Vernon Owens atarted Jugtown Pottery in 1922 in Seagrove, North Carolina. Jugtown is still in business today.
This is an example of a 1920’s mark:
The older vases can easily run into the 5 figures.
Another mark from a 4″ vase that sold for $280 in July 2009.
The 4″ vase had burgundy and green glaze and looked like this:
Kathy Jones was an artist with Rookwood pottery. I am not sure of the dates, but she definitely decorated in the 1929, an example of her signature is shown below.
Margaret Helen McDonald (Pullman) worked for Rookwood between 1913 and 1948. She decorated many lovely vellum vases. Her mark is “MM”, as shown below:
The mark, above is dated 1928.
Red Wing is a leader in Minnesota Pottery. Red Wing Collectors prize the salt glaze jugs. Beehive shapes and doubled handled jugs are always in demand.
Production began in Red Wing, Minnesota in 1861 by John Paul, a German potter. For the next 116 years, clay products were made commercially in the City of Red Wing by a number of companies and individuals, with a wide assortment of products.
RED WING Timeline:
1877 - Red Wing Stoneware Co founded
1894 - Joined Minnesota Stoneware Co & North Star Stoneware Co forming the Union Stoneware Co 1894
1900 - Minnesota Stoneware Co burned
1901 - Red Wing Stoneware Co burned
1906 - Union Stoneware Co dissolved
– Red Wing Stoneware Co & Minnesota Stoneware Co merged to become Red Wing Union Stoneware Co
1920 - Red Wing began making decorative pieces
1932 - Rumrill production began by Red Wing Union Stoneware, for George Rum Rill
1935 - Rum Rill mark was filed by Red Wing Union Stoneware Co
1936 - Red Wing Union Stoneware Co renamed to Red Wing Potteries, Inc
1947 - Stoneware production stopped by Red Wing
1967 - Out of Business
The Red Wing Potteries shut down its large factory in 1967. The company president, R.A. Gillmer kept the outlet store and some other significant assets, changed the name to Red Wing Pottery, and kept operating the retail operation. They began manufacturing Red Wing Pottery again. The company still remains with the third generation of the Gillmer family. The last remaining large factory building was sold to a developer who created Pottery Place Mall, which is unaffiliated with the Red Wing Pottery. It stands across the street.
Marks:
This mark dates from 1883-1906:
Martin Brothers (1873-1915) Art Pottery is best known for their eccentric, grotesquely modeled ‘Wally Birds’, wheel-thrown and sculpted face jugs, vases and other items in the Gothic Revival style. This Pig Jug is unique, and sold for $2,800 in May 2009. The jug measures 3.25″ tall & 3.25″ wide. It had a small fleabite.
Martin Brothers (1873-1915) was founded by Robert Wallace Martin (1843–1923), who had previously been educated at Lambeth School of Art and later at the Royal Academy of Art. He set up Martin Brothers with his younger brothers, Charles, Walter and Edwin Martin in Fulham. In 1877 the company moved to Southall. They made salt-glazed stoneware with Gothic Revival influences, known as ‘Martinware’. The Gothic Revival was an 18th century architectural style influenced by architecture of the Middle Ages.
Martin Brothers is known for their eccentric, grotesquely modeled ‘Wally Birds’, wheel-thrown and sculpted face jugs, vases and other items in the Gothic Revival style.
Martin Brothers Pottery Marks :
The Martin Brothers marked their products using incised signature marks and changed the mark when they moved their premises.
1873-1874 - with the address Fulham
1874-1878 - with London
1878-1879 - with Southall
1879-1915 - with London & Southall
After 1882 - the word Bros or Brothers was added
Examples:
Wheatley Pottery (1880-1927) Thomas J. Wheatley had worked in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the founders of the art pottery movement, including M. Louise McLaughlin of Rookwood. Wheatley made pottery in the sale style as Grueby Pottery. In about 1903 Wheatley started producing art pottery using matt green glaze. Wheatley developed a process for casting Grueby’s low-relief surface decoration using a mold. The architectural designs had vertical lines that concealed mold marks. The heavy, textured opaque glaze obscured any remaining mold marks. Wheatley also made hand modeled pottery.
T.J. Wheatley played a role in founding the Cincinnati Art Pottery in 1880, as well as T.J. Wheatley and Company, 1880-82, and the Wheatley Pottery Company with Isaac Kahn in 1903.
Wheatley didn’t experiment, but rather created molds very similar to patterns already known to be in demand by the public. Wheatley started producing garden pottery in “antique form” in ~1909. Like so many other factories, Wheatley’s plant was destroyed by fire in 1910. This is when production of Art Pottery ceased. Wheatley continued to manufacture garden pottery, and when Wheatley died in 1917 he was only making faience tiles, garden furniture, bird baths, vases and boxes.
Art pottery pieces from the Wheatley Pottery Company were signed with conjoined WP within a circle, either impressed or on an attached paper label. Architectural and faience products were signed “Wheatley” in block letters or with impressed catalog numbers.
In 1898, William Howson Taylor’s father, Edward Richard Taylor, the Principal at the Birmingham School of Art, founded The Ruskin Pottery, named after the artist & philosopher John Ruskin. William Howson Taylor took over Ruskin in 1912.The company experimented and created unique and beautiful glazes. The formulas were kept secret, and when William Howson Taylor died in 1935, the formulas were lost forever.
This mark is from ~1898:
Weller used a number of different marks …
This mark was used from the late 1900’s until just before 1925. This WELLER Weller Ware mark came from a Weller Hudson vase:
Frederick Rothenbusch was an artist at Rookwood in the early 1900’s. He created many lovely Vellum vases. This Rookwood Velum vase is signed “FR” - this is Frederick Rothenbusch’s signature. The Rookwood logo and Roman Numerals XII (1912), the letter V (for vellum), the artist’s signature/cipher, FR (Frederick Rothenbusch), and the production line number 1660, size D.
