Vol 13, Issue 2 September 2014 T RENTON POTTERIES

Newsletter of the Potteries of Trenton Society The East Trenton Company and the Anchor and Chain Motif by William B. Liebeknecht

he ship’s anchor and chain is a chor design and renamed the works T well-known decorative motif Anchor Pottery. Lacy expanded the found on yellow ware, Rockingham line of wares further to include semi- and ironstone granite china pitchers porcelain dinner ware, electrical and jugs during the last quarter of the porcelain and toilet wares. Following 19th century. This design was first pa- Lacy’s death in 1897 James E. Norris tented on October 26, 1869 by Freder- and Cyril Jones acquired the company ick Dellicker, (Figure 2), an employee and added ten kilns and employed of the East Trenton Porcelain Company 250 hands. In 1926 the factory once in Trenton, New Jersey.* Founded in again closed. A short time later the 1864, the company was operated as a factory was acquired by the Fulper corporation with Imlah Moore, a Pottery Company of Flemington, New wealthy merchant and entrepreneur, at Jersey, which was subsequently pur- the helm (Goldberg 1998:40). The East chased by Martin Stangl in 1929. Trenton Porcelain Company (Figure 1) The anchor and chain motif consisted of four factory buildings, was often copied by competitors who four kilns, 12 brick workers’ tenements made slight variations in an effort to and stables. Production of “white and avoid charges of patent infringement cream colored wares” commenced (Figures 3-7). Other companies about 1866. White in this case most Contents known to have used the anchor and likely refers to ironstone granite china, chain motif are the Speeler Pottery The East Trenton Porcelain while cream colored wares imply yel- Company (Trenton, NJ 1872-1878), Company and the Anchor and low ware, as was common in Trenton Joseph S. Mayer’s Arsenal Pottery Chain Motif at the time. An economic slump in the (Trenton, NJ 1876-1905), Edwin Ben- William B. Liebeknecht ...... 1 early 1870s resulted in the factory’s clo- nett (, MD 1846-1936) and Save the Date! ...... 2 sure. In January of 1873, Imlah Moore the South Carolina Pottery Company reclaimed the pottery complex at a (Eureka and Trenton, SC 1885-1887) Craftsman Farms Hosts sheriff’s sale and turned the operations (Steen 2001: 226-228; Dexter, 2012). Spotlight on Pottery...... 5 over to his son Joseph H. Moore who *As an interesting aside Frederick expanded the line to include parian Dellicker named one of his daughters Im- and biscuit wares (Hunter Research lah Moore Dellicker, which might be evi- and Potteries of Trenton Society 2013). dence of a closer relationship between the The Potteries of Trenton Society is a non -profit organization dedicated to the While under Joseph’s watch the com- two men than can be currently discerned study and preservation of Trenton’s pany won a medal at the 1876 Centen- from the historical records (Ancestry.com ceramic past. Officers: President— nial Exhibit in . 2014). The unisex name Imlah is from the Patricia Madrigal; Treasurer—Jay Lewis; Secretary—Brenda Springsted. In 1884 the company was sold Bible and means “is full, or whom God Board: Ellen Denker, Richard Hunter, again at a sheriff’s sale, this time to Is- will replenish; plentitude.” Meta Janowitz, Jay Lewis, Emma Lewis, William Liebeknecht, Brenda Spring- rael Lacy who appears to have taken sted, Rebecca White. Newsletter Editor: advantage of the popularity of the an- (Continued on page 2) Patricia Madrigal Page 2 Trenton Potteries Vol 13, Issue 2

Figure 1. Lathrop 1905, Atlas of the City of Trenton, Plate 15. Anchor Pottery circled .

(Continued from page 1) Lathrop, J.M. References 1905 Atlas of the City of Trenton, Plate 15. Ancestry.com 2014 http://records.ancestry.com/ Hunter Research and the Potteries of imlah_moore_dellicker_records.ashx? Trenton Society pid=139145776 2013 The Trenton Potteries Database. Dig- Accessed 6/24/2014. ital edition.

Dexter, Gary Steen, Carl 2012 Personal communication. 2001 “Industrial Pottery in the Old Edgefield District.” In Ceramics in America Goldberg, David 2001, Edited by Robert Hunter. 1998 Potteries The Story of Trenton’s Ce- ramic Industry, Preliminary Notes on the Patent Office Pioneer Potters and Potteries of Trenton, New 1869 Frederick Dellicker of Trenton, Jersey, The first Thirty Years – 1852-1882 New Jersey, Assignor to the East Trenton (And Beyond). Trenton, New Jersey. Porcelain Company.

Save the Date!

The Potteries of Trenton Society 2015 Spring Ceramic Symposium will be held on Saturday, April 18 in the Auditorium of the New Jersey State Museum. We are in the early planning stages of the program and will send registration information in January. Trenton Potteries Vol 13, Issue 2 Page 3

Figure 2. Patent for the design of an anchor, 1869. Page 4 Trenton Potteries Vol 13, Issue 2

Figure 3, Anchor and chain pitchers, Speeler Pottery Company (Trenton, NJ 1872 -1878). Jay Lewis collec- tion.

Figure 4. Two pitchers Figure 5. An- from the Speeler Pot- chor and chain tery Company motif, Joseph S. (Trenton, NJ 1872- 1878) showing the Mayer’s Arse- anchor and chain in nal Pottery different sizes. Jay (Trenton, NJ Lewis collection. 1876-1905). Jay Lewis col- lection.

Figure 6. Edwin Bennett (Baltimore, MD 1846-1936). Jay Lewis collection.

Figure 7. South Carolina Pottery Company (Eureka and Trenton, SC 1885-1887). Gary Dexter collection. Trenton Potteries Vol 13, Issue 2 Page 5

Craftsman Farms Hosts Spotlight on Pottery ottery will be the focus of an up- oversees the auction house that bears P coming program on Saturday, his name and sells privately in the September 6 at 4:00 p.m. at The Stick- field. He is an author who lectures na- ley Museum at Craftsman Farms. This tionally and an expert appraiser for the sequel to last year’s panel discussion hit PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, on Mr. Stickley’s Style, which where he specializes in decorative ce- launched a new tour of the same name, ramics and porcelain. will feature distinguished guests Ted Lytwyn and his wife, Cara David Rago, founder of The Rago Arts Corbo, have been collecting pottery for and Auction Center and avid pottery about 35 years. The main focus of their collector Ted Lytwyn in a discussion collection is hand thrown vessels that with moderator Mitch Codding, Vice rely on glaze treatment for decoration. President of The Craftsman Farms Represented in the collection are the Foundation. Pewabic Pottery, Durant Kilns (Leon With the spotlight on pottery Volkmar), William J. Walley and Oscar and Arts and Crafts, program topics Louis Bachelder, among others. will include potteries favored by Stick- Mitchell Codding is the execu- ley, guidance on building pottery col- tive director of The Hispanic Society of lections, and Stickley’s own strategies America, an art museum and research for the display of pottery in the home. library in New York City dedicated to The program, which is funded the study of the arts and cultures of by a generous grant from the Arts & Spain and Latin America. He has col- Crafts Research Fund, will include lected American art pottery and tiles time for a Q & A, and will end with a for 20 years. light reception. $10 Member; $12 Non ------Members. Advance reservation re- Craftsman Farms, the former home of noted quired. designer Gustav Stickley, is owned by the For more information or to pur- Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills and is op- erated as The Stickley Museum at Craftsman chase tickets, interested parties may Farms by The Craftsman Farms Foundation, call 973.540.0311 or visit Stickley- Inc. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for- Museum.org. The Museum’s regular profit organization incorporated in the State of hours are Thursday through Sunday, New Jersey. Restoration of the National Histor- from 12 to 4 p.m. year round, with ic Landmark, Craftsman Farms, is made possi- tours hourly from 12:15 – 3:15 p.m. The ble, in part, by a Save America’s Treasures entrance is located at the intersection Grant administered by the National Parks Ser- of Manor Lane and Route 10 West in vice, Department of the Interior, and by sup- port from Morris County Preservation Trust, Morris Plains, New Jersey. Standard The New Jersey Historic Trust, and individual admission is Free for Members; $10 for members. The Craftsman Farms Foundation Adults; $5 for Seniors and Students; $4 received an operating grant from the New Jer- for Children. sey Historical Commission. The Craftsman Participant Biographies: Farms Foundation gratefully acknowledges a At the age of sixteen, David grant from the New Jersey Cultural Trust. Ed- Rago began dealing in American deco- ucational programs are funded, in part, by rative ceramics at a flea market in his grants from the Arts & Crafts Research Fund. home state of New Jersey. Today, he

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