American Ceramics
One of the most important companies in the history of American Art Pottery, Rookwood Pottery was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio by Maria Longworth Nichols in 1880. Known for its pioneering glazes and the artistry of its decorators, Rookwood gained international recognition early in its history and became the largest Art Pottery in the country, which continues to operate today.
Maria Longworth Nichols Storer
Born into a prominent landowning family in Cincinnati, Maria Longworth Nichols (later Storer), like many artistic women in the late 19th century, worked as a china painter in the 1870s primarily decorating porcelain with overglaze decoration.
Perhaps no event was more important to the establishment of Rookwood Pottery - or Art Pottery in America at large - than the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Pennsylvania. Nichols displayed her work at the fair, but more importantly took in inspiration from the displays of ceramics from Europe and Asia in addition to the varied cultural and botanical exhibitions.
After the fair, Nichols spent several years working and experimenting out of the kilns at Frederick Dallas Hamilton Road Pottery in Cincinnati, where she crossed paths with M. Louise McLaughlin, another trailblazing ceramicist who, after similarly finding inspiration in the decorative arts on display at the World's Fair, developed a new technique in 1877-78 to mimic the underglaze slip decoration displayed in booths like Haviland & Co. and Limoges. Fired at a lower temperature, McLaughlin's method allowed for a wider variety of decorative effects and colorful glazes to be achieved than in traditional overglaze decoration. Underglaze decoration was adopted by Nichols and many local ceramicists seeking to expand their artistic vision and, owing to its popularity in the region, came to be known as "Cincinnati Limoges."
In 1880, with new techniques under her belt and financial assistance from her father, Nichols established Rookwood Pottery, named after her family estate, atop the historic hilltop of Mt. Adams in Cincinnati. The company began to produce artistic pottery decorated with delicately rendered botanical motifs of native flora and fauna in the "Barbotine Ware" style popularized by McLaughlin and the World's Fair.
Advertisement for Rookwood Pottery, ca 1905.
A quintessentially American firm, Rookwood Pottery mainly utilized clay from the nearby Ohio River Valley in the early years of production which lent their wares a distinct yellow-orange hue owing to the rich mineral deposits in the region. The luminous tones of the early glaze developed by Rookwood, which became known as the Standard Glaze, only deepend the warmth of the tones of the underglaze decoration.
Greater command of materials and further experimentation led to new formulas for clay bodies in addition to the development of a series of innovative glazes - including Iris in ___, Sea Green in ___, and Vellum in 1904 -
earn the company worldwide recognition and set American Art Pottery on the world stage.
Rookwood first won a Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1889, an event which surprised many in the decorative arts community at the time who .... followed by the highest award possible at the World's Columbian exposition in Chicago in 1893 for ______. Rookwood won gold again at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo,in addition to the coveted Grand Prix at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris for a spectacular Black Iris vase decorated by Kataro Shirayamadani. They won an additional two Grand Prizes at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, including one for the Scenic Vellum glaze.
In 1925, Rookwood Pottery produced a film Uncommon Clay.
Learn more about the innovative developments at Rookwood in our feature: Rookwood's Glazes
A SELECTION OF ROOKWOOD'S ARTISTS
Rookwood's was known for the relative artistic freedom afforded to its decorators and designers. Though the company relied on a dedicated core of artists trained at the nearby Cicinnati Art Academy, Rookwood also attracted talented individuals from further afield - including Japanese artist Kataro Shirayamadani, whose stylistic influence was specifically sought by Nichols.
Artists at work at Rookwood Pottery, early 20th century
Image: Kenton County Public Library
Matthew Daly was one of the first two artists hired by Nichols.
Edward "Ed" Diers was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, training at the Industrial Art School and the Cincinnati Art Academy. He worked for Rookwood Pottery for several decades, specializing in scenes of the nearby Ohio River valley and the American West primarily in the Vellum glaze; his work is widely recognized today.
Fred Rothenbusch was known for his work depicting hazy landscapes in the Scenic Vellum glaze. A nephew of Albert Valentien, one of Rookwood’s most prolific artists, he was employed by the firm for over thirty years from 1896 to 1931.
Sara Sax
Carl Schmidt
Kataro Shirayamadani
Albert Valentien was instrumental to Rookwood's success. Hired along with Daly, he quickly became one of the firm's top decorators and taught many of those who came after him.
