Petersburg Potters

By 1806, salt-glazed stoneware was being produced in Petersburg by Thomas Lowndes.  He and his family had immigrated to the United States in 1805 from Staffordshire, England, bringing along a considerable repertoire of potter’s skills.  Unfortunately, very little evidence of his early production has come to light.  Much better known are the products of his son, Henry Lowndes, who took over the operation of the pottery after his father’s death in 1811.  Another early Petersburg stoneware potter was William Harwood, whose "Petersburg Stone Ware Manufactory" was in operation ca. 1818-21.  Virtually nothing is known about his stoneware.  

Period newspaper accounts suggest that the Lowndes Pottery produced both earthenware and stoneware, although no surviving examples of the former have been identified.  Much of what is known about the Lowndes stoneware comes from the survival of signed work and the distinctive brushed cobalt floral motifs uniquely identifiable as Lowndes. This pottery is known to have produced pitchers, water coolers, and spittoons. 

The most distinctive examples of Lowndes’s stoneware incorporated molded and applied decoration.  This type of decoration, perhaps reflecting the family's Staffordshire heritage, was used to embellish pitchers and coolers.  Perhaps intended as presentation pieces, these objects feature some of the most ambitious decorative treatments attempted by any American stoneware potter.   Besides these molded elements, Lowndes stoneware is distinguished by easily recognizable brushed cobalt floral designs.

After Henry Lowndes's death in 1842, family members carried on production at the pottery until they sold it to Thomas and John Ducey in 1855.  The Duceys continued stoneware production in Petersburg until about 1872.  No one knows the full range of the Duceys’ production.  However, examples do survive of their brushed cobalt decorated storage jars, which are often stamped with their mark. 

Pitcher Henry Lowndes Petersburg Ca. 1835-40 Salt-glazed stoneware   The classical shape of this elaborately decorated pitcher is typical of Staffordshire earthenware. The use of applied molding to the pouring lip and the body was also influenced by British prototypes.  The spread eagle, wreath, and stars all resemble decorative motifs incorporated in cast iron decoration of the period.  This pitcher is one of two of this type known to exist.  Private collection
Storage Jars Henry Lowndes Petersburg Ca. 1835-40 Salt-glazed stoneware   This pair of large storage jars best illustrates Lowndes's use of cobalt to create bold floral decoration and identifies his work with a flourish.  The floral branches were created by using a brush while the signatures were slip-trailed.  A comparison of these jars allows us to observe the minor variations inherent in hand decoration as well as the differences that occur due to changing firing environments in the kiln.  Private collection
Storage Jar Thomas and John Ducey Petersburg Ca. 1855-72 Salt-glazed stoneware     A well-made example of Ducey work, this three-gallon storage jar has deep cobalt brushed floral decoration in the Lowndes style.  Although little research has been conducted on this pottery, a number of marked and unmarked examples exist.  The mid-nineteenth century forms tend to be straight-sided, typical of the period, although the floral decoration bears resemblance to the earlier Lowndes pieces.  Private collection
Storage Jar Thomas and John Ducey Petersburg Ca. 1855-72 Salt-glazed stoneware   This one-gallon example of Ducey stoneware also has the typical floral decoration.   Private collection

Storage Jars

Henry Lowndes

Petersburg

Ca. 1835-40

Salt-glazed stoneware

This pair of large storage jars best illustrates Lowndes's use of cobalt to create bold floral decoration and identifies his work with a flourish.  The floral branches were created by using a brush while the signatures were slip-trailed.  A comparison of these jars allows us to observe the minor variations inherent in hand decoration as well as the differences that occur due to changing firing environments in the kiln.  Private collection