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Brief description |
Earthenware jar attributed to the Hammett pottery, Cottage Inn, Lafayette County, 1853-1880. |
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Object name |
Jar |
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Maker |
Hammett, George, ca. 1810-1880 |
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Date |
1853-1880 |
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Materials and techniques |
Glazed wheel-thrown earthenware |
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Marks |
Impressed two-gallon capacity mark on rim |
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Original location |
Cottage Inn, Lafayette County, Wisconsin |
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Current location |
Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin |
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Description |
Earthenware jar with thick straight-sided rim. Clear lead-based glaze on interior and exterior. |
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History |
Potters in early Wisconsin took advantage of the region's rich natural resources. Earthenware makers dug locally for their red and yellow clays, mixed glazes from lead mined in the southwest part of the state, and powered kilns with wood from nearby forests. They supplied the settlers in their own and surrounding communities with a wide variety of utilitarian forms including jars, crocks, pots, and churns for food storage and preparation.
Many of Wisconsin's early potters learned their craft in their homeland prior to immigrating to the United States. George Hammett left Devon, England for North America around 1850. After spending time in Quebec, Canada and Galena, Illinois, Hammett purchased six acres of land in the small village of Cottage Inn, Lafayette County (near present-day Belmont) in 1853. He established a pottery with his two sons, John (1833-1911), and George (ca. 1830-n.d." In 1856, Hammett provided a list of his wares in an advertisement in a newspaper from the nearby city of Mineral Point: "Butter Pots from 1 to 6 gallons/ Churns, from 3 to 6 gallons/ Preserve Jars, from 1-2 to 3 gallons/ Milk Pans, from 1-2 to 2 gallons/ Pitchers of various sizes/ Flower Pots/ Stove Crocks &c., &c." The pottery's annual income hovered around $500, which, at their asking price of ten cents per gallon, translates into an annual production of around 2,000-3,000 vessels. Production of earthenware in Cottage Inn ended around 1879. |
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Sources |
Mineral Point Tribune, December 13, 1856; Kenneth Dearolf, Wisconsin Folk Pottery in the Collection of the Kenosha Public Museum (Kenosha: Kenosha Public Museum, 1986). |
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Related objects |
Other works attributed to the Hammett pottery in the collection of the Wisconsin Historical Museum include a jug (object # 1947.864) and a jar (object # 1944.939): http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/wda,1381 and http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/wda,1348 |
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Owner |
Wisconsin Historical Museum |
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Object # |
1968.31 |
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Rights |
(c) 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Contact the owner for more information. http://wisconsinhistory.org/museum/collections/dom_life.asp |
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Digital collection |
Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database |
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Digital identifier |
WHS121 |
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Digital format |
image/jpeg |
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Type |
Physical object |
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Keywords |
Ceramics; Pottery; Earthenware; Redware; Jar (vessel); Vessel (container); Container (receptacle); Furnishings and equipment; Food Storage Tools and Equipment |
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Date digitized |
2008-04-03 |
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Date modified |
2010-10-25 |
