kiln, Mr. Mountford then called a workman and told him to open a trial hole so that the visitors could look into the kfln. As he did so they saw a gleam of dazzling FROM GREEN ROOM TOeKR TIN. 37 white heat that would have melted wrought iron in afew moments. They could not see any saggers, or, in fact, anything but the glow that seemed to consume every- thing. ‘*Gracious ! isn't it hot?” exclaimed Mrs, Kane. ‘¢ About how hot?” inquired John, turning to Mr. Mountford. ‘‘ Well, we can’t tell exactly; but as nearly as it is possible to determine it might be called about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.” (iii Wah MTT We fn | | chine i = i | i a i ii ri gl ius Re Farmer TAN THE DOOR OF THE KILN. ‘‘ How do you judge when you have had enough ?” asked John. “Well, it’s alla matter of judgment and skill. We have little tubes of clay in these trial holes at each quarter of the kiln, both top and bottom, and by drawing these out at certain intervals we judge of the amount of fire that the entire kiln has received. But these little trialsare not infallible proofs of the accuracy of our work. We have the ware in there, and it has cost a lot of money to bring it all through these different operations that you have seen, but there is no certainty that we will get anything out of this kiln at all. As a rule, however, we can depend upon good 38 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. results. If, however, there has been a serious error made in the mixing department the whole kiln full of ware may be worthless. Of course, we are very careful to avoid such an error, for it would pass all through the workshops without detection, to be shown to us in a most disagreeable way at the kilns.” ) ‘‘ How long do you cook the ware?” inquired Anna. ‘¢TIn this kiln, which we call the ‘ biscuit,’ we ‘cook’ it, as you say, about fifty hours, and then it takes nearly the same length of time for it to cool off so that the “men can get into it to remove the ware. Wehave to be very careful in opening a biscuit kiln for fear the cold air would chill the contents too suddenly and crack every piece we had in it.” ‘* What do you do with it when you do get it out?’’ asked Mrs. Kane, ‘Come this way,” said Mr. Mountford, as he led the way to the biscuit ware- room, where half-a-dozen girls with mob caps on their heads were brushing the sand and dust from the ware that had been brought out of a kiln which the kilnmen had emptied the day before. GLAZING AND FIRING THE GLAZE. eS, CHAPTER VII. GLAZING AND FIRING THE GLAZE, DISHES and plates and jugs and jars were piled up thickly all over the floor, and everywhere the eyes of the visitors turned they were met by the dead-white tint of the unglazed ware. ‘‘ Now, what do you do next, Mr. Mountford ?” asked Anna. ‘‘ The next thing,” was the reply, ‘‘is to get the biscuit ware thoroughly cleaned and freed from the placing sand. You will notice that these girls pick up every piece and brush it until it is clean, Then it is ready for the ‘ dipper.’ ” ‘‘ Who’s the ‘dipper’?” asked Mrs. Kane. ‘«‘ Well, he’s the man who dips all of these pieces into the glaze. He is at work at the other end of the room, and we will go and see how he does it.” When they reached that portion of the room to which Mr. Mountford had led them’ they saw a man bending over a deep tub which was filled with a white fiuid that looked like cream. One girl was placing the pieces within his reach, and an- other was lifting them from a sort of draining grid called a fiddle in front of him, and putting them ona board. ‘‘ That doesn’t look much like glaze,” said Anna. Mr. Mountford then picked up a piece that had been dipped, and rubbing his finger over the outside of it brushed off a portion of the white powder that had been deposited on its surface. “You see, there is something there after the water has been absorbed by the porous ware, and that something is the glass-making material, or, rather, mixture of glass-making materials, which under the influence of high heat forms the glaze.” ‘‘ How isit made so that you can get it in that singular shape?’ was the matter- of-fact question that came from John Parmly. ‘Every potter,” said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘ has his own way of making his glazes, and _ althoughall follow a certain course in the preparation, the formulas are radically dif- ferent in the quantities and kinds of materials used-to produce acommon result. It AQ THE POTTER’S WHEEL. is not an easy thing to get a good glaze for earthenware, because the glaze must dilate and contract in the same proportion as the ware; otherwise it will ‘craze,’ TT i i : i T ' ; we i" : ne ae : aM “i ‘ a a | : : | | DIPPING THE WARE IN THE GLAZE. and crazed ware is almost as bad as crazy people—nobody wants either of them around the house. The glazes in general use around Trenton are practically the same GLAZING AND FIRING THE GLAZE. ql Ni ce . eae | is ( ill i ° Mil ry ‘i ea \ d A Li wl ne ew (gee | | THE GLOST WAREROOM., 49 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. in appearance and texture, but more or less varied according to the wants of the potter. Flint, spar, borax, lead _ and zine are le largely used in making glazes. Glazes made with h borax are are of a. fa finer texture than ordinary glazes, and in order to use it we have to melt it with certain other of the materials by putting it in the kiln and making a glass of it, This glass is then crushed fine, and mixed with the flint, spar, and oxide of lead, necessary to give it the proper quality to suit the biscuit ware. The mixture is then put in that large pan which you saw in the a the collar anaes wae action of the heavy mill-stones passing over the stone bottom of the pan the glaze materials are ground in water until they are as fine as flour. Then it comes to the dipper, and he has to keep it thoroughly well mixed because the glaze must be evenly suspended in the water all the time to insure an even distribution of the pow- dered glass on the surface of the ware.” ‘* Now step this way,” continued their guide, ‘‘and we will see the ‘ placing’ of the ware for the final firing. You will notice that the inside of the sagger for the glost kiln is glazed.” . ‘‘ What is that for?” asked John. ; : ‘It is done,” said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘to prevent the very porous fire-clay of ie saggers from absorbing the glaze that is on the ware, or ‘sucking,’ as the potters call'it,” ‘What are all those little three-cornered holes in the saggers for?” inquired Anna. 3 ‘* Those are left to put the pins in,” said Mr. Mountford. ‘Pins? What kind of pins?” ‘‘Our pins are three-cornered affairs with sharp edges, and they are used to sup- port the glazed ware in the saggers and to prevent one piece from touching the other.” ‘¢ Would it hurt anything if they did touch?” asked Mrs. Kane. ** Yes,” said Mr. Mountford; ‘‘ they would all stick together; but when they rest on the pins the edges are so sharp that they break off easily, leaving only a small mark on the back of the plate. Everything that we use to support the glazed ware must have a fine, sharp point or edge so that it will leave as small a mark as is pos- sible.” ‘‘T notice,” said John Parmly, thoughtfully, ‘‘ that the method of putting the sag- gers in this kiln is just the same as it was in the other. Do you keep the fire in it as long ?” ‘‘No,” said Mr. Mountford in reply; ‘‘the fire in this kiln is brought up to its highest heat as soon as we can get it there, which is usually in about eighteen hours after we start it. Then as soon as we have fused the glaze we maintain the state of fusion for a time to make the glaze run level over all of the pieces. Then as soon as it is finished we draw the fires, which in the biscuit kiln are allowed to burn out gradually. As soon as the kiln is dark inside we open the door by taking out a few bricks at a time, and in half a day after we stop firing the men get in to w out the ware, and then we find out whether all of this work and expense is going to GLAZING AND FIRING THE GLAZE, TIVGLOOU LY SHOLVUOOUA Gi it Ny 44 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. bring reward or disaster. Now we will go to the ‘ glost’ wareroom, and from there we will pass over to the decorating department.” “Yes,” said Anna, ‘‘I am just waiting to get to that part of the process. although I must confess that I have been so interested in following this dish through the fac- tory that I had forgotten about the decorating part of it.” | Just at that moment the shrill sound: of a steam whistle greeted their ears, and John Parmly, turning to his cousin, said: ‘* That sounds like twelve o’clock.” “Yes,” said their guide, ‘‘and if you will stand here by this doorway a few moments you will see the decorators turn out for dinner. They go out in the field adjoining the shops at noontime to have a goal or two at football.” As he spoke the entire force of men, boys, women and girls filed out of the shop | doors into the open space devoted to the noontime games, and in a few moments they had the muddy sphere flying in the air with a lusty crowd of workers fighting for the possession of it. Mr. Mountford stated to the visitors that he encouraged outdoor sports among his “men, and claimed that they felt and worked better for the indulgence. The excit- ing sport absorbed the attention of the visitors so deeply that they almost forgot the ob- ject of their call, and as their guide had gone out into the field to take part in the game they stood watching the players until he returned to arrange for the inspection of the other departments. It was agreed by all that visiting potteries was conducive to good appetite, and they retired for lunch. On their return Mr. Mountford invited the party to follow him to a portion of the establishment that they had not seen. As they descended the stairway they became aware of the fact that they were approach- ing the place where the results of all the work they had seen performed were to be demonstrated by the appearance of the finished ware. “ae KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. 45 CHAPTER VIII. | DRAWING THE GLOST KILN AND DECORATING. WHEN the visiting party stepped into the glost wareroom they were greeted with the sound of ten thousand dishes smashing to pieces in one grand crash. On the op- posite side of the factory workmen were engaged in drawing or emptying another glost kiln. Sagger after sagger was relieved of its glistening white contents, smok- ing hot, and all sorts of pieces were dumped promiscuously into huge baskets, which ~ were borne into the wareroom by the muscular kilnmen. As soon as a basket was lowered to the floor the girls in the mob caps picked out the different pieces and piled them away in their respective places or bins. ‘‘ Now,” said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘ with the exception of removing the rotgh points that are left in the glaze by the pins and spurs—stilt marks, as they are called—the ware is finished, and all that remains to be done is to select the best from the sec- onds. and the seconds from the thirds, pack it up in crates and hogsheads, and send it away. and the more we send the better we like it.” “ Where does it all go?” asked John Parmly. ‘* Well,” said Mr. Mountford, * it goes all over the United States. You see, there are twenty other potteries in Trenton, all of which are producing goods for domestic use. but all have their particular shapes just as we have ours, and this gives the dealer the advantage of displaying a number of different styles of goods, all of which are made in this city. We have a number of shapes of the same article, but they are all made with a view to combining them in sets. Our ‘ Limoges,’ ‘ Derby,’ and ‘Royal Worcester’ shapes are entirely different from one another in form and out- line, as you may see by comparing the covered pieces, which always indicate the shape that is followed throughout the set. Our ‘ Limoges’ service was the first absolutely square shapemade. At first we thought it would prove almost too radical a depar- ture from the oval and round-cornered shapes, but as soon as it was thoroughly in- troduced it became a leading favorite, and we have sold a large quantity of that shape alone.” ‘‘ Where do you do the painting, Mr. Mountford ?” inquired Anna, suddenly. 46 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. 5 ee oon yyy f Wit if FIRST FLOOR OF DECORATING SHOP, ’ KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. 47 as she caught sight of some decorated goods that were being carried to the packing room, ) ‘* As that is the last operation through which the ware has to’ pass,” said Mr. Mountford, ‘‘I thought I would leave that until you had seen all of the other depart- ments, and also because I want to place you in the care of Mr. Burroughs, who gives the decorating department his special attention.” Mr. Mountford then led the way to the private office, where Mr. Burroughs was found, and after Mr. Mountford had introduced all of the visitors to Mr. Burroughs they + tarted across the floors of the main factory to a long brick wing three stories in height. As they entered a long, well-lighted apartment their nostrils were as- sailed by the pungent odor of turpentine. On each side of the room tables were arranged in such a manner that four operatives could sit to advantage and secure the necessary light. These tables were occupied almost entirely by women and girls, many of whom were young, bright-looking girls of different nationalities, who were learning the decorating business practically in the various departments into which pottery decoration is divided. ‘‘ My ! what a lot of girls you have,” exclaimed Mrs. Kane. ‘‘ This is only one room full,” said Mr. Burroughs; ‘‘ we have as many more up- stairs.” ‘¢ How many people does it take to do this decorating?” was Mrs. Kane’s next question, ‘‘T don’t know exactly how many there are now at work—probably a hundred and fifty—but we find it necessary to make room for more, as the demand for decorated goods is increasing.” ‘‘How much can they make a week?” asked Anna, in her matter-of-fact fashion. ‘That depends somewhat upon the character of the work in which they are en- gaged,” replied Mr. Burroughs. ‘‘ Some of the women who understand the business can earn from $10 to $14 per week. Our decorators are not all women, however. We have quite a number of men, several of whom are kept specially for the production of high-class decorations of an artistic character. Now, as this is a part of the pot- tery business to which a large number of ladies have devoted themselves since the Centennial Exhibition in 1876, I suppose that you know something of the manner in which the work is done.” . ‘‘ Oh, yes,” exclaimed Anna, ‘‘Iam almost at home here; but there are some things I know I can learn, if I may ask questions.” ‘‘ Certainly,” said Mr. Burroughs, with a smile at her artless manner of getting at just what she wanted to know. ‘The first thing that I want to see,” said Anna, ‘‘is your kiln or muffle, or what- ever you call it here, for we girls have come to the conclusion that there must be. something mysterious about the kilns used in the potteries, as your colors come out so bright and clear ” “ Well,” said Mr. Burroughs, ‘if you will come this way I willshow you four of hf POTTER S WHEEL. THI “dOHS DNILVHOOEC AO YOOTA GXKOOS . —— 7. se — = -—-— > — aS = =e —— SS : ~ \\ \\ AY “Ss S SSS = = \ . = = S ~e s SMAAQN Y YA } = = 3 VGN \ AQ VEY ‘s B % S S ANS AN = : ~ NS . \ AN c ere — =: = : S: ‘ ae a } rial) & “& AY Sok SS ] \ p \ SS SS SS SS a Sw S S SSSS : we BS SS NY Oh, | Wo Pett ULI ; ih iret ais Se KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. 49 the largest kind, which are now in different stages of being filled and fired, and I think that with a little investigation we can discover the mystery.” Opening a door at the end of the room in which they stood, Mr. Burroughs con- ducted the visitors into a substantial brick building, in which the kilns were found standing in couples. As they looked at them on entering they appeared like four great whitewashed boxes of brickwork bound together with iron stays and bolts. Atone end there ap- peared a large opening, which was really the front of an interior box made of square tiles of fire-clay. This box was flat on the bottom and was joined at right angles at the outer edges by concave sides which met at the top in an angular arch. This in- terior box was about high enough for a medium-sized man to stand upright, and while the visitors were looking at the one which was firing an attendant was pre- paring the other one for the reception of the next lot of ware. Anna caught a glimpse of this young man.as he applied a mixture of clay and sand *to the joints between the tiles and then brushed the joints over with a brush full of lime so as to make them perfectly tight. *“ Why do you do that?” asked Anna, ‘That's to keep out the steam, sulphur and smoke that might come from the damp wood, and it keeps out any gas or smoke that comes up when the fire’s just lit. You see, if anything gets in this part of the kiln but heat, and ’specially afore the colors get pretty well warmed up, it just plays the mischief with them. So we has to be very careful with these cracks and get ’em stopped up tight.” ‘What would happen if you didn’t get them stopped up tightly ?’ was Anna’s next query.” ae “Well, I don’t know what would happen,” said the youth, “ but it might happen that the colors would be dull and streaky if steam got in, or they might go black if they was any sulphur got in.” ‘*That’s exactly what I wanted to know,” said Anna; and then turning to Mr. Burroughs, she said: ‘‘ I think I have found out why our colors do not come out of the kiln as bright as they should.” “ Well, I’m glad you have,” said Mr. Burroughs, who had been listening to the con- versation between Anna and the man, “but I think that most lady amateurs have bad luck with their decorations because they are afraid to fire up their kilns as they should. They have an idea that a piece of wood now and again is all-sufficient, when the fact is they scarcely do more than warm the ware and dry the colors. We have one man whose business it is to fire these kilns, and after they are once started he never ceases supplying fuel until the required heat is obtained. After the inside of the kiln gets red he keeps the fires going as sharp and fast as possible.” “Why, you don’t, make them red hot, do you?” asked Anna, in open eyed amazement. : ‘*Oh, yes,” said Mr. Burroughs, smiling, ‘‘a little more than red hot. We keep on the safe side of the melting point of gold, which is about 2200 degrees. We put a little rose color and a dab of gold on a piece of broken soap drainer, and, fastening 50 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. it on an iron rod, put it into the centre of the kiln and keep it there until the rose color is quite bright and the gold is‘firmly fixed. Now. either of two things might happen if we did not use both on one trial piece. If gold alone was used the fire might be too easy for a great number of the colors, for with an easy fire the gold — would look to be all right. If rose color was used without gold the color might be quite bright, but the gold would be likely to get too much fire, for rose color will stand heat that is beyond the melting point of gold.” . ‘* Well,” said Anna, ‘‘ that’s just the reason why we have never succeeded in - our firing. We just didn’t know these little things, We used wood the same as you do, but we played croquet or lawn tennis until we thought there should be more wood put on the kiln, and the consequence was that the inside never got red hot even, and it was not near as big as these of yours. Tell me why you use wood ?” said she, suddenly, as she caught sight of a man throwing a large stick of wood into the fire-hole underneath the kiln. ‘* Well, I don’t know exactly,” said Mr. Burroughs, ‘‘ but wood has less gas and sulphur in it than coal, and it is certainly true that it produces an oxidizing fire on account of the great amount of flame, and I xnow that it is all the better for the great majority of colors.” ‘I can see now,” said Anna, ‘‘ how it is that we have failed in our efforts to bring’ out nice-looking paintings, and I think I know how to correct some of our errors. It is provoking, though, to find out what little things they are, aftér all, that have interfered with us.”’ ‘* And I guess it shows you,” said John, ‘‘ what a dangerous commodity a little learning is in china-painting.” , By this time the little party of visitors had walked back to the large room which they had first entered, and their attention was called to a pile of plates which were ornamented in an outline design finely traced and shaded. At one end of the room there was a number of presses such as are used in print- ing visiting cards and wedding invitations. One of the printers was just removing a thin sheet of paper from the face of a copper plate on which was engraved and re- — peated several times the lines of the design seen on the dishes. As soon as he had taken off the print, as it is called, the sheet was picked up by a girl, who began to cut it in pieces, each of which had one of the designs on the face of the paper printed in clear raised lines of brown enamel. The separate pieces were then taken by a number of girls who were ranged in close proximity to the press, and each of thein lifting a dish from a pile in front of them laid the paper on the glazed surface, color sidedown, After pressing and smoothing the paper into place the transferrers began to rub the paper vigorously with the end of a long roll of flannel, occasionally touch- ing the end of the roll in a saucer which held a small piece of soft soap. ‘* What do they do that for ?” asked Mrs, Kane. One of the girls, looking up, said: | , ‘That's to make the roll rub smoothly over the paper and keep it from tearing off before it’s ready to come,” . : KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. 51 While she was speaking she stopped rubbing, and catching hold of one end of the paper drew it gently from the dish and disclosed the design neat] y transferred to the glazed surface. | NS PRINTING AND T2ANSFERRING DECORATIONS. ** Now tell me,” said Anna to the printer, ‘‘ how it is that the color sticks to the ware when it is so much smoother and less absorbent than the paper.” ‘* Well,” said the printer, ‘it is because there is something between the paper 52 - THE POTTER S WHEEL. and the color. And that is a peculiar kind of soap which we mix up like this,” pointing to a jar of soapy water which stood alongside of the press. ‘‘ We call it size. It relieves the color from the paper in the same.manner as gum size relieves the pic- ture in decalcomanie. Then the oil which is used in printing is made thick and heavy by boiling, so that it will carry a great amount of color, and it is very sticky, which makes it take hold of the glaze so hard that we can pull the paper off without wetting it and leave a good print on-——Tn Biscuit printing, or. when we print on the ware before the glaze is put on for underglaze work, we soak the ware in water after the print has been transferred, and the soap dissolving between the paper and thecolor allows the paper to float away in the water, leaving the print as bright and clear as the engraved line in the copper.” The printer then picked up the plate that he was printing from, and placing it on a heated block of iron at his side took up a large knifeful of color from a round pal- ette of iron, and slapping it on the face of the engraved plate he proceeded to rub it into the lines with a round. block of wood. After he had spread the color over the entire surface of the plate he picked up the huge palette knife and dexterously re- moved the surplus color from the face of the plate. Then taking upa sort of cushion made of corduroy, by rapidly touching the plate with a sweeping motion he soon removed all the color from the plate, excepting that which had been left in the lines, He next turned to a pile of thin tissue paper which had been cut to the proper size, and taking a large brush from the jar of soapy water he applied a-coat of the size or soap to the paper, saturating it completely. The next move was to lift the paper tenderly from the pile and spread it as smoothly as possible over the surface of the — warm plate, and then both plate and paper were passed together under the heavy rolls of the press. When the plate was passed back the printer lifted the paper very gently from the plate and held it up so that the visitors could see it.. On that side of the paper which had been next to the plate there was seen every line of the engrav- ing, even to the most minute touch of the burin. Upon close examination it was seen that the lines on the paper were standing in relief corresponding to the depth of the lines on the plate. | ‘‘ Just to think,” said Anna, as she looked admiringly at the wonderful exactness of each line, ‘‘ how we poor girls have to draw and draw and draw when we want to get an outline, and you only have to print it.” ‘‘ That is true,” said Mr. Burroughs, ‘‘so far as printing goes, but when we have superior work to do it must all be drawn and painted. We use printing for the great mass of work that is sold at moderate prices: and allow me to say that the difference between some hand painting and printing is quite in favor of printing, just as a good engraving is better than a poor painting. If you will look closely at some of our plates, or, rather, the impressions from them, you will see that there is a vast amount of labor in them, and that many of them are veritable works.of art, the production of which entails an expenditure of many thousands of dollars. We find that in order to keep up with the demand for new designs we are compelled to have a large ~ number of new patterns engraved every season. There is a design,” said Mr. Bur- . — KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. 53 roughs, pointing to a plate in front of him, ** which we call the ‘Midsummer.’ It is the most elaborate piece of pottery engraving in this country. There is an infinite amount of work on it, and itis a truly artistic production.” ‘**T notice,” said John Parmly, ‘‘ that you speak particularly of pottery engrav- ing, asif it was an entirely different kind of engraving from that which is used in printing generally.” — : ‘«« The engraving of a copper plate for pottery printing is don» in the same man- ner as the work required for printing a bank note, but the quality and character of ‘the work is different, and it requires special training and adaptation to produce work af a AS foil P RTS ny BEY) ‘* MIDSUMMER.” suitable for pottery purposes. It is necessary that the lines should be deeper so that they will convey more color than an ordinary engraved plate, an:! then the character of the lines must be well understood in order to produce sharp, clear work in trans- ferring.”’ ‘‘ Where do you get your plates engraved, Mr. Burroughs?” inquired Anna. “They are engraved right here in Trenton,” was the reply. ‘"In fact, nearly if not quite all the engraving that is done for all the potteries ia the United States is done here in Trenton by Mr. Charles A. May, who took up that branch some years ago asa specialty, and by persistent application to the art and a constant study of the requirements of the business he has been largely instrumental in the development 54 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. of the decorating industry in the potteries. We will now see how they finish up the plain print.” : The party of visitors then followed their guide to the tables running along the sides of the room, where a number of girls were seated in such a manner that they were within easy reach of each other. Before each girl there was placed a tile of porcelain or glass upon which was a single color, each girl having one of all the col- ors necessary to complete the tinting of the printed design which was then being put through the finishing process. A cup of turpentine set upon a pile of saucers, a small palette knife, and a small, flat camel’s hair brush or pencil completed each girl’s outfit. Asthe printed piece of pottery passed each of the girls in succession the different portions of the design were painted in quick, rapid strokes, The girl having the green enamel would paint the leaves and buds of the rose, while another Pilate ésteraorres Love ¢ ‘* MIDSUMMER.” would work up the petals of the rose in pink. The next one with brown enamel on © her tile would touch the heavy stems and dead portions of the leaves, and so on until the entire picture or group of flowers was complete, the perfect familiarity of the girls with the design and its treatment making it possible for them to go through hundreds of pieces without making an error in tint or location of color. ‘Do you know that it’s real aggravating,” said Anna, ‘‘ to see these girls put that color on as if it were the most matter-of-fact thing for them to doit? I say, it’s aggravating, because we girls when we paint anything have to be so careful and almost hold our breath while we are doing it that it gets painful, and then we don’t get it looking nice and clean and bright, as these are.”’ ‘‘ Perhaps,” said Mr. Burroughs, ‘’if. you were to work your color. with the same freedom as these are worked you'd find the result much more satisfactory. The less you work and go over a color the better it looks after firing.” KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING, Do ‘‘ Whose colors do you use?” asked Anna, as she noticed a girl taking some dry brown powdered color from a jar. . “We use the colors from a variety of makers, and as they are all imported by two or three houses we have the opportunity of making such selections as are best suited to our purpsse. The principal colors, however, are of English make, and as a rule they are best adapted to the*glazes made in this country. Messrs. J. Marsching & Co , of New York, make a specialty of importing all of the colors and materials used in our business, as very few manufacturers care to make any colors excepting those used for underglaze work, which are made without much difficulty. They also provide all of the materials for amateur china painters, being the first and only house to introduce the celebrated Lacroix colors in tubes, which are put up especially for amateurs. Wedo not use them because our work requires such a large quan- 56.0: THE POTTER’S WHEEL. tity of colors that we could not employ them to advantage, but they are just the same as we use, and will produce the same results if properly fired.” ‘Yes, I see the point now,” said Anna. ‘‘‘ Properly fired’ was a trifle sarcastic in tone, and I have no doubt that you had the amateurs in your mind when you began to say it. I think, though, that we shall be able to fire a trifle better than we have been doing. So there is some difference, then’, in the aden of colors to glazes?” ‘*Oh, yes,” replied Mr. Burroughs, laughing, ‘and you will also find that the colors of different makers are made to suit the particular kinds of porcelain made by them.” Ay pF #. f Vio _ ( Jae ye — - “ = : ; TW df? ‘TM = — hoa err <= ES Piea be on ea Fal te ge ” - regs! ‘ ct ( Uh ax Se IT I OS aS ae Pane NO Vee a SQ SI OSH ww, RA Se OMS MERI BSN — > = La ‘ Ee —4 a — aeae tS eet Se er rR _Y uf vain NY Se ih Wi = ip : . as ~y > 7a i am 4 SARE * BEAUTY,” ‘‘T can see now,” said Anna, with a sigh, ‘“ jus. where we have made ~urselves a. world of trouble by not knowing what we should not do.” . As they passed further along the room Mrs, Kane stopped at the chair of a girl who was touching up different portions of the printed goods with a material that looked like brown paint. When she asked what it was, the young decorator told her it was gold. ‘* It looks like mud,” remarked Mrs. Kane quietly. ‘** Pretty rich mud,” said John. ‘‘It looks to me like placer gold ground up in oil. ‘* Now, that is one of the things that everybody‘seems to keepas a deeply hidden secret,” said Anna. ‘‘ Wecan all paint more or less, but when it comes to gilding and firing the gold, then we have to send everything to the city. Really, this is the first time I have ever seen gold put on the ware. Do you make your own mix- . ture?” C KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. 57 “No,” said Mr. Burroughs; ‘ we buy the bright gold already prepared for use from the importers in New York, and use large quantities of it on our goods. Some years ago we prepared our own gold, and doso now for the better class of decorations. as we think it is stronger and more durable; but nowadays the large chemical works wive it tousina form ready for use, and it saves time to us and a great deal of trouble ” *- Just to think, now,” said Anna, reflectively, ‘that so much of this work is done here with apparent ease while we poor amateurs have to go through the most fSLEARLET..” _ painstaking labor when we want to do any .little thing in the way of china- painting.” ‘So do we,” said Mr. Burroughs, in reply. ‘‘ For instance, a great many of our finer decorations are painted by first-class workmen, and they do not have the work of drawing already done for them, as these girls have it, but they must go to work as you do and make a drawing on which to ground their work, unless they are clever enough to go right ahead and paint a group of flowers or a landscape without draw- ing itin; and there are some flower painters who can do it very successfully. The engraved designs are employed by us to a large extent so as to enable us to decorate goods for the masses of people who are beginning to appreciate the fact that they 58 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. can get a great deal of neat and tasteful decoration on their tables for a very modest sum’ compared with the cost of similar things ten years ago. Now, if you will come up to our showroom you may get some idea of the extent and variety of our decorations.” As they entered this large room on the top floor of the decorating department their eyes were met by a glittering array of colors and gold arlene imposed on the brilliant white background of the fine American porcelain, “ Here is where we keep all of our decorated goods prior to shipment,” said Mr, Burroughs, ‘* We have every piece carefully examined, and if there areany defects in the color or gold the pieces are set aside. As you may see, a great deal of our work is of the higher grade of what is called printed and filled-in patterns, a great eee nee ae ‘iA Pinkie many of which are superior to any freehand painted subjects that could be pur- chased for the same amount of money.” Anna was looking fondly at a pretty spray of natural flowers which was dainti- _ ly filled in with delicate tints, and she declared that it looked as though the painting amateurs would have to give up. ‘‘ Not at all,” said Mr. Burroughs. <‘‘ On the other hand, you should feel encour- aged to go on and try to excel in freehand painting, and especially in designing. There is plenty of work of that kind which could be done by clever women, and we could employ a number of them to good advantage, It frequently happens that we cannot find just enough of that class of skilled labor, especially in the winter season, when we are pushed with orders for holiday goods.” Just then Mrs. Kane. who had been on a short tour of investigation, came back and reported that she had discovered ‘‘ some beautiful mantel tiles,” as she designated them. KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. | mh i i il I fut ATT (LAT i ft Piste HR tH Dak i HM if pA SHOWROOM FOR DECORATED WARE, G0 THE POTTER'S WHEEL. “ Da you make tiles, too, Mr. Burroughs ?” asked Anna, eagerly. ‘“ Yes,” said he; ‘‘that isa new branch of our business that we have gone into, for the reason thas we are now making many of our smaller pieces out of dust.” ‘Out of dust?” excliimed Anna in surprise. ‘‘ Yes,” said Mr. Burroughs, ‘out of dust literally, I had almost forgotten that part of the work, and we will go down and see how it is done.” He led the way to a basement beneath the decorating shop, and there in a long room were several powerful screw presses operated by men who were moving as quickly and precisely as automatic machines. One of them had just scraped a quan- tity of damp, grey powder into a square iron box, and bringing the powerful screw down with all his strength he drove a smooth-square block of iron into the box, squeezing the mass together until it became a solid, compact square of clay about three-eighths of an inch in thickness. He then raised the screw by throwing the heavy handle backward, and placing his foot on a treadle beneath the press lifted out a beautifully polished tile. ‘* Now, these are fired and glazed the same as our other goods, and then they are decorated for mantel sets, bathrooms, wainscoting, and, in fact, any purpose for which tiles are usually made. We have not been making them for more than a year, but we have the supreme satisfaction of knowing that the people who use tiles pronounce them superior to any white tile now made, on account of the even and brilliant sur- face.” . Several smaller presses were at work making the beautiful scallop-edged individ- ual butters and fruit saucers belonging to the Limoges service, and it was quite a fascinating sight to the visitors to see the beautiful precision with which the presses did their work. ** What is this dust made of?’ asked Anna. “It is made of just the same materials as you saw in the mixing room combined in proper proportions, dried and reduced to powder, and then dampened so ae it will take form under the press,” said Mr. Burroughs in reply. Just as he spoke the whistles were blown from a dozen potteries, announcing the hour of six, and in a twinkling hundreds of men and women, boys and girls, were seen pouring out of the factory gates into the streets. It had grown quite dark before they reached tne office again, and John sug- gested that they should take their departure. After thanking both Mr Burroughs and Mr. Mountford for their exceptional kindness, the two ladies declared that it a1 was the most interesting day they had spent in years. When they got outside John assured his cousins that they had been specially fa- vored, as it was a rare thing for anyone to get an opportunity to go through all parts of a pottery, as potters are always very particular to guard their processes and methods with more or less secrecy. On their way home Anna made the remark that she had never before realized what an elaborate thing a plate was until that day, and Mrs. Kane said that she be- lieved sbe had just learned enough to make her feel discontented with what remained / KILN-DRAWING AND DECORATING. Ol of the china that she had prized so highly, and she wouldn’t have cared much if it had all been smashed. John smiled significantly when she made this gruesome re- mark, and it was not until the next afternoon that they di-covered the meaning of his smile. He had slyly gone to a crockery dealer and ordered a full dinner service of American porcelain to be sent to Mrs. Kane as a present to both his cousins. Of course they were highly pleased, and Ellen, the housemaid, ceased her wailing and moaning for the damage she had done, and declared that the new set should never go on the rheumatic table to be washed. FINIS. 62 THE POTTER S WHEEL. Ged Be ood alt STAFFORDSHIRE OF AMERICA. TRENTON, the capital of the State of New Jersey, has been known fora quarter of a century as the ‘Staffordshire of America,” having gained this title by fon number of large pcetteries established there since 1852. The city is delightfully located on the banks of the river Delaware, sixty miles from New York and thirty; miles from Philadelphia, and is reached by two trunk lines of railroad — the famous ‘‘ Pennsylvania,” through its United Railroads Division, concentrating four distinct lines of rail at this point, and running its splendidly equipped trains through Trenton almost hourly to accommodate a large and increasing number of visitors and buyers from all parts of the country. The first pottery in Trenton was started in the year 1852 on a very small scale, and from this beginning the number of large and important works has in-- creased to nineteen, with several smaller concerns operating on specialties, making the total number of potteries in Trenton twenty-four in all classes, producing a varied line of wares from the well-known Rockingham to the finest and most delicate porcelain. Nearly three millions of dollars are invested in the manufacture of crockery and china, and fully six thousand men, women and children find steady and remunerative employment in the various departments described in these pages, ? At the present time a large proportion of the product is decorated, and nearly THE STAFFORDSHIRE OF AMERICA. Go two hundred commercial travelers are employed in representing the various lines of goods from Maine to California. The Trenton potteries have shown their productions at Philadelphia in 1876, at New Orleans in 1884 and 1885, and at Boston and New York in the permanent or an- nual exhibitions held in those cities. The wages earned by the operatives enable them to live in comfort and comparative luxury. This condition of the working classes makes Trenton one of the most pleasant manufacturing cities in the United States, and its proximity to the great metropolis of the country gives the ‘‘Staffordshire of America” many superior ad vantages of business and social life, which are fully enjoyed by a large and influential class of citizens. STR Bronze Medal awarded to Messrs. Burroucus & Mountrorp, for superiority, by the Jury of Award, at the World’s Fair and Cotton Centennial, New Orleans, 1884-1885. expres: sing their Sullest confidence in the te of such a medium Ke and intelligent class of rea Jers. resentution, oe ‘Pheeh we can present their claims im “the readers, we remain, Yours truly, THE PUBLIS ‘ . oJ # US SEZ ET HS KLE a @WENTY-FIVE GENTS, t\ —— J, MARSCHING & CO., 2/ Park Place, conven or cacrar smn Nleyy ‘York, Beg to offer the Largest Variety in America of Mineral Colors, Fine Brushes, and all Materials for Cincinnati and Limoges Enameled . Faience, Longwy Relief, Underglaze, Porcelain and Glass Painting. 63 soo For Painting on Porcelain Earthenware, Ete. Prize Medals at International Exhibitions, PHILADELPHIA, - 1876. In Tubes like moist or oil colors PARES, = ae ready for use. Hey LACROIX’S PORTABLE KILN. A New Apparatus for the Automatic Firing of Paintings on China or Glass. Special attention of Artists and Amateurs is called to our LIQUID BRIGHT GOLD, FOR GILDING ON CHINA, EARTHENWARE, ETC: (Comes out of the Muffie bright and requires no burnishing.) Liquid Silver, Platinum and Lustres, Dry Burnish Gold, Bronzes, Silver and Platinum, Paste for Raised Gold, Aufsetzweiss, Etc. SEND FOR ILLUSTRATED PRICE LIST TO J. MARSCHING & CO., 27 Park Place, New York. — | Importers and Manufacturers of i FINE COLORS, ARTISTS’ MATERIALS, ETO.. Lustrous Metallic Colors and Iridescent Colored Spangles for Decorating and Painting on Velvet, Plush or other Textiles, and for Ornamenting Household Ornaments, all articles of Wood, Metal, Plaster of Paris, Frames, Etc. SOLE AGENTS FOR MARSCHING’S FRENCH GOLD PAINT. . FRENCH CHINA~— SQ ANUvActuRED BY E. GERARD, DUFRAISSEIX & MOREL, gaat France. JOO SSE LLCO : TEA-CUP ‘' OSIRIS.” “Isis” PLATE 8 ‘DECOR, 8701. | N O. AG GAGER & CO. Wholesale Agents for the United States and Canada, 29 BARCLAY STREET, NEW YORK. 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