Rookwood Pottery
was founded by Maria Longworth in 1880,
forming the business in Cincinnati, Ohio in
an old schoolhouse she named Rookwood after
the family estate. From the beginning,
Rookwood was a haven for talented and
artistic women who loved their work of
decorating pottery. However, Rookwood
quickly grew into a well respected business,
one of the first in America to be owned and
operated by a woman. The quality of the
craftsmanship, artistry, and innovative
glazes were widely recognized and loved, and
the distinctive green and gold of early
Rookwood glazes came naturally from the
effect of the Ohio clay. The first artist
she hired was Henry Farny who was well known
for his American Indian subjects. Several
years later, William Watts Taylor became the
manager of Rookwood Pottery, and under his
leadership it began its climb to the top.
Taylor encouraged innovation in all aspects,
and he hired a top chemist to develop unique
glazes never before seen. From the
beginning, Rookwood has been prized by
collectors due to the detailed and accurate
markings which reflect style, model number,
artist, date of manufacture. Taylor brought
in many more top artists including Kataro
Shirayamadani, who was one of Rookwood's
best known artists from 1890 until he died
in 1947 at age 93. A new factory was built
in 1891 to accommodate the growing number of
resident artists and craftsmen, now
numbering over 60. Almost all of Rookwood
pottery is marked, most with the famous
flame mark dating the individual pieces and
the marks of famous artists such as
Shirayamadani, Schmidt, Daly,
Van Briggle, Wilcox, Hurley, and many
more.
Maria Longworth
soon married and maintained less interest in
the business, leaving the operation in the
hands of Taylor who ran the business until
1913 when he passed away. To diversify,
Rookwood began producing commercial
architectural pieces about 1902 which soon
began to appear in buildings across the
country. Rookwood tiles became quite well
known through their use in major hotels,
train terminals, Grand Central Station and
several subway station stops in New York
City. By the 1920s, Rookwood had grown
dramatically into a thriving concern
employing over 225 workers, and thousands of
visitors came to the factory each year.
Rookwood has always been expensive and
remains so today, and while there was some
mass production they always maintained a
strong, individualistic artistic tradition.
The Great Depression was a disaster for
Rookwood and most other makers of luxury
goods as the population could no longer
afford such items. As the country climbed
out of depression, cheaper clones of
Rookwood tiles and vases began to appear,
further weakening the financial condition of
the company. In 1941, Rookwood Pottery filed
for bankruptcy. A succession of subsequent
owners could never recapture the glory years
of Rookwood, and production ceased
completely in 1960.
Thanks to
collectics.com for the great
information.
See more photos and
descriptions of the different styles and
glazes below.
Matte -
Standard/High -
Vellum -
Crystalline -
Tiles -
Bookends -
Figurines
rookwood pottery, cincinnati,
ohio, kataro shirayamadani,
charles todd, maria longfellow,
E.T. Hurley, Carl schmidt, matt
daly, leonore asbury, Caroline
Steinle, Katharine Hickman,
Grace Young, Elizabeth Lincoln,
William E. Hentschel, Elizabeth
Barrett, Loretta Holtkamp, Ed
Diers, Sallie Coyne, Harriet
Wilcox, Albert Munson, Anna
Marie Valentien, Harriet
Wenderoth, Anna Marie
Bookprinter,William P. McDonald,
H. Pabodie Stuntz, Charles J.
McLaughlin, William E. Hentschel,
Jens Jensen, Loretta Holtkamp,
Lorinda Epply, Charles J.
Dibowski, Adeliza Sehon, Adeliza
Sehon, Clara Lindeman |
GREAT BOOKS ON ROOKWOOD POTTERY
For
more reading on Rookwood Pottery, my
recommendations would be:
|