CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

CALIFORNIA ART POTTERY,

1895-1920

A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Maste~ of Arts in

Art

by

Jeffrey Allen Herr

Januar:y 1988 The Thesis of Jeffrey Allen Herr is approved:

- . ------~ .

M[.J... -+·K~~on '..::..:..J. 1 ..o....JJ-~-ea~e-1~L. Ct ......

California State Universi~y, Northridge

i i For lilma

iii . the art of the potter is not merely interesti~g; it is fascinating; it bewitches and captivates all those who betray any desire for knowledge in any of its branches.

Frederick Hurten Rhead

iv ACKNOWLEDGE:tt'.£NT S

Contrib~tions from many individuals have made ~~is

thesis a reality. I am, foremost, indebted to 1ny comrnittee,

M. Kenan Breazeale, Louise Lewis and Phil ~Orrison for the

timely and pertinent advice, willingly given. They t.ave been

invaluable asseLs contributing to the ideas expressed herein.

The assistance of the University Inter-Library Loan

Department staff has been indispensable. Their efficient and tireless help in locating obscure material made researching this project much easier.

Additionally, I would like to note with appreciation the

support given by my friends . . especially to Allen and

Eileen Herr for their encouragement. It is also a pleasu~e to recognize the reassurance extended by Bill Alban, Paul.

Wilhoit and Dorothy and Charles Miller. I am particularly indebted to Imie Lane Camelli and Christopher Sales for thei~ crucial assistance in the final stage of this project.

I-''"eqrettably, it is impossible to list every na;1ie but rr;y g~atitude is extended to all who played a role in this effort. Thank you.

Jeffrey Herr

v CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGE~11ENTS ••••••••••.•••••••••••••.•.••.•.•••••..•• v

LIST OF PLATES •••••.•.••••.•••••.•.•••••••.••.•.••••.•••• vii

ABSTR..A.CT ••.••••...•••.•.•••••••.••.•••••...•••••..••••••. viii

INTRODUCTION •••••••.•.••••••••••••••••.•••••.••••••••••.• 1

Chaoter 1 ...... 3 ~BACKGROUND INFOR111ATION ..••••••••••••••.•••••.•••••.•• 3 The British Arts and Crafts Movement ...... 3 The American Arts and Crafts Movement ...... 5 Jl...meric.an Arts and Crafts Pottery ...... 8

Chapter 2 ...... 12 A..."'ZT POTTERY: DE~-'INITION .•.•.••.••.••••.•..•••.•.••• 12

Chapter 3 ...... 19 CALIFORNIA ART POTTERY: DEFINITION •...•••••..•••. 19

Chapter 4 ...... 27 CALIFO?.NIA .ART POTTERY OPER..A.TIONS ••.••..•.••••••••••• 27 Stockton Art Pottery ...... 29 Roblin Art Pottery ...... 34 Redlands Pot.tery ...... 39 Batchelder Tile Company ...... 43 Halcyon Art Pottery ...... 48 Arequipa Pottery ...... 51 Valentien Pottery ...... 55 Alberhill Pottery ...... 59 Grand Feu Art Pottery ...... 63 Markham Pottery ...... 66 Rhead Pottery ...... 70 California Faience ...... 75

CONCLUSION ••••••..•...•.•..•••..•••.•.....••••••....• , .. , 78

PLATE CREDITS ••.•..•••••..••.••..••.•.•••••..•..•.•.•.•.• 80

BIBLIOGRJ\.PEY •••••••••..••.••••••••••..••...••••.•••.••.•• 81

INDEX ..•.•••.....••..••...•.•••...... •...... •••• 90

vi LIST OF PLATES

I Map: California Art Pottery Operations 28 II Stockton Art Pottery 33 III Roblin Art Pottery 38 IV Redlands Pottery 42 v Batchelder Tile Company . 47 VI Halcyon Art Pottery . 50 VII Arequipa Pottery 54 VIII Valentien Art Pottery . 58 IX Alberhill Pottery 62 X Grand Feu Pottery 65 XI Markham Pottery . 69

'7/.i XII Rhead Pottery . . . I - XIII California Faience 77

vii ABSTRACT

CALIFORNIA ART POTTERY,

1895-1920

by

Jeffrey Allen Herr

Master of Arts in Art

The origins of California art pottery produced during the A~ts and Crafts movement (1876-1916) are relatively

obscure when compared to the better known art potteries east

of the Mississippi River. Even so, it is clear that

California potters cre~ted a unique art pottery of superior quality.

Although subjected to the same influence, primarily Arts and Crafts philosophy, California art pottery has a different sensibi!ity. It is one that re~lects the emigrant backgrounds of the potters, their preoccupation with the domina~t Cal~fornia landscape and their efforts to promote

Cali r-·o:rz·l_i a

V'i i i This special set of circumstances made California art pottery possible. It is this same set of circumstances that gives it a viable place in the chronicle of Arts and Crafts art pottery.

ix INTRODUCTION

The quantity of California art pottery produced during

the Arts and Crafts era is relatively small compared to the

prolific output of art pottery operations located east of the

Mississippi River. It has, consequently, received a

proportionately smaller amount of attention. However, as

more pieces find their way into collections, it becomes

increasingly obvious that the quality of California art

pottery equals the best of its east coast and midwest

counterparts. It deserves more recognition than has been

accorded by past research.

Although geographically remote from the eastern Uni~ed

States, California art potters were directly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, adhering to many of its tenets.

They were also indirectly influenced by eastern art pott2ry production. Due, in part, to vast native clay and mineral deposits, and a burgeoning industrial cerawic industry,

California provided an ideal situation for art potters.

Impelled by the American Arts and Crafts movernent, these potters used this opportunity to create ar~ pottery with its own ~nique flavor.

A major obstacle in defining art pottery is an indiscri~inate use of the term to designace almost any clay vessel used for decorative purposes, produced during an unspecified period of time. A formal or stylistic definition is also inadequate. The philosophy that guided ~he Arts and

l Crafts movement must be included because it had an impact that determined the 'look' of art pottery. Within this paper, the term will be restricted to art pottery made during the Arts and Crafts era (approximately 1875 to 1920) with the additional provision that it incorporate aesthetic criteria demanded by Arts and Crafts philosophy.

The term 'pottery' can be correctly used to designate both the clay vessel and the place of origin. In the interests of clarity, 'pottery', used within this text, will refer only to the clay vessel. The term 'operation' or 'art pottery operation' will be used to identify the place where the clay vessel was made.

The role of California art pottery that falls within the scope of this definition poses many questions. l\_nswers, in the absence of very much information, are difficult to come by. Initially, however, it must be understood in the context of the Arts and Crafts movement. Therefore, a brief review of the Br·itis11 and Arne:-cican Arts and Cra.fts mc)vernents is necessary before a definition of art pottery can be attempted. Having done this, it will then be possible to gain a clearer understanding of California art pottery. Chapter 1

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The British Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts movement originated in nineteenth

century England as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution.

Among the first, and certainly the most influential, to react

against the harmful influence of the Industrial Revolution

was Thomas Carlyle. His writings condemned shoddily made

consumer goods and substandard working conditions. Reformers

follo~ing Carlyle found an antidote in emulating the craft

guilds of medieval Europe; a pre-industrial era when r:.he joy

of labor was consummated by the creation of useful items

designed and made by an individual. This idealized view of

medievalism resulted in agitation for social and aesthetic

reform in England. Socially, it engendered a concern for the

welfare of the co~~on worker. Aesthetically, it set out to

completely change popular attitudes by 2.ttemptir:.g raise

the status of 'craft' to a position equaling that of fine

-. -y-of­ Q_J... ~-.

Victorian scholar and polymath John Ruskin, ~N'ho vJrote,

lectured and painted, also had an active interest in botany,

geology and politics. This wide range of interests, and the

urge to educate his contemporaries, fostered his criticism of

British society and all the arts. He believed that this

society had cast off spirituality in favor of a mechanical, materialistic universe. Consequently, Ruskin \

3 subs~itute nature for divine unity. The effort to harmonize

society with nature soon led to criticism of industrial

progress and the subsequent indictment of all factory made

decorative objects that denied the assembly line laborer the

satisfaction in pride of accomplishment. This social

criticism was always linked to art. In fact, he judged

society by the quality of art it produced. His negative

assessment of Victorian art caused Ruskin to take on the task

of changing the society in which he lived.

John Ruskin 1 s socialist views and art criticism found a

sympathetic ear in William Morris, the guiding spirit of the

British Arts and Crafts movement. As both designer and

socialist, he insisted on aesthetic dignity in the most

insignificant aspects of everyday life which, in turn, gave

human dignity. Morris 1 socialism was based on the ideal of

labor as enjoyable handicraft with the laborer in control and

not the machine. Morris, like "Ruskin idealized the ~liddle

Ages and tried to revive medieval craftsmanship to produce a

more honest and aesthetically pleasing product. He partly

succeeded with the establishment of his own firm which

produced everything from furniture to wallpaper and from

fabrics to books.

The effort to revitalize social attitudes towards labor

and aesthetics met with limited success. Morris 1 firm did

not become the hoped-for example: that is, as a catalyst in

the revolution for the manufacture of des~gned objects.

First, it was impossible to reinstate a medieval system of

4 agrarian barter economy on industrialized wage earners.

Second, items produced by Morris' methods required labor

intensive handwork and were, thus, expensive. Consequently,

those to benefit from these superior, handcrafted goods were

the wealthy while the cotni'llon worker was denied the

opportunity to either make or buy that which \·muld help

restore his spiritual wholeness.

The American Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arnerican Arts and Crafts movement -vras a direct

outgrowth of the British movement. The writings of Ruskin

and the designs of Morris played an indispensable role in

stimulating the American movement. The major difference

between the two movements is the lack of emphasis Americans

placed on the social aspects that were so important to the

British. The American movement anchored itself to a crafts

aesthetic that was reiterated by the many crafts societies

and magazines that were responsible for its growth.

The F-_merican Arts and Crafts movement is generally dated

from 1876 through 1920. It began with the Philadelphia

Centennial Exposition of 1876 which introduced the decorative

art of William Morris and Company to the ft_merican public.

The embarrassment caused by the comparative inferiority of

~~erican design to British design became a catalyst for

improvement in the applied arts; one that was aesthetic, not socialist, in nature. It sought to revive handicraft and

5 improve the design of industrially produced objects. At its

broadest, the movement even influenced city planning. It

flourished until the start of World War I, although Arts and

Crafts inspired objects continued to be produced for another

decade.

The Arts and Crafts movement had a broad impact in

F~erica, ~agazines becoming the chief means of disseminating

its ideals. The most influential of these was The Craftsman,

edit~d by Gustav Stickley. Stickley's primary purpose was

education and his ideas, as expressed in The Craftsman, were

responsible for the focus of the American movement on

craftsmanship. Interestingly, the majority of magazine

articles, however, were written by women. They contributed

numerous articles to The Craftsman as well as magazines such

as Ladies Home Journal and Good Housekeepina. Jhe_Kerami..c_

Studio, a magazine for potters, was edited and published by 1 Adelaide }\lsop Robineau, a pioneer studio potter. These

served to disseminate information and provide the enthusiasm

that maintained the momentum of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The primary effect of the American Arts and Crafts

movement was the simplification of form in utilitarian items

and architecture. Gustav Stickley, " ... determined to

adhere strictly to simplicity of plan [and] to express ----·------1. Women also authored books to aid the novice, especially in the area of ceramics. Of particular note is Mary Louise HcLaughlin' s Pottery Decorat 1 on .J.lnder the Glaze (1880) and Susan Frackelton's Tried by Fire (1886). Both were excellent potters.

6 ,2 construction frankly . . The result was a product

that could be integrated aesthetically into one's

environment. It emphasized craftsmanship, durability and

truth to materials in items ranging from vases to house

plans. Briefly stated, the principles underlying the

movement are,

. . . the prominence of the structural idea, by which means an object frankly states the purpose for which it is intended. . . . The second characteristic of this new art . . . is the absence of applied ornament, of all decoration that disguises or impairs the construction features. Third is the strict fitting of all v1ork to the medium in which it is executed; the development of all possibilities of color, texture and substances; the choice being dependent upon the beauty, without regard to the intrinsic value of the material 3 employed.

The elimination of Victorian clutter to create a more healthful environment was an attempt to rehabilitate the wholesomeness of pre-industrial values.

The American effort also sought to unify the fine and applied arts. Rather than forsake machine technology, it sought to bring a higher standard of quality to all industrially produced objects through an enli-ghtened and honest integration of machine and hand labor. Reinstating

2. Barry Sanders, ed., The Craftsman: ]\n 1\nthology (Santa Barbara, California: Peregrine Smith, 1978), 116. 3. Sargent, Irene, "A Recent Arts and Crafts Exhibition," The Craftsman, May 1903: 71.

7 the personal contact between worker and object would

rejuvenate the process of labor and in so doing affect the

entire society on every economic level.

The American Arts and Crafts movement was successful for two reasons. First, it was able to actively involve a growing middle class. People were not only able to participate by purchasing, they were also educated to participate through guilds, crafts societies and summer schools. This meant that the average consumer could, either by making or purchasing Arts and Crafts goods, participate in and experience the reviving effects of handcraftsmanship.

The second reason was the activity of women who promoted the movement by organizing guilds and craft societies and through writing and publication. Less spectacular perhaps than the utopian colonies of Byrdcliff or Roycroft, nevertheless, these women 1 s organizations had an intense impact on encouraging public involvement. They also provided the training necessary to make that involvement productive and satisfying.

American Arts and Crafts Pottery

Art Pottery played a major role in the ~nerican Arts and

Crafts movement from 1875 to 1920. Guild activity guaranteed widespread participation in its production and the influence of the movement through its growth should not be

8 4 underestimated. Robert Judson Clark goes so far as to say

that, "experiments in art pottery provided the beginning and

the most consistent stylistic development, of the Arts and 5 Crafts movement in America." Credit for this development,

by and large, belongs to women.

The birthplace of art pottery was Cincinnati, Ohio where

a women's art movement already existed. Women china painters

from this area who had exhibited at the 1876 Centennial

Exposition saw the ceramics of the British, French and

-Japanese. Perceiving the.superiority of the foreign pottery

to their handpainted china, many returned home determined to

expand their skills. Those who began to work with clay did

so with integrity and professional accomplishment equaling

and often bettering their male counterparts.

Mary Louise McLaughlin and Rockwood Pottery operation

founder Maria Longworth Nichols Storer are but two who

contributed greatly to the development of art pottery.

Equally important, but less 'fdell known, are Pauline ,Jacobus

(Pauline Pottery), whose pottery retailed at Tiffany & Co.

and Mary Chase Perry (Pewabic Pottery) who enjoyed the patronage of the eminent collector Charles Lang Freer. Yet a:-:other example is Laura Fry, a Rockwood teacher and decorator. Experiencing the need to create soft color --·------· 4. Isabelle Anscombe and Charlotte Gere, Arts~ krafts in pritain_Qitd &~er~Q (London: Academy Editions, 1978) 1 33 • 5. Robert Judson Clark, The Arts 2nd Crafts t'lovpme_nt. ___l_;-:;_ Mr.le..ri.cs"-'---_1_8 7 6 - 19J...6. (Princeton, Ne~v Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1972), 7.

9 transitions on backgrounds, she invented the technique of

using an atomizer to spray the slip on the clay body. This

created a hazy atmospheric effect and was so successful that

it was used extensively by most operations in the Ohio

valley. Many more such examples could be cited but the point

to be made is that these women provided a substantial part of

the foundation for art pottery development.

Not all social reform was erased from the American Arts

and Crafts movement. The attempt made by some to relate art

pottery to social needs manifested itself in an effort to

improve the problem of suitable employment for women.

Newcomb College in New Orleans was founded for the express

purpose of providing practical training in art pottery for

women. Funded by Mrs. Josephine Nmv-comb and implemented by

Julia Ward Howe, Newcomb Pottery based their designs on

indigenous southern plants creating a very distinctive art pottery of exceptionally high quality. The Paul Revere

Pottery operation (aka Saturday Evening Girls) was also

started for the benefit of women by Miss Edith Brown. The aim was to provide an agreeable work atmosphere in a financially successful industry to enable young women from poor immigrant families an opportunity to earn a respectable living. Pottery was chosen because the demand created by the

Arts and Crafts movement somewhat insured its success. The pottery sold well and throughout its existence employed over two hundred women.

10 Art pottery production did not limit itself to the

geographic boundaries of the Ohio valley. In Boston, William

Grueby began experiments producing a matte glaze which

expressed and accentuated the simplicity of form valued by

the Arts and Crafts movement. The Fulper pottery in

Flemington, New Jersey created a pottery whose decoration was

based on use of glaze rather than a painted design. In the

south, Newcomb College provided a training center that

maintained high standards and produced a very distinctive art

pottery. Former Rockwood decorator, Artus Van Briggle opened

a pottery in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1901. California

"1as no ezception and a number of art pottery operations

appeared there as well.

Art pottery production grew in popularity to the extent

that it was produced virtually everywhere there was a

suitable situation for its fabrication. "Inventive

craftsmanship and dedicated perfectionism makes &~erican art pottery one of the most fascinating phenomena of the Arts and

Crafts Hovement, just as a very American balance of handcrafted and industrial methods in its production made it 6 one of the most successful." It is, perhaps, this same appeal that has generated current interest in the k~erican

Arts and Crafts movement and the art pottery it produced.

6. John Loring, "Ainerican Art Pottery, " Connoisseur:, P~P r i l 1 9 7 9 : 2 8 3 .

11 Chapter 2

ART POTTERY: DEFINITION

The definition of art pottery is a complex issue. Art

pottery .is often confused T,.;ith the commercial ware produced

during the same time; ware that used industrial technology to

mimic art pottery. The difference is due primarily to Arts

and Crafts philosophy which influenced form, decoration and

methods of production. Philosophy also defined taste, an

overriding consideration in the look of the finished piece of

art pottery. These combined factors defined art pottery.

The Arts and Crafts movement was a reform movement; one

of anti-industrial sentiment. It repudiated the alienation

of the maker from his work brought on by machine technology.

It also sought to establish an equality between the artist and artisan and thereby erase the line between fine and applied art. Another aspect rejected the excessive ornamentation of the Victorian era glorifying, instead, simple undecorated forms. Seen in these terms, the Arts and

Crafts movement reacted against very specific Victorian traits to produce a style that it thought superior; one that could promote harmony between an individual and that individual's spiritual nature.

Applied to art pottery, these reforms manifested themselves in several direct ways. The first was in the production of pottery as art. Each piece was considered unique even though many of the forms were reproduced using

12 molds. Care in handfinishing, emphasizing either underglaze­ slip or shape and glaze decoration distinguished it from the industrially produced pottery. Art pottery also bears a formalized cipher that sometimes includes the signature of the decorator or potter. In every case, the intention to produce art was the motivating force in the creation of the piece.

The reform ideal of the movement also manifested itself in the methods of production. Generally, art pottery was the product of small operations or of individuals. The Arts and

Crafts emphasis on equality of artist and artisan gave rise to the common method of production by division of labor in most of the small factories. This method could involve as many as three people: one to form the pot, another to create the glaze and a third to execute the decoration. Exceptions to this practice evolved as potters continued to develop their expertise. Many began to take control of the complete process themselves. The choice depended on the potter's own philosophy. If, like Pauline Jacobus, one felt the artistic value of the piece was in the glaze, there was no point in performing the mundane task of throwing the pot when the time could be better spent experimenting with creating new glazes.

The most coTILmon definition of art pott.ery is that it was produced primarily for decorative purposes. To this, one must add that art pottery 'ivas also a decorative reform, subject to the taste of the Arts and Crafts movement. The first American efforts relied heavily on European models but

13 once the techniques had been mastered, there was an obvious

effort on the part of American potters to disassociate

themselves from their English and French predecessors.

American potters aimed at developing art pottery to fulfill a

functional and decorative need; imperatives most commonly

realized in the vessel form. "Vases were unabashedly vases,

and almost everything produced had some relatively mundane 7 household function." The most important stylistic change,

however, was a rejection of the over decorated Victorian

forms in favor of a simplicity that was reinforced by the

popularity of monochrome glazes introduced by William H.

Grueby. The superiority of the Arts and Crafts art pottery

was a triumph for the potter.

Because of its reform nature, art pottery directly

attacked the issue of taste. Arts and Crafts philosophy saw

Victorian taste as lacking in good aesthetic sensibility.

They saw it as overly decorated and pragmatically nonfunctional and thus, the epitome of poor craftsmanship.

Promoters of Arts and Crafts aesthetics were opinionated and dictated taste in a very conscious manner. Jonathan Rawson

illustrates this bias in a 1912 House Beautiful article on

7. Ulysses G. Dietz, The Newark Museum f:Qllactiml of Amer-i r.an Art_ PQ.t~tery (Salt Lake City: Gibbs lvi. Smith, Inc., Peregrine Smith Books, 1984), 10.

14 art pottery by saying:

strained efforts for high colors or freakish effects have rarely been permitted to find their way into showrooms or the exhibitions where it was known in advance they woul4 find no welcome. All that is said here applies to what is commonly known as art pottery or that used chiefly for household adornment, and not to the more utilitarian lines such as tableware, which is commonly known to the layman as china, although pottery is the 3orrect commercial term for both lines.

This strong backlash against Victorian sensibility provided

the staying power of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Taste was overwhelmingly defined by the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement. An object could not be both aesthetically pleasing and nonfunctional. In keeping with the tenor of the movement, Frederick H. Rhead proclaims that,

"a beautiful shape is one that best serves the purpose for r.v-hich it was designed. If a pitcher will pour well without dripping at the spout, if the handle is comfortable to hold, and the vessel wide at the top, making it easily accessible for cleaning purposes, it will be a beautiful pitcher." 9

This attitude is, perhaps, more radical than most when forming criteria for aesthetic beauty. However, most writers presented their opinions dogmatically. They had no choice

8. Jonathan A. Rawson, Jr., "Recent Arnerican Pottery," House Bea:Jt i fu l , April 1912: 14 8. 9. Frederick H. Rhead, "Shape Construction and Design," The Po~r, December 1916: 29.

15 when discussing TRUTH and RIGHTNESS. In a brief two part

article titled "Good Taste and Bad Taste in Bric-a-Brac,"

Sarah Wood Safford demonstrates some of the invective used

against the overly decorated European designs the Arts and

Crafts movement deplored. Originally printed in Ladies Home

Journal and reprinted in Pottery and Glass World, she compares the simplified forms of the Arts and Crafts movement with the ornate European forms in less than diplomatic language. Some excerpts follow:

A."R..TS AND CRAFTS VICTORIAN

This vase is tall enough for Doesn't this seem an 1ong-stem.rned flowers or atrocity? -- twisted, ferns, and is lovely enough meaningless handles, bad, to exist, even if it could unnecessary feet, and the not stand the utility test - decoration a disorderly - as it can. Fine in shape, arrangement of gold scrolls exquisite in texture, the and red poppies. It is far glaze being semi-matt, from being a thing of beauty almost a vellum quality, and itself and would quite its color the light gray­ "kill" any unfortunate blue-green of the sea, with flowe~s put in it. This somehow the warmth of the kind of vase takes up room sun let in. that it has no right to.

16 continued

This vase is pleasing in This vase will not stand color, having for a body either the beauty or the tone a light celadon green. utility test, and therefore The snow-capped pine branch, has no right to exist .. which forms its only Its gold base and handles decoration, is painted in and fussy filigree "all­ dull blue, and the snow, over" pattern in gold done in raised white enamel, glittered and glistened, makes a design in relief. while the lifelike peaches This sort of vase is appealed to those who favor splendid in shape -- ideal realism. If you have for flowers with straight anything in your home stems .... It gives the belonging to this class of flowers a square deal. Would bric-a-brac let it fall they get it with any of accidentally -- and break these opposite neighbors? into a hundred pieces! Do . When we learn to buy not allow yourself or with thought of fitness to children to associate with position and to purpose, our such an unbeautiful homes will have greater influence. There is danger dignity and beauty and in gettirg used to bad restful charm. things.

The anti-industrial reaction, which saw good design as an

an·tidote for the evils of an anxiety-ridden industrial

society, now included taste defined by the principles of the

Arts and Crafts movement. The very health of the individual

depended on an adherence to good taste which was the

antithesis of Victorian kitsch.

Although the Arts and Crafts movement wished to

eliminate the excessive decoration of Victorian design, it

did not always succeed, especially with art pottery. By the

end of the era however, it had done a fairly thorough job.

Who would not capitulate when the demands were so vehement?

One New York decorator went so far as to say that, ----- 10. Sarah li.Jood Safford, "Good Taste and Bad Taste in Bric-a-Brac," Glass___ 3~D1i PQttery \i.Q.J:ld, September 1907: 16.

17 "inartistic homes ruin our manners and morals and wreck our 11 nervous systems." Those attuned to the Arts and Crafts

idea of the home as sanctuary could restore spiritual wholeness to everyday life through the use and appreciation

of beautifully crafted, functional items. All components, pottery included, were important, because to be completely successful, the effect had to encompass the total environment.

11. Wendy Kaplan, "The Art That Is Life"; The Arts & Crafts ~'Io_y_ament in ."1\rnerica, 1875-1920 (Boston: Little, Brm.m & Company, 1987), 220.

18 Chapter 3

CALIFORNIA AET POTTERY: DEFINITION

Where does California art pottery fit into the picture

of American art pottery? The former was produced between

1895 and 1920 although some have dated its debut as early as 12 the 1880's lasting until the 1930's. Bancroft, in his

Historv of California, mentions coarse pottery production in

several places including San Francisco as early as 1798 but

this is obviously an antecedent to the art pottery 13 movement. Edwin A. Barber, in his 1904 Marks of American

.&:otters, mentions only one California art pott.ery; Roblin.

In a series of articles on American art pottery, tv'Iarcus

Benjamin mentions only the Linna Irelan pottery of San ' 14 Franclsco. Documentation of ar~ pottery production in

California is scarce.

12. Paul S. Donhauser, Historv of A.rns:;rican Ceramics;_ _Th~_s_ructio Potter (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co., 197 8) 1 2 • 13. Hubert Howe Bancroft, H.isl:Qry of _c_alifornia, reprint (Santa Barbara, California: Wallace Hebberd, 1963), val. 1, 618. 14. The material for this series of articles was gathered in the summer of 1905 but not published until early in 1907. Yet the Roblin Art Pottery of San Francisco, a collaborative effort of Linna V. Irelan and Alexander W. Eobertson, was completely destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and subsequently went out of business. Irelan, who was active in arts and crafts circles, could conceivably have produced post earthquake potte~y. However, it seems more likely that Benjamin's infor2ation was faulty on this point and the pottery in question is actually the Roblin Art Pottery.

19 What emerged as art pottery in California did not do so

with ease. California was still comparatively undeveloped in

1900, thus the 'lesser' arts usually suffered from lack of

attention. In recounting the efforts leading to Roblin's

first kiln firing, Linna Irelan says, "encouragement we had 15 none." A general want of encouragement is partly

responsible for the personality of California art pottery.

Unique elements in California art pottery came from

several sources. One was the irr®igrant status of the various potters, each reflecting inherited stylistic elements in their vmrk. Another pertained to the art potteries themselves. Smaller in number and output then their east

coast counterparts, they were able to pay greater attention to each individual piece of pottery. Greater diversity was

also the result of geographic isolation which forced

California art potters to work outside the mainstream of Arts and Crafts influence. Additionally, their Renaissance nature meant designs were adapted from an extensive artistic vocabulary.

Neither can California art pottery be divorced from the industrial context in which much of it existed. Vast clay and mineral deposits made California a natural area for pottery production of all kinds. In her report for the state mineralogist in 1889, Linna Irelan notes that, "California is rich in large deposits of all kinds of materials required for

15. Linna Irelan, "California's ~ew- Industry, Art Pottery," The San Fr...a.ncisco Call, 15 June 1899: 19.

20 16 making numerous different wares of all grades." These

clays and minerals were an important factor for the potters

v1ho ~vanted to make a product with native materials, a desire

that echoed Arts and Crafts tenets.

Actually, clay was big.business in California. By 1921

the Los Angeles Ti~s. reported that, "a greater supply of

commercial clays will be dra1.<1n from California's vast store

of mineral wealth this year than during any corresponding 17 period in the history of the State." By 1925, the same

paper reported that, "a survey recently completed showing the

output and capacity of all the clay products manufacturers,

indicates that Los Angeles has the largest output of 18 vitrified salt glazed products west of Chicago". Why is

this important for art pottery? Because: it provided a

beneficial atmosphere for art potters. For instance, a large

commercial/industrial concern such as the Alberhill Coal and

Clay Company supported an art pottery division. Again, vocational/industrial needs resulted in an experimental

laboratory in Los ~~geles, sponsored by an unidentified clay

industry source in Southern California. The purpose of U1e

facility was to "enable the student to express himself in

16. Linna Irelan, "Pottery", Ninth Annual Report of t'hS2. .sJ:.a.. t..e.__t1i neraloai st for the Yea:r En.dJng l)·ecember ~____lB_S~ (Sacramento, California: J.D. Young, 1890), 247. 17. "Great Year For Clay Industry," ~Anaeles Times., 11 Dec. 1921: sec. 5-5. 18. "Clay Output in City is Largest in Entire West," LQ.S. Argelas Times, 10 May 1925: sec. 5-6.

21 original creative work, the only key to which is an 19 honest desire to do something worthHhile."

The relationship between the sensibility of California

and eastern art pottery is interesting. Both were made

subject to the ideals of Arts and Crafts philosophy and so,

share many similarities. Created as art, each was intended

to be functional and decorative. Anti-industrial sentiment,

rejection of Victorian decoration and erasure of the

distinction between fine and applied art were also shared

concerns. The relationship of the potter to his handiwork

Has as important in the west as the east. Finally, they were

also the product of small operations. These similarities

notwithstanding, California art pottery has many subtle

differences.

The significant difference between east and west coast

art pottery is the geographic dissimilarity of California.

Potters' enthusiasm for California is revealed in the abundant use of imagery derived from the native habitat featured in their work. However, the most obvious loyalty is the concerted effort made to use clays and other raw materials, native to California. More than a matter of convenience, it was a point of pride. Although eastern potters used native materials it was not with the same fervor was found in California.

-·------~~-- 19. "Boon For Clay Workers, " Los ~""'l.ngel~_;L. Tim~, 12 June 1921: sec. 2-7.

22 The devotion California potters showed for native clay

had an effect on pottery decoration. While east and west

coast potters used both underglaze-slip and monochrome glaze

techniques, there is much less of the painterly, underglaze-

slip decoration in California art pottery. Motivated by a

desire to promote the wealth of raw materials, California

potters relied on the beauty of unglazed forms (left in the

bisque), or on the appeal of monochrome glazes. This simpler

approach is also allied to Arts and Crafts thinking which dictated that decoration be an integral part of the piece and never used for decoration's sake alone. Consequently, the result was extensive experimentation with surface design evidenced in the applied, modeled forms of Roblin, the unusual surface treatment of Markham or the sculptural relief of Redlands Pottery. These differences underscore the direct relationship of California potters to their environment.

The California landscape itself had a pervasive effect on potters. The terrain, unique in both contour and coloring, is reflected in the potters use of materials and stylized motifs. This is amply seen in the colors of clay used in Alberhill or the decoration of Redlands Pottery whose modeled relief was, "taken from subjects peculiar to this 2 [the west] coast." ° California Faience tiles also reiterate

20. Wesley H. Trippett, " 'Shapes of Clay' From the Redlands Pottery," (Redlands, California: Citrograph Press, undated): unpaginated.

23 their California heritage in the stylized use of indigenous

subject matter.

Curiously enough, borrowing Native P~erican pottery motifs, a practice common to potteries east of the

Mississippi River, did not occur in California. There are several conjectures for this omission. One relates to the emigrant status of California potters whose varied cultural sensibilities all seem to be dominated by the landscape.

Eastern potters were more often people with similar backgrounds trying to create an 'American' product divorced from European influence. Assimilation of Native American designs supplied an obvious solution. California potters, who had various cultural backgrounds, were more interested in creating a regional pottery. Borrowing from the landscape w2.s their solution. Lack of Nati•Je American influence on

California art potters may also be due to the fact that

California Indians used baskets rather than pottery as 21 vessels. The small amount of pottery they produced was primitive and would have provided little inspiration for art potters. The abundant landscape did, however, provide inspiration thus and dominated the decoration of art pottery in California.

Geographic isolation also had a meaningful effect on potters. It allowed them to develop outside the sphere of

21. Bob Schmid, telephone interview, 24 November 1987.

24 influence exerted by the larger eastern potteries. Writing

about the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, Alma May Cook says,

because of our distance we are more self­ dependent, and therefore more self­ reliant. We but hear of the latest "style" in art. The newest "ists" and "isms" are but names to us. We are not even exposed to the contagion. But let a great truth come, even in the most remote part of the earth, and its very truth gives it vitality to cross ocean and continent, so that only that which is really "li'Torth"li'rhile finds its way to our golden shores to re~~in and become a part of the growing art. ~

Even though she is referring to California art in general,

her statement applies to art pottery. The combination of

isolation, the dominant landscape and the potters own self~

confident sense of value resulted in a distinctive art

pottery.

This isolation, reinforced by a prejudicial attitude by

the eastern half of the country towards an artistically

inferior west, is partly responsible for the relative

obscurity of California art pottery. Another factor is the

comparatively small volume of California art pottery produced

and its even smaller market. Nevertheless, California

potters did endeavor to make their vJOrk known. Some, like

Cornelius Brauckman, sent examples of their best work to the

Smithsonian Institution. There is documentation of

22. Bruce Porter et al. Art In California (San Francisco: R.L. Bernier, 1916), 74.

25 California art pottery being exhibited at the Panama-Pacific

Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Arequipa exhibited and

demonstrated pottery decoration at this exposition even

earning a gold medal. California art pottery was also

exhibited at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego in

the same year. At this exposition, gold medals were awarded

to Fred H. Robertson, Alberhill Coal and Clay Company,

Cornelius Brauckman and Frederick H. Rhead for their . 23 entrles.

Art pottery of superior quality was produced in

California at the turn of the century. Belatedly, it is only

recently being discovered and included in current art pottery

exhibitions. The inclusion of this component is important to the study of American art pottery. A fixture of Arts and

Crafts activities, it has a distinctive quality that is

rarely shared with its east coast contemporaries. Seen as a microcosm within that segment of the Arts and Crafts movement, it's peculiarities help illuminate the whole of

American art pottery.

23. Rhead, "Shape Construction," 38.

26 Chapter 4

CALIFORNIA ART POTTERY OPERATIONS

There were a number of California art pottery operations in existence between the approximate years of 1895 and 1920.

They appeared as far north as Fairfax in Marin County and as far south as San Diego. Each produced pottery as varied as the location. The art pottery operations addressed in this chapter are presented chronologically, according to the initial date of production. Generally, the earlier

California operations had closer ties to the pottery movement in the eastern half of the country; whereas the later ones reflect a more singularly California flavor.

The California operations discussed are: Stockton Art

Pottery, Roblin Art Pottery, Redlands Pottery, Batchelder

Tile Company, Halcyon Art Pottery, Arequipa Pottery,

Valentien Pottery, Alberhill Pottery, Grand Feu Art Pottery, t•1arkham Pottery, Rhead Pottery and California Faience.

27 ---··.---·· -··~!

I I Plate I _,) .L'

ArequipA f-1oblln Art

I I \ I \ ... I ; ) I I . .L L--·.-' 1 '-·-

28 STOCKTON ART POTTERY Stockton 1894 - 1900

Perhaps the earliest producer of art pottery in

California was a com.rnercial firm that initially manufactured

terra cotta pipe. Opened in 1891, the Stockton Terra Cotta

Company was organized under the leadership of one Charles

Bailey, formerly of the Excelsior Pottery Works in Trenton,

~ 24 N1 ew uersey. The idea for a pottery at Stockton arose

during a trip to California Bailey made with Alexander W.

Roner' t son. 25 Bailey saw enormous potential in clay

manufacturing at Stockton because of the convenient

transportation and the available clay beds. His enthusiasm

persuaded a group of Stockton businessmen to back the venture

and production began shortly thereafter.

The first record of art pottery being produced at

Stockton is in 1894. The introduction of their Rekston art

line was, however, unfortunately aborted. The California

clay industry in general was entering a severe depression and

the Stockton Terra Cotta Company had to close. The Clav

NQrker, a publication of the time, laments the closures of

24. Bailey had strong ties to potteries east of the Mississippi where his father, Joseph Bailey, had supervised Frederick Dallas' Hamilton Road Pottery in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also received some training in Ohio and through the connection cf his father would most certainly have been familiar with the wares of Rockwood. 25. Later, Robertson directed three other California potteries: Roblin, Halcyon and Alberhill.

29 several other plants as well, citing California's emphasis on timber construction as a major culprit. " Taken at its best," said The Cl.ay V.Jorker, "the Coast is not a great field

for clay workers being, architecturally speaking, a wooden 26 community." Somewhere towards the end of 1895, the

Stockton Terra Cotta Company closed its doors.

The closure lasted about one year. In spite of the

Depression, however, there remained much enthusiasm for the project, as well as a demand for Rekston artware. A new infusion of capital turned ·the Stockton Terra Cotta Company into t.he Stockton Art Pottery Company in December of 1896 and two Scottish potters, Thomas Blakey and his sen John took over the direction of the operation. The production of

Rekston artware went full steam ahead and "by the fall of

1897 ten women were regularly employed as artists, and the output of the art pottery was about a hundred pieces a d cty.- .,27 This continued until the pottery closed again for a short period in 1898 to make improvements and clear out stock produced in 1897. Under a new board of directors, it resumed production in 1898 based on reports that there was a strong demand for Rekston artware and little competition. Somewhat to the contrary, The Clay ~1orke:>: reported that, "the Stockton plant, though turning out a fine quality of ware, was obliged to depend in a large degree on local patronage, and did not -----·-·------2 6. "Pacific Coast News, " The Clay \'Jorker, September 1896: 226. 27. Timothy J. Andersen, ed., California Des~gn_J~ (Pasadena: California Design Publications, 1974), 64.

30 p '

mee t Wl't' n muc h encouragemenL...... ,.2 8 Even though there would

have been virtually no compe~ition from other California

pottery operations, the situation in the east would have been

different. This limited market is, no doubt, one of the

reasons the Stockton Art Pottery operation was never truly a

financial success. Art pottery was produced there until

November 17, 1902 when a fire broke out in the plant.

Dousing the fire damaged the equipment beyond repair and the

operation never resumed production.

The Arts and Crafts influence in Stockton Art Pottery is

demonstrated in the use of native, plastic, yellow California

clay for the production of Rekston. W. C. Ramsey, writing

for the Ov~rland Nonthly in 1895, issued a superlative

compliment by saying, "the manufacturing of pottery is one of

the oldest of arts and all ages have produced it. But few

plants of any age or country have turned out a superior grade 29 or a greater variety than the Stockton plant." In

retrospect this seems effusive and a bit overstated . especially as there is very little that is uniqu~ about the pottery.

The influence of the Ohio potteries on the Stockton product is evident; although as pottery scholar, Paul Evans, is quick to note, no direct link between the two has been ____,_ 28. "Pacific Coast News," The Clay 1il)'ork!?r, October 1896: 311.

29. W. C. Ramsey, "Stockton, The Chicago of the Far: vJest, II DY.f;rland f.1QntJll.;i, September 1895: 314.

31 firmly established. This similarity to Ohio potteries is

easily seen in the underglaze technique of decoration which

mimics the painterly quality of Rockwood standard pottery.

Even though the decoration is, in fact, better than the body,

decorators were not encouraged to sign their work. The

shapes and fancy handles of some pieces still carry the heavy

Victorian influence, very possibly carried over from the

Blakey's Scottish background. Nonetheless, Stockton Art

Pottery is important to a discussion of California art

pottery, not only as the first, but because, "through the

quality of the Stockton work, excellence of clay body, glaze

and refinement of decoration ... it too falls within the 30 boundaries of art pottery."

30. Hazel V.Bray, The Potter~'L]I.rt in Ca_li_fornia_ 18(55 tQ 1955 (Oakland, California: Oakland Museum Art Department, 1980), 3.

32 Plate II

Stockton Art Pottery: Stockton Art Pottery: h. 4" h: 4 1/2" Michiko and Al Nobel Private collection

33 ROBLIN P~T POTTERY San Francisco

1898 - 1906

A zeal to promote California through her natural

resources, and a love for pottery was responsible for the

birth of the Roblin Art Pottery operation. The potential for

clay production in California was early noted by Linna Vogel

Irelan, wife of the State Mineralogist. Her article on

pottery in the Ninth Annual Reoor~ of the State Mineralogist

for the vear Endina December 1, 1889 attracted the attention

of Alexander W. Robertson. They met in 1891 and found a

common goal in the desire to exploit the abundant mineral

resources of California in pottery production. Robertson was

an experienced potter as well as a co-founder of the Chelsea

Keramic Works (Massachusetts) along with his father and

brother. According to Irelan, Robertson brought to that

first meeting specimens of art pottery he had thrown from

California clays in 1874. Irelan and Robertson were

impressed each other.

The initial enthusiasm was followed by several years of

little concrete activity. During this time Irelan and

Robertson went east. Their separate journeys took both to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The art pottery exhibited there caused Robertson to make more definite plans to found a California operation. The extended trip gave Irelan (her husband was overseeing the California mining exhibits at the exposition) the opportunity to see the

34 Women's Pottery Club of Cincinnati which increased her

resolve as well. It also gave her the opportunity to absorb

the influence of pottery operations east of the Mississippi

River by studying underglaze painting and clay carving and by

working for a·time at Robertson's Chelsea Keramic Works.

The mutual enterprise was officially begun in 1898. The

name was chosen by combining the first syllable of

Robertson's surname with the first syllable of Irelan's given

name (Linna) to create Roblin. It was a collaborative effort

based on the division of labor used in many Ohio potteries

because of a bias against women doing the manual labor of

throwing pots. The Roblin division, however, seems to have

been structured to suit the preference and talent of each.

This still resulted in Robertson throwing the pots while

Irelan provided the decoration. Neither received any

encouragement whatsoever and their experiments were often

aborted. However, they persevered and after one hiatus made

another attempt in 1898 that resulted in the firing of the

first kiln at Roblin Art Pottery. Recounting this, Irelan

says, "one by one hundreds of dainty pieces had grown under our hands, until quite a collection of varied forms had accumulated from the chaste Grecian vase to the irregular, 31 quaint shape dictated by a fanciful mind." The Grecian forms were the handiwork of Robertson whose classical forms had little or no ornament save a fine quality glaze, chaste

------31. Irelan, "California's New Industry," 19.

35 beading or deftly executed feet or handles. Irelan's forms

were the 'quaint' shapes. Her decorations were eclectic

using many different techniques. Nodeled forms were the

favorite and lizards, mushrooms and such, taken from nature,

enliven many of Robertsons's pots. She also took the liberty

of reshaping some of Robertson's damp clay bases which she

decorated.

It is quite clear that this effort v-ras seen as a business venture by both parties. Art was equally important but the promotion of California clay development was a major concern. Both aimed to use California ingredients to produce a totally indigenous product. The Keramic Club, similar to the Women's Pottery Club of Cincinnati, was founded to insure the success of, and to promote, pottery production.

Roblin produced pottery for about eight years. The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco and the fires following demolished the pottery located at 3244 20th street. The sixty-six year old Robertson the potters wheel and left for southern California with his son Fred. Irelan stopped producing pottery. Even though the product had been a personal success, t~ere was evidently still not enough encouragement to begin again.

In retrospect, Roblin Art Pottery is still closely allied to the pottery produced east of the Mississippi.

However, it does take a major step forv-rard from Stockton Art

Pottery by celebrating the California product and by not relying exclusively on underglaze decoration. Most of the

36 decorated pieces rely on Irelan's different techniques, learned in the east, to which she gave unique expression in

California. Both potters created art pottery with a forceful, singularly individual sensibility setting their work apart from art pottery made in the eastern half of the country. In addition to the excellent art pottery produced, the effort at Roblin provided an important foundation for later art pottery production in California.

37 Plate III

Roblin Art Pottery: h. 3", executed by A.W. Robertson, dated April 1905 Private collection

Roblin Art Pottery: h. 3 1/4", decorated by Linna Irelan, dated 1898 Private collection

38 REDLANDS POTTERY Redlands

ca. 1902 - 1908

Information about Redlands Pottery is meager at best,

consisting primarily of a sales pamphlet written by Wesley

Trippett, founder and sole person involved Redlands'

production. There are, however, enough pieces extant to warrant its place in the annals of California art pottery.

Prior to founding the Redlands operation, Trippett was a designer of architectural faience and metal work which accounts for the sculptural quality of some of his pieces.

He first found clay in Redlands while he and a friend were looking for a place to release some tadpoles they had used in a science demonstration for some children. This may well have suggested the tadpole cipher that was used to mark

Redlands Pottery as well as the use of modeled frogs and lizards as decoration.

Trippett was untutored in the processes for making pottery. He managed, however, to teach himself the rudiments of the art, even constructing a potters wheel and small open kiln by observing an old print. The first results were crude but he continued his solo experiments for the next three years with different local clays until he achieved an adinirable pottery. His modeling is accomplished and shows a sensitivity to the medium as well as the shape of the pieces.

Some of the modeled forms (i.e. lizards) bear a resemblance

39 to Roblin and Halcyon pottery that may indicate some, as yet

unknown, connection to Alexander W. Robertson.

Redlands Pottery was marketed as a California product.

An advertisement touts the 'colors of the native clays'.

Trippett also made an effort to create a product that spoke

of its origins. In promoting his work he says, "the

decorations, many of which are modeled in relief, are chiefly

taken from subjects peculiar to this coast. There are few

glazed pieces, but most of them are bisque, varying in tint

from a delicate cream to a deep red, the natural colors of 32 the clays." Many pieces by Robertson, done at Alberhill,

were also left unglazed to demonstrate the variety and beauty

of California clays.

Redlands Pottery begins to approach the ideals of the

Arts and Crafts movement more closely than its predecessors

in California. It shares the desire to create a ware using

native materials. It also shares the goal of creating a

quality product that is worthy of being art. The intrepid

spirit of constant experimentation to produce a11d more beautiful product is another point of comparison.

Trippett says, "there is scarcely a limit to the possibilities of A~erican pottery, and doubtless further experiments in Redlands will result in the constant 33 production of new and beautiful forms." The result is less reliance on previous examples for inspiration. In the mold

32. Trippett, unpaginated. 33. Trippett, unpaginated.

40 ---·~-~------~------. -~ ------~- ~-~-- --- ~ -

of the later studio potter, Trippett begins to create his own oeuvre by using his background to add to the vocabulary of art pottery in California.

41 Plate IV

Redlands Pottery

From the archives of the A.K. Smiley Public Library

42 BATCHELDER TILE COiVlPANY Pasadena/Los Angeles 1909 - 1932

Ernest Allen Batchelder, born in New Ha~pshire, studied

at the School of Arts and Crafts in Birmingham, England. He

later came under the influence of Denman Ross (who designed

somE~ patterns for the Dedham Pottery operation in

Massachusetts), while studying at the Harvard Summer School of Design where Denman was an instructor. Ross• influence resulted in his writing two books. The first, Principles of

~' was published in 1904 and the second, Desian in

Theorv and Practi~, in 1910. Both books deal with broad general design principles which can be usefully applied to any artistic area. In Principles of Desian he says, "the aim of the work that follows may be briefly stated as an endeavor, first, to present a series of exercises that will define the fundamental principles of design; second, to induce an activity of imagination; third, to aid the student to express an idea in an orderly way in accordance with the 34 principles as defined." These included discussions on line, rhythm, harmony, balance, tone and decorative arrangement. "As a brief summary of the work, we may say that designs must be dependent for beauty upon the relation of tones, measures and shapes when considered as lines and as

______,______

34. Ernest A. Batchelder, Princiole~ of Desion, 4th ed. (Chicago: 'I'he Inland Printer Company, 1911), l.

43 f .

areas. The principles of design we recognize as three in 35 number rhythm, balance, and harmony."

Principles of Desian caught the attention of officials

from Throop Institute, now the California Institute of

Technology in Pasadena, and Batchelder moved to California in

1904 to head their Arts and Crafts department. In 1909, he

left the Institute and a year later began his own art center and school to teach crafts. He also began to make tiles.

The venture was commercially successful and in 1912 Frank L.

Brown became a partner. Further success necessitated a move to bigger quarters in Los A.'1geles and coincided with the entry of Lucien H. Wilson in 1916. The company name was then changed to the Batchelder-Wilson Company.

Batchelder made bird baths, corbels, garden urns and fountains in addition to tile for fireplaces, walls, floors and pools. Huch of the clay used came from the Alberhill

Coal and Clay Company in Riverside County although there was no stated desire to use native clays as in other California potteries. The company continued to manufacture tiles, fountains etc. until it succumbed during the Depression in

1932. The assets were then sold to the Bauer Pottery

Company.

Batchelder was a proponent of William Morris, and his work is allied to Arts and Crafts ideals. Even though the pieces were produced from plaster molds, his intent was that

35. Batchelder, 169.

44 no two were to be alike. This was accomplished by applying

all color decorations by hand.

While a great deal of inspiration for tile designs seems

to have come from the Gothic bent of the British Arts and

Crafts movement, Batchelder was very eclectic in selecting

motifs. These included ivy and rose borders, peacocks (a

favorite), rabbits, deer and exotic Mayan figures. All

designs were conventionalized. For Batchelder, good design

was artifice. Copying nature directly would not do because

he felt that design became increasingly uninteresting the

closer it approached exact replication. His models were

Japanese artisans who made nature conform to their ideas in

creating design. Furthermore, he believed no design type was

superior, hence, Greek was equal to Chinese or Native

A~er:Lcan as long as it expressed equal affinity to his

criteria of design principles. Batchelder also liberally

used motifs from the California landscape. "Perhaps the most

noticeable effect of locality is seen in the landscape tiles 36 which speak so charmingly of California." None illustrate

this better than those depicting the California live oak.

For Batchelder, an effectively designed piece of pottery paid equal attention to aesthetics and practicality. His catalogues stress the hand1nade aspect of the tiles and the pleasing textures and colors, comparing them to mellow old tapestries or Oriental rugs. Indeed, visual inspection of

36. Mabel Urmy Sears, "Ernest Batchelder and His Tiles," The International Studio, April 1916: LVI.

45 these impeccably crafted tiles confirms the accuracy of this comparison.

46 Plate V

Ernest Batchelder Cast ceramic tiles ca. 1909-1920, assorted sizes Elva Meline

47 HALCYON ART POTTERY Halcyon 1910 - 1912

In 1904, members of the Temple of the People, a splinter

group of the Theosophical Society of }\i'nerica, carne west from

Syracuse, New York to found a new group that would remain

steadfast to the principles of founder, Helena Blavatsky.

They settled near Pismo Beach and named their new abode

Halcyon.

One of the co-founders, William Dover, was a medical doctor. He promoted the building of a sanatorium which opened on May 25, 1904. In 1910 Alexander W. Robertson,

formerly of Roblin, was contracted to undertake the project of setting up a pottery operation for the benefit of the patients. His stay was short; the operation lasting until

1912.

There is little information concerning Halcyon Art

Pottery and few existing examples that have a bona fide attribution. In 1910, Ker<:irnic Studio reported that, "Halcyon

Pottery show[s] an exceedingly plastic clay, easily adaptable to modeling and carving; none of the pieces showing cracks in 37 drying while many are very thin and paper-like in effect."

The extant pieces are a continuation of Robertson's former l'llork at Roblin. Many show his penchant for classical

------37. The Keramic Studio, October 1910: 111.

48 forms. Others have some modeled decorations that echo Linna

Irelan's work. All exhibit Robertson's skill as a potter.

49 Plate VI

Halcyon Art Pottery: Halcyon Art Pottery: h: 3 1/4" h. 3 1/4" dated 17 August 1911 dated 23 August 1912 Private collection Private collection

50 AREQUIPA POTTERY Fairfax 1911 - 1918

The Arequipa Sanatorium in Fairfax (Marin County) was

established to provide rehabilitation for female tubercular

patients. Arequipa translates 'place of peace'. Recounting her visit there, Eloise Roorbach recalled an idyllic place,

"for the ailing girls who must while away so many long hours." 38 Recognizing the therapeutic effect of handicraft, a program involving basketry was first tried. When this proved unsatisfactory, the idea of pottery decoration was adopt~d. A successful precedent for pottery as occupational therapy already existed at the Marblehead Sanatorium in

Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Art pottery production began in 1911 under the direction of Frederick Hurten Rhead (recently from the University City

P o tt ery near S t. L ouls,. M'• lssourl . ) . 39 Rhead, who had headed several potteries in the eastern half of the country, prior to coming to California, was one of three directors in the history of Arequipa, all of whom tried in vain to make the enterprise a financial success. l>~lthough the financial accounts of the pottery and the sanatorium were separate, it is clear that the pottery needed to be subsidized. Part of

38. Lucile Henzke, 1\.rt Pottery of Jl... rnerica (Exton, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1982), 17. 39. For more biographical information on Rhead, see the section in this chapter on the Rhead Pottery operation in Sant.a Barbara.

51 Rhead's problem many have been that his primary interest was

in producing an artistically successful pottery rather than providing a situation suitable for recuperating patients.

Consequently, R~ead left in 1913 to be replaced by Albert

Solon. In an effort to establish a viable concern, the pottery operation separated from the sanatorium. Solon stayed till 1916 when he was succeeded by F. H. Wilde who remained there until it closed in 1918.

Arequipa was one of the operations striving to create an indigenous product using only California materials. The decoration Has done out of doors for the improvement of the health of the patients and all of the pottery was made entirely by hand. As in other operations, the pots were thrown by a man and other heavy work was done by boys brought in from San Francisco. Many of the early designs by Rhead use a squeeze bag decoration technique. Lines were squeezed on to form outlines and then a liquid slip was used to fill the spaces in between. technique involved penciling- in the design and then removing the background to create a relief effect. Any technique used had to be fairly easy to learn. One of the problems facing Arequipa was patient turnover. Soon after patients became proficient, it was often time for them to leave the sanatorium.

Many of Arequipa's later shapes were made of cast clay.

When Solon took over, the equipment was repaired and/or replaced. New methods of production and many new designs were introduced; although some of Rhead's designs were

52 retained. Even though the pottery was never an unqualified

financial success, it did produce large quar1tities of pottery that sold well. There were three kilns, the largest holding 40 approxlmate' l y 3"0L pleces.'

Arequipa pottery fits the Arts and Crafts aesthetic in its emphasis on physical well-being and the simplified forms of the clay bodies. The social welfare aspect is unique in that this is not a main concern of the 1\.merican Arts and

Crafts movement. Equally important is the emphasis on the worker, the ability to make an object with the hands maintaining the honesty and integrity to form and materials.

The work being done out of doors, these basic forms were often decorated with designs taken from plants and trees on the grounds. By virtue of intent and execution, Arequipa is well suited to be the quintessential art pottery.

The quality of Arequipa pottery is uneven due to the relatively rapid turnover of patients. In Evans' evaluation,

"+--he t ... rnrlr I_.J, .l.'- WY "-'..._.I'll. of the pottery [operation] ranges from mediocre to extremely successful, with examples of all gradations 41 between." The quality of the best was such that it garnered a bronze medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in

1915.

40. Grace Armistead Doyle, "Pottery Workers of Arequipa," San Frau.s:::is~:.Q_~u~l._e_, 7 June 1914: 23. 41. Paul Evans, A:r;:LE..Q.tt_ery _Qf_tlle Un; r Pd. States: An Encyclopedia Qf Prod.J..lc;ers. _and Thei:c t1arks (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1974), 19.

53 Plate VII

.~-----:------~---·:-·------~----·

Arequipa Pottery: h. 3 1/2", Rhead period Private collection Arequipa Pottery: h. 4 3/4" Rhead period Michiko & Al Nobel

54 VALENTIEN POTTERY San Diego 1911 - 1914

The Valentien Pottery operation of San Diego, only

recently documented by Bruce Kamerling, is one of

considerable merit. Both P~na and Albert Valentien, born in

Cincinnati, were a part of the Ohio art pottery movement.

Albert was the first regularly employed member of the

decorating staff at the Rookwood Pottery operation and

occupied the post of chief decorator there for twenty-four

years. Anna became a member of the Rockwood staff in 1884

and married Albert three years later. As head decorator,

Albert was sent to Europe for three months in 1894 to study.

Later, he was responsible for preparing the Rockwood exhibit

at the Paris Exposition of 1900. Anna took advantage of this

second trip by accompanying her husband to Paris where she

studied at both the Colorossi Academy and the Rodin 42 Academy. The Valentiens left Rockwood in 1905 and moved to

California in 1908.

Although they moved to San Diego so that Albert could paint the California wildflowers and Anna pursue various art endeavors, it wasn't long before they gave in to the urge to start a pottery operation. Being experienced decorators but not potters, they enlisted the aid of a former Rockwood

42. Bruce Kamer ling, "lii1na and Albert Valentien: The Arts and Crafts :tviovement in San Diego," Journal of San Dieao Histm 24 (Summer 1978): 345.

55 associate, Arthur Dovey, who was then currently employed at

the Niloak Pottery operation in Arkansas. These three, along

with Martin Sorenson, began a three-year undertaking to make

a fine quality art pottery which remains unique today. Much

of it reflects the Art Nouveau style which was not seen in the Arts and Crafts movement except in pottery. Co- i.ncidentally, a former Rockwood associate, Artus Van Briggle, who had moved to Colorado to begin his own operation also made art pottery with a strong Art Nouveau flavor.

The Valentien's life in San Diego exemplified the totality of the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement.

This is especially true of Anna, a Renaissance woman, >>ihO was accomplished not only in pottery decoration and modeling, but demonstrated the skills of, "wood carving, weaving, beadwork, modeling, metal craft, leather craft, basketry, jewelry, batik, glista glass, macrame, wicker work, oil painting, and 43 ink dra>ving. " The forms, glazes and decorations of the art pottery all reflect simplified Arts and Crafts taste.

Recognition came early for the Valentiens. Their work, which included leather and jewelry as well as pottery, was exhibited at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego in 44 1915 earning them a collaborative gold medal.

Valentien art pottery has less of a California sensibility than its counterparts. Ohio and European influence predominate in the form, glaze and decoration.

43. Kamerling, 357. 44. Kamerling, 358.

56 I •

Even though less aesthetically allied to California, they did

"execute what are perhaps some of the finest sculptured

designs of American art pottery -- certainly on a par with

the early Artus Van Briggle designs which also reflect 45 European influence." Perhaps the pottery's most visual

link to California is its identifying cipher, the California

poppy.

4.5. Paul F. Evans, "Valentien Pottery: The ~'lis sing Shape Book, " Spinning \AJh..e.B.l, September 197 9: 37.

57 Plate VIII

Valentien Pottery: h. 6 1/2", fuchsia design Michiko and Al Nobel

Valentien Pottery: h. 8", freesia design Private collection

58 ALBERHILL POTTERY ALBERqiLL CALIFORNIA POTTERY Riverside County

1912 - ca. 1914

Alberhill Pottery comes from an industrial setting. In

fact, prior to 1895, the Alberhill area was developed solely

for its coal resources, hence the name of Alberhill Coal and

Clay Company. The clay resources of the area, however, were

so vast that it became the most important aspect. A State

repqrt certified that, "the Alberhill-Corona district in

western R:l.ver.side County is one of the three most important

clay producing areas in the state." 46 -So vast were the clay

deposits that at one point Alberhill planned to buiLd a clay

city to promote its product.

Art pottery was first produced at Alberhill in 1912.

Alexander W. Robertson (formerly of Roblin and Halcyon)

became associated with the company to develop the abundant

variety of clays and begin an art pottery operation. In

spite of the potential, these plans never materialized and

after two years Robertson severed his relations with the

corr.pany in 1914.

The production of artware does seem to have continued after Robertson left. A 1921 article in the Los Anqeles

4 6. Waldemar Fenn Dietrich, The Clav PPS011rces and t_he Ceramic Ind!JS.t.J:::.¥-...Q.f California, State of California Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mines and Mining, Bulletin No. 99, January 1928 (Sacramento, California: California State Printing Office, 1928): 162.

59 Times pictured a large variety of artware produced at

Alberhill including, "faience decorative tiles, garden and 47 art pottery." A subsequent article somewhat clouds the

issue by stating the intention to form a subsidiary to

produce art pottery.

Also through the operations of the research laboratory, local talent in designing and modeling has been developed to a point where it has demonstrated the feasibility of undertaking the manufacture of art pottery on a large scale. For this purpose the supply of clay is unlimited. A subsidiary corporation has been formed, known as the Alberhill California Pottery, which will be devoted to the building up of this art industry, under4%he supervision of the parent company.

Whether this new venture was successful has not been determined. By 1928 Alberhill had no clay-working plants and only sold raw material to manufacturers.

The tension between industry and artistry places all but the outside the P... rts and Crafts definition of art pottery. His work was concerned with the development of native resources, the honest use of the medium and the integrity of the object rather than commercial exploitation.

Robertson's work at Alberhill was experimental and never produced for a large market. As at Roblin and Halcyon, the classical forms are often decorated with modeled lizards etc.

47. "Clay Products Industry Planning Big Moves," Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 1921: sec. 5-6. 48. "Clay Dreams Coming True," Los Angeles TimPs, 11 Sept. 1921: sec. 5-2.

60 Even so, it received a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-

California Exposition in San Diego. Robertson also

emphasized the abundant varieties of Alberhill clay by often

leaving it unglazed to show the different colors; "tints 49 ranging from terra cotta to softest: pink, " and qualities of the clay. The emphasis on native clay as well as the form

and decoration of Alberhill pottery make it the equal of any

other produced in California.

49. "Masterpieces of the Ceramic Art," Riverside Dailv Press, 26 Feb. 1914: 4.

61 Plate IX

Alberhill Pottery: h. 5 1/4", dated 4 October 1914 Private collection

Alberhill Pottery: h. 6 1/4", dated 18 July 1913 Private collection

62 GRAND FEU ART POTTERY BRAUCKMAN ART POTTERY Los Angeles

ca. 1912 - 1916

kDother California art pottery operation whose history

is still shrouded in obscurity is Grand Feu, founded by

Cornelius Brauckman in 1912. His origins are a mystery. The

sudden appearance of a Los Angeles pottery with the

sophistication of Grand Feu begs for a history.

All that remains are a relatively few pieces of fine

pottery whose shapes and glazes place it securely in the Arts

and Crafts idiom. This is also applicable to the

craftsmanship exhibited in the pottery. "In considering the

individually thrown Grand Feu and the cast Brauckman Art

Pottery pieces, it is apparent that he had an excellent command of the potter's art. Both fabric and glaze compare quite favorably to other fine pottery of its time."50 No connection to Taxile Doat, whose work is closely allied to

Brauckrnan's, or the University City Pottery, has been verified although there are many similarities.

Grand Feu pottery confined itself to form and glaze for interest; a most difficult type of decoration to execute successfully. Citing the examples of Grand Feu in the collection of the Smithsonian, Paul Evans says, "the quality of craftsmanship places them among the finest art pottery

50. Bray, 17.

63 51 produced in the United States." Like Valentien pottery, it too seems to have a closer relationship to art pottery in the eastern half of the country than to California art pottery.

Extant examples reveal a part of Grand Feu's story, the ideas of its creator remain to be discovered.

51. Evans, Art Potter_y EncyclopecLi.a, 117.

64 Plate X

·J i . : ·1

Grand Feu Art Pottery: Grand Feu Art Pottery: h. 5 1/2" h. 7 1/2" Edie and Fidel Danieli Private Collection

65 :V.k?;PJ<:Hl\_1\1 POTTERY National City 1913 - 1921

The Markham Pottery operation had its initial start in

&~n Arbor, Michigan. Herman Markham, an employee of the

archaeology department of the University of Michigan, began

experimenting with clays found in his own backyard to make

vases to hold his prize roses. His experiments were a

success and, joined by his son Kenneth, they produced pottery

from ca. 1905 until 1913. Commenting on the Markham ware

exhibited at the Fifteenth lL>:.nual Exhibition of the Nev-1 York

Keramic Society in 1907, Eva Lovett says that,

specimens from the Markham kilns at Ann Arbor, Michigan, were of bowls and vases covered with curious forest and autumn leaf effects. The colours were soft, yet brilliant, and artistically mingled. There were copper bronzes, greens browns and olive greens, combined with reds, yellows and orange. The suggestions of patterns through the colour are most tantalizing, and one might t~ace tg~ veins of leaves and forest vlstas.

A visit to the California China Products Company, while

on a trip to California, induced the Markhams to move to

National City where they continued to make pottery. They began production in California at the facility of the

California China Products Company. They remained there until

52. Eva Lovett, "Fifteenth Annual exhibition of the New York Society of Keramic Arts," The International StudiQ, June 1907: CXVII.

66 it closed in 1917. The Markhams then produced pottery at a

new location but financial straits caused problems. A

rechartering effort to raise capital in 1921 failed to revive

the company. In 1922 Herman Markham died and the operation

w~s never reopened.

Markham Pottery exhibited Arts and Crafts traits in

simple shapes glazed in dark muted colors. Though cast, "no

two pieces were identical and Markham emphasized their

individuality by incising a consecutive number on the base of 53 each piece." Vases with numbers lower than 6000 are

considered to have been produced in &~n Arbor, while those

with a higher number were done in California.

The move to California seems to have caused little

change in the aesthetics of Markham Pottery. They continued

to use two primary finishes: one identified as Reseau and

the other as Arabesque. Bot.h appear as though they have just

emerged from some excavation after having been there for

centuries. Reseau is described as having, "a fine texture of

slightly raised web-like traceries. Arabesque ware is

coarser in texture with an intricate maze of flowing lines in 54 low relief." William Chandler speculates that this unique

surface treatment may have been achieved by placing rags

soaked in slip on the surface of the pot. After drying, they were pulled off, creating the webbed effects. Chandler is

53. Kaplan, 254. 54. "San Diego and the American Art Pottery l:1ovement," [San Diego, California: San Diego Historical Society, 1987]: unpaginated.

67 quick to point out that there is no documentation of this

theory ever having been tested. 55

Like its neighbor, the Valentien Pottery, the success

of Markham was validated in the form of a gold medal at the

1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Diego. With the

exception of shape, other parallels to Valentien or any other

California art pottery are nonexistent. Markham Pottery has

its own aesthetic sensibility making it quite unique.

55. William Chandler, telephone interview, 10 October 1987.

68 Plate XI

Markham Pottery: h. 6", #6939 National City period Private Collection

69 RHEAD POTTERY Santa Barbara 1913- 1917

Frederick Hurten Rhead was born in Hanley,

Staffordshire, England on August 29, 1880 and trained as a

potter. In 1902 he emigrated to the United States where he

became associated with a number of potteries on both coasts.

Sharon Dale has prepared the definitive catalogue on

Rhead to accompany a exhibition of his work which was

present.ed by the Erie Art ~-'luseum. In Frederick Hurt en Rhead:

An English Potter in A~erica, she notes the loyalty to his

commercial heritage. She also makes the point that a number

of his articles, all titled, 'Shape, Construction and

Design, ' are aimed at the studio potter and aesthetics

problems. The co~~ercial versus art in pottery production

seem to have had equal attraction for Rhead.

Dale deftly chronicles Rhead's contributions, influences

and the impact of peers on his work prior to coming to

California. These experiences prepared him for the experimentation that occupied much of his time in California.

For instance, Rhead experimented with over 11,000 glazes before perfecting a Chinese mirror-black at

70 Santa Barbara. He strove for perfection in all he did.

In his factory . . may be seen some of the most perfect specimens of art pottery ever manufactured, the touch of the individual craftsman being every- where in evidence, moreover, it is the one and only spot on earth where the actual reproduction of the Chinese mirror, black glaze, can be seen. After fifteen years of experimenting Mr. Rhead successfully reproduced this glaze, which was originally mad,e by t~6 Chinese in the seventeenth century.

Some of Rhead's best work in art pottery was done at the

studio in Santa Barbara.

In 1935 Frederick Hurten Rhead was awarded the Charles

F. Binns medal for his achievements in ceramics . a much

deserved award for his many efforts in pottery production.

In spite of his considerable achievements in the field of art

pottery, Dale believes his, 'real' contribution to P...merican

ceramics was the "elevation of the quality of commercial 57 wares." This places him firmly within Arts and Crafts

ideals because of the emphasis on function as well as

aesthetics.

Rhead's affair with California art pottery was temporary. After leaving Arequipa in 1913, he went to Santa

Barbara where he established his m<~n operation. While most

56. C. M. Gidney, Benjamin Brooks and Edwin M. Sheridan, History__ of Santa Ba:t:"bara, San Ijnis Qbi SDO and Ventura CQunties. California (Chicago, Illinois: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1917), 683. 57. Dale, 53.

71 of his earlier work was geared towards the commercial end of

the pottery business, in Santa Barbara at least, he

concentrated on art pottery. Many of the techniques used at

_Arequipa were also used there and the experimentation with

glazes continued. The operation's cowmercial failure forced

its closing in 1917. Rhead left California for Zanesville,

Ohio. This marked his permanent return to commercial pottery

production although he still continued to write about and

produce art pottery.

Rhead's style was certainly influenced by his training

at the Staffordshire pottery. However, focusing on the

simplicity of an Art and Crafts aesthetic, he rejected

pictorial ornamentation in favor of designs that enhanced the

sculptural qualities of the piece. While the Arts and Crafts

movement provides a bond between Rhead and other California

art potters, the differences arise from the fact that he

merely alighted here for a time. While his work was

influenced by geographic location he probably didn't share

the same parochial interest for California other potters seem

to have had. In fact, his diverse background is probably

responsible for the lack of representation California art

pottery operations received in his magazine, The Potter.

This omission might have been corrected if more than three

issues had been published.

The total oeuvre of Rhead's work assures him a unique place in the history of California art pottery. No other potter working on the west coast had his background.

72 Unquestionably, his varied experiences also make him the best known potter to have worked in California.

73 p •

Plate XII

Rhead Pottery: h. 12 1/4"

Private Collection

74 p •

CALIFORNIA FAIENCE Berkeley 1916 - 1930

Thomas & Bragdon of Berkeley evolved in~o The Tile Shop

which ·later became California Faience in 1916. The

cooperative effort delegated the responsibility for mold making to William Victor Bragdon and the glaze development to

Chauncey R. Thomas. Bragdon was also the instructor of pottery at the California School of Arts and Crafts in

Berkeley. His background was as a ceramic engineer.

California Faience was one of the most financially successful potteries in California. Due in part to the establishment of an upper end market for its wares, it also had outlets on the east coast which boosted sales. However, as with many other potteries, the Depression forced the closure of the pottery and no art ware was produced after

1930.

The pottery produced had the simplicity of design favored by the Arts and Crafts movement. Most of California

Faience is cast and has both matt and high gloss glazes. The pieces were unadorned and glazed in a monochromatic color although many exist with the inside glazed in a contrasting color. For example, the exterior of a bowl would be glazed black and the inside a bright hue. Unlike the colors used to glaze pottery in the eastern half of the country, California

Faience hues are more vivid.

75 California Faience, like the Batchelder Tile Company

also made tiles . tiles even more colorful in character

than the bowls and vases. Brightly colored with stylized

designs, the motifs are directly related to the native

culture and landscape. Subject matter for tiles in the

Newark Museum pottery collection include: California missions, desert motifs and California flowers such as the

poppy. Not all the designs used by the pottery were

developed by Bragdon. The talents of local artists were also

employed.

Of all the California art potteries, California Faience

is probably the most commercial in its approach to pottery production. This aspect makes it similar to many potteries

in the eastern part of the country. The similarities end, however, when one looks at the pottery. The designs and bright colors are purely California.

76 Plate XIII

California Faience tea tile: 5 1/2" dia. (Hammered copper border by Dirk van Erp) . Private collection

77 CONCLUSION

California art pottery is a unique phenomenon in the

saga of Arts and Crafts ceramics. It contributes a new

s1ant, a California mystique, that distinguishes it from

other art pottery. No other art pottery made, shared the

combined. influences of the varied cultural backgrounds of the

potters and the profound effect the landscape of their new

abode had on them. Their skill and se~sibility combined to

produce a special art pottery never made in the east. It is

this originality plus the fine quality of California art

pottery that makes it important to the study of Arts and

Crafts art pottery.

California art pottery is inevitably compared to its

better known east coas~ counterparts. Both share the

influence of the Arts and Crafts movement but this influence

yielded very different results in the west. First,

California art potteries were generally small concerns coming

closer to the later studio potters than the large art pottery

factories east of the Mississippi River. The reason for its

relative obscurity and its exceptional quality is that so

much less was produced. Second, although both existed in a

commercial atmosphere, the production of unique pieces took

on a nev• meaning in California where smaller potteries could

pay greater attention to each individual piece. Third, there was the urge to promote California which resulted in a different attitude tovrard the use of native clay and its

78 decoration. The clay was often left unadorned, or if decorated, the designs were more colorful reflecting the influence of landscape and cultural heritage. These factors, combined with a first rate technique and design sensibility guarantee its rank with the finest ctrt pottery produced during the Arts and Crafts movement.

The art pottery of the Arts and Crafts period gave way to the period of the studio potter. No where more than in

California did studio potters give expression to their ideas in clay. The era of the studio potter has evolved into the contemporary era of the fine art ceramicist. They all share and continue to share, the continual renewing of their creative spirit from the vast riches of California; sources shared by the California art potters at the turn-of-the century. Similar ideas are finding a new but related means for expression in contemporary clay in California.

79 Ph~TE CREDITS

All photographs are taken from California Design 1910 by Timothy J .. i.Andersen, Timothy J.;, 1974 with the exception of: Plate I and Plate V.

80 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Andersen, Timothy J., ed. California Design 1910. Pasadena: California Design Publications, 1974.

Anscombe, Isabella and Charlotte Gere. Arts and Crafts in Brit:ain and America. London: Academy Editions, 1978.

Bancroft, Hubert Howe. History of California. 1886. Reprint. 7 vols. Santa Barbara, California: Wallace Hebberd, 1963.

Barber, Edwin A. Marks of American Potter~. Southampton, Long Island, New York: Cracker Barrel Press, 1971.

The Potterv and Porcelain of the United States. 1893. 3rd ed. 1909. and Marks of American Potters. 1904. Combined ed. New York: Feingold and Lewis, J. & J. Publishing, 1976.

Batchelder, Ernest A. Design in Theory and Practice. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1920.

E.rl.nc;iples of fl.e...s..i.gn.. 4th ed. Chicago: The Inland Printer Company, 1911.

2atchelder Tiles, A Cataloane of Hand Nade T~. 4th ed. Los Angeles: n.p., 1923.

Bray, Hazel V. Th~Potter' s Art In-..C.alifQrnia 1835__.T.Q_,l_9..,.'1..5.. Oakland, California: The Oakland Museum Art Department, 1980.

California State Mining Bureau. The Structural and Ind,ust.rial Materials of California. Bulletin No. 38, January 1906. Sacramento, California: W.W. Shannon, Sup~rintendent State Printing, 1906.

Callen, Anthea. ~n Artist_s_Qf the Arts a.n..d Craf:t_s_ Hove:nent, 1870-1914. New York: Pantheon Books, 1979.

Clark, Garth. A Century of Ceramics in the United States 1878-1978. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1979.

Clark, Robert Judson, ed. The Arts and Crafts MovernPnt in America 1876-1916. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1972.

81 Dale, Sharon. Frederick Hurten Rhead: An English Potter Tn }\.me rica. Erie, Pennsylvania: Erie Art Museum, 1986.

Dietrich, Waldemar Fenn. The Clay Resources and the Ceramic Industry of California. State of California Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mines and Mining, Bulletin No. 99, January 1928. Sacramento, California: California State Printing Office, 1928.

Dietz, Ulysses G. The Newark T'1useum Collec-tion of American Art Pottery. Salt Lake City: Gibbs M. Smith, Inc., Peregrine Smith Books, 1984.

Donhauser, Paul S. History of Arnerican Ceramics: The Stu.dio Potter. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1978.

Evans, Paul. "Art Pottery in California: An American Era in Microcosm." Transactions of the Ceramics Symposium ~79. Ed. Garth Clark. Los Angeles, California: Institute for Ceramic History, 1980. 33-37.

Art Potterv of the United States: An EncyclQP~dia of Producers and Their Marks. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1974.

Gidney, C.M., Benjamin Brooks and Edv.rin M. Sheridan. History .Q..f Santa Barbara. San Luis ObisP-o and .Yentura Counties. California. Chicago, Illinois: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1917.

Henzke, Lucile. Art Potterv of America. Exton, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1982.

Hine, Robert V. California's Utopian Colo_nies. San Marino, California: The Huntington Library, 1953.

Irelan, Linna. "Pottery." Ninth Annual R~port of the State Hineralogist for the Year Endina December 1. l..B._B_1. Sacramento, California: J.D. Young, 1890. 240-261.

Jones, Harvey L. ~thews Masterpieces of tha California Decorative Stvle. Santa Barbara, Ca. & Salt Lake City, Utah: Peregrine Smith, Inc., 1980.

Kaplan, Wendy. "The Art That Is Life": The Arts & Crafts Movement In Americ~_;L875 -_1_22..Q.. Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1978.

Keen, Kirsten Hoving. Allerican 1\rt Pottery 187 5-1930. Wilmington, Delaware: Farley Publishing Co., 1978.

82 Kovel, Ralph and Terry Kovel. The Kovel's Collector's Guide To American Art Pottery. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1974.

83 Orr-Cahall, Christina, ed. The Art of California. Selected Works From The Collection of the Oakland Museum. San Francisco: The Oakland Museum Art Department & Chronicle Books, 1984.

Porter, Bruce, et al. Art in California. San Francisco: R.L. Bernier, 1916

Sanders, Barry, ed. The Craftsman: kn Anthology. Santa Barbara, California: Peregrine Smith, 1978.

Shull, Thelma. "The Stockton Art Pottery." Victorian Antiques_. Rutland, Utah: Charles E. Tuttle, 1963. 148- 154.

Triggs, Oscar Lovell. Chapters in the History of the Arts and Crafts Movement. New York: B. Blom, 1971.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Strong, Susan R. History of American Ceramics: An Annotated Bibliograph¥. Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1983.

Weidner, Ruth Irwin, comp. A.rnerican Ceramics Before 1930. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1982.

84 PERIODICALS

"American Art Pottery." The American Pottery Gazette 5 (August 10, 1907): 41-45.

Barber, Edwin Atlee. "The Rise of the Pottery Industry." The Popular Science Monthly 40 (December 1891): 145-70.

Batchelder, Ernest A. "The Arts and Crafts Movement In P.JTierica: Work or Play?" The Craftsman (August 1909): 544-49.

Benjamin, Marcus. "American Art Pottery." [Part I] Glass and Pottery World 15, no. 2 (February 1907): 28-31.

"A..rnerican Art Pottery." [Part II] Glass and Pottery World 15, no. 3 (March 1907): 13-14, 17- 18.

"Ainerican Art Pottery - Part III." Glass and~ World 15, no. 4 (April 1907): 35-36, 39-40.

"American Art Pottery- Part IV- Conclusion." Glass ar.d Pottery World 15, no. 5 (May 1907): 35- 36, 39.

Binns, Charles F. "The Arts and Crafts Movement in America." The Craftsman (June 1908): 275-79.

"Pottery in America." The American Magazine of .A.rt 7, no. 4 (February 1916): 131-38.

Blasberg, Robert 'ft.J. and Todd M. Volpe. "American Art Pottery." T:Jlneteent.h Cent.11ry 5, no. 2 (Surnrner 1979): 62-9.

Blasberg, Robert. "Arequipa Pottery." 1i·7estP.rn Coll_e.c.t.Qr 6 (October 1968): 7-10.

"Reform Art For A Reform Era." Craft Horizons 30 (October 1970): 24-27.

California Arts and Architecture 35, no. 4 (April 1929): 13.

"California Ceramics." ___Art Dige~ 13 (l'-1ay 1, 1939): 23.

Dietz, Ulysses G. "Art Pottery at the Newark Museum Before World War I." Antiaues 125 (April 1984): 874-79.

85 Evans, Paul F. "The Art Pottery Era in the United States 1870 to 1920." [Part I] Spinning fJ\Jheel 26, no. 8 (October 1970): 52, 53, 56.

"The Art Pottery Era in the United States 1870 to 1920." [Part II] Spinnina Wheel 26, no. 9 (November 1970): 52-3.

"Redlands Art Pottery." Sp-innina Whee__l 36 (January­ February 1980): 38.

"The Roblin Art Pottery of San Francisco." Sninning Wheel 31 (July-August 1975): 42-44.

"Stockton Pottery -Early California Artware." Soinning Wheel 27 (October, 1971): 24-26, 67.

"Valentien Pottery: The Missing Shape Book." Spinning Wheel 35 (September 1979): 37-39.

Fawcett, Waldon. "The Production of Anlerican Pottery." ~-Lentific &~erican 83 (November 10, 1900): 296-97.

"Frederick Hurten Rhead." obituary The Bulletin of the American Ceramic Soci~21 (December 15, 1942): 305- 307.

Hitchcock, Ripley. "The Western Art Movement." Century Tllust.rated MQn.t.hlv Maaazine 32 (August 1886): 576-93.

Irelan, Linna. "Roblin Ware." Keramic Studi.Q_3, no. 9 (January 1902): 190.

"California's New Industry, Art Pottery." The San Francisco Call 15 June 1899: 19.

Kamerling, Bruce. "J>...nna and Albert Valentien: The Arts and Crafts tv1ovement in San Diego." Journal of San DiegQ History 24 (Summer 1978): 343-366.

"Keramic Studio." The Ke:ramic Studio 12, no. 5 (September 1910): 89.

"Keramic Studio." The Keram1 c Stl.J.di.Q. 12, no. 6 (October 1910): 111.

Lancaster, Clay. "Taste at the Philadelphia Centennial." Maaazine of Art 43 (December 1950): 293-97, 308.

Levin, Elaine. ''Pioneers of Contemporary American Ceramics, Charles Binns, Adelaide Robineau." Ceramics Monthly 23 (NoveiTber 1975): 22-7.

86 Lipman, A. and H. Harris. "William Horris Today." Archi~ect's Journal (Harch 7, 1984): 34-5.

Loring, John. "Jl..Jnerican Art Pottery." Connoisseur 20 0 (April 1979} : 279-85.

Lovett, Eva. "Fifteenth Annual Exhibition of the New York Society of Keramic Arts." f'he In:t.es..n.ational Studio 31, no. 124 (June 1907): CXIV-CXX.

Meline, Elva. "Art Tile in California: The Work of E.A. Batchelder." Sginnina Wheel 27, no. 9 (November 1971): 8-10, 65.

Nelson, Marion John. "Indigenous Characteristics in Jl~erican Art Pottery." Antiques 89 (June 1966): 846-50.

"Novel Pottery That Comes From California." P"Jttery and ~3~ 14, no. 2 (February, 1915): 9-10, 27.

"Pacific Coast News." .The CJay-1f.Jorker 26, no. 3 (September 1896): 226.

"Pacific Coast News." The Clay-Worker 26, no. 4 (October 1896} : 311 ..

"Pacific Coast News." The Clav-Worker 26, no. 5 (Novernber 1896): 396.

"Pacific Coast News." The Clay-Worker 26, no. 6 (December 1896}: 475.

"Pacific Coast News." The Clay-Worker 29, no. 1 (January 1898}: 54L.

"Pacific Coast News." The Clay-Worker. 29, no. 3 (March 1898): 266.

"Pacific Coast Ne>vs." .The Clay-V'Jorke.r 35 (April 1901): 416.

"Pacific Coast News." The Clay-Worke£ 73 (January 1920): 70.

"Pacific Coa.st News." The Clay-Worker 7 4 (December 1921) : 590.

Ramsey, W.C. "Stockton, The Chicago of the Far West." Overland Monthly 26, no. 153 (September 1895): 297-314.

Rawson, Jr., ,Jonathan A. "Recent American Pottery." House Beautiful 31 (April 1912): 148-150.

87 Rhead, Frederick H. "America as a Ceramic Art Center." Fine Arts Journal 22 (Ptpril 1910): 183-193.

"American Ceramic Society Exhibition." B1Uletin of the .ll..merican Ceramic Societv 1 (May 1922): 10-11, 14-17.

"Shape Construction and Design." The Pott-er 1, no. 1 (December 1916): 29-31.

Roorba.eh, Eloise. "Art As Tonic." The Craftsman 24, no. 3 (June 1913): 343-46.

Ruge, C. "Development of American Ceramics." Pottery and Glass 1, no. 2 (August 1908): 3-8.

Safford, Sarah Wood. "Good Taste and Bad Taste in Bric-a­ Brac." Glass and Pottery World 15, no. 9 (September 1907): 16.

"Good Taste and Bad Taste in Bric-a-Brac." Glass and Pottery World 15, no. 10 (October 1907): 38.

Sanborn, Alvan F. "Leaders in American Arts and Crafts." ~d Housekeeping (February 1907): 146-52.

Sargent, Irene. "A Recent .Arts and Crafts Exhibition." ua f!- STQQ.Jl (May 1903): 69-83.

Sears, IYiabel Urmy. "Ernest Batchelder and His Tiles." International Studio 58 (April 1916): LIII-LVI.

Siegfried, Joan. "American Women In Art Pottery." Nineteenth Centurv 9 (Spring 1984): 12-18.

Smith, Kenneth E. "Laura Arme Fry: Origina·tor of Atomizing Process For Application of Underglaze Color." The._ Bulletin of the A.t"nerican Ceramic Society 17 (1938): 368- 72.

88 NEWSPAPERS

"An Old Potter With A t1essage." Los Angeles Times, 20 November 1914, sec. 2: 3.

"Boon For Clay Workers." Los Anaeles Times, 12 June 1921, sec. 2: 7.

"Brick Business Begun By Padre." Los Angeles Times, 15 November 1925, sec. 2: 2.

"Ceramists vVill Meet To Found Local Chapter." Los Angeles ~imes, 24 April 1921, sec. 5: 2.

"Clay Dreams Coming ~rue." Los Angeles Times, 11 September 1921, sec. 5: 2.

"Clay Output in City is Largest in Entire West." Los ;l\.nge_les Times, 10 May 1925, sec. 5: 6.

"Clay Products Census." Los Angeles ~imes, 30 November 1913, sec. 1: 6.

"Clay Products Industry Planning Big Moves." Los Angeles Times, 13 February 1921, sec. 5: 6.

Doyle, Grace Armistead. "Pottery Workers of Arequipa." San EJ:.:.a.ru:l.sco ChrQll.ic..l.e, 7 June 1914: 23.

"Great Year For Clay Industry." Los Angeles Times, 11 Dece~~er 1921, sec. 5: 5.

"Masterpieces of the Ceramic Art." Riverside Daily Press, 26 February 1914: 4.

"Mountain 1iHll Build Big Cities." Los Ax1ge l es 1'ime_s., 16 February 1919, sec. 2: 6.

"The Potter at the Western Gate." San Francisco Chronicle, 21 May 1905, Sunday Supplement: 1.

"Progress on Alberhill's 'Clay City'." Los Angeles Times, 29 May 1921, sec. 5: 5.

"Rates Reduced." .LQ..s____Angeles Times, 24 Harch 1914, sec. 2: 11.

"Sees Work For Clay Industry." T,os Angel.B..s Times, 7 May 1922, sec. 5: 4.

89 PAMPHLETS

Trippett, Wesley H. " 'Shapes of Clay' From The Redlands Potte.:::-y." Redlands, California: Citrograph Press, ca. 1904.

"San Diego and the American Art Pottery Movement." [San Diego, California: San· Diego Historical Society, 1987].

NONPRINT SOURCES

Chandler, William. Telephone interview. 26 October 1987.

Schmid, Bob. Telephone interview. 25 November 1987.

90 INDEX Clay Worker 2 9, 3 0 Colorossi Academy 55 A Cook, Alma May 24 Craftsman 6 Alberhill California Pottery 60 D Alberhill Coal and Clay Company 21, 26, 44, 59 Dale, Sharon 70, 71 Alberhill Pottery 23, 27, Dedham Pottery 43 40, 59-61, 62 Doat, Taxile 63 Andersen, Timothy J. 80 Dover, William 48 Arequipa Pottery 26, 27, Dovey, Arthur 56 51-53, 54, 71 E B Evans, Paul 31, 53, 63 Bailey, Charles 29 Excelsior Pottery Works 29 Bancroft, Hubert Howe 19 Barber, Edwin A. 19 F Batchelder, Ernest A. 43, 44, 45, 47 Freer, Charles Lang 9 Batchelder Tile Company 27, Fry, Laura 9 43-46, 47' 76 Fulper pottery 11 Batchelder-vJilson Company 44 G Bauer Pottery Company 44 Benjamin, Marcus 19 Good Housekeeping 6 Binns, Charles F. 71 Grand Feu Art Pottery 27, Blakey, Thomas 30, 32 63, 64, 65 Blakey, John 30, 32 Grueby, William 11, 14 Blavatsky, Helena 48 Bragdon, William V. 75, 76 H Brauckman Art Pottery 63 Brauckman, Cornelius 25, Halcyon Art Pottery 27, 40, 26, 63 48, 50, 59, 60 Brown, Edith 10 House Beautiful 14 Brown; Frank L. 44 Howe, Julia Ward 10 Byrdcliff 8 I c Irelan, Linna 20, 34, 35, California China Products 36, 38, 49 Company 66 California Faience 23, 27, J 75, 76, 78 California Institute of Jacobus, Pauline 9, 13 Technology 44 California School of K and Crafts 75 Carlyle, Thomas 3 Kamerling, Bruce Chandler, William 67 Keramic Club 36 Chelsea Keramic Works 34, Keramic Studio 6, 48 35 Clark, Robert Judson 9 L

91 Rekston 29, 30, 31 Ladies Home Journal 6, 16 Rhead, Frederick H. 15, 26, Linna Irelan pottery 19 51, 52, 70, 71, 72 Los Angeles Times 21, 59 Rhead Pottery 27, 70-73, 74 Lovett, Eva 66 Robertson, Alexander W. 29, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 48, M 59, 60, 61 Robertson, Fred 26, 36 Marblehead Pottery 51 Robineau, Adelaide Alsop 6 Narkham, Herman 66, 67 Roblin Art Pottery 19, 20, Markham, Kenneth 66 23, 27, 34-37, 38, 40, Markham Pottery 23, 27, 66- 48, 59, 60 68, 69 Rodin Academy 55 McLaughlin, Mary Louise 9 Rookwood 9, 11, 32, 55 Meline, Eva 47 Roorbach, Eloise 51 Morris, William 4, 5, 44 Ross, Denman 43 Roycroft 8 Ruskin, John 3, 4, 5 New York Keramic Society 66 s Newark Museum 76 Newcomb College 10, 11 Safford, Sarah Wood 16 Ne'>"lcomb, Josephine 10 Saturday Evening Girls (see Newcomb Pottery 10 Paul Revere Pottery) Niloak Pottery 56 Smithsonian Institution 25 Solon, Albert 52 - 0 Sorenson, Martin 56 Staffordshire pottery 72 Overland Monthly 31 Stickley~ Gustav 6 Stockton Art Pottery 27, p 29-32, 33, 36 Stockton Terra Cotta Company Panama-California Exposition 29, 30 26, 56, 61 Storer, Maria Longworth Panama-Pacific Exposition Nichols 9 25, 26, 53, 68 Paris Exposition 55 T Paul Revere Pottery 10 Pauline Pottery 9 Thomas & Bragdon of Berkeley Perry, Mary Chase 9 75 Pewabic Pottery 9 Thomas, Chauncey R. 75 Philadelphia Centennial Throop Institute (see Exposition 5, 9 California Institute of Potter 72 Technology) Pottery and Glass World 16 Tiffany & Co. 9 Tile Shop 75 Trippett, Wesley 39, 40

R u Ramsey, w. C. 31 University City Pottery 51, Rawson, Jonathan 14 63 Redlands Pottery 23, 27, 39, 40, 42 v

92 Valentien, Albert 55 Valentien, Anna 55, 56 Valentien Pottery 27, 55- 57, 58, 64, 68 Van Briggle, Artus 11, 56, 57 w

Wilde, F. H. 52 Wilson, Lucien H. 44 Women's Pottery Club 35, 36 World's Columbian Exposition 34

93