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Rookwood America's Finest Program The Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati, Ohio was started in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols. Mrs. Nichols who was from a wealthy Cincinnati family was well educated and started china decorating in 1873. At the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 she saw an exhibit of Japanese pottery and was greatly attracted to it. Having been accustomed to being indulged by her father she asked him to buy her a Japanese pottery. She meant for him to go to Japan and buy the workers, clay, glazes, and kilns and bring them to Cincinnati for her. He instead told her that if she was serious about having a pottery she could have an old schoolhouse on his properties for her venture. There was already a Pottery Club in Cincinnati and Maria was already involved in pottery making and decorating so this desire for a pottery of her own, although indulgent, was not without some background knowledge. Maria named her pottery Rookwood after fond memories of her father’s country place named Rookwood for the large number of crown living in the elms. Mrs. Nichols set about the task of supplying all the necessary ingredients for operation of a pottery. Kilns were built, engines to run the mills for clay grinding, the clay, tools, and coal for firing the kilns, chemicals for glazes. And she also needed people for the work, kiln men, throwers, mold-makers, and decorators. Joseph Bailey, Jr. became the first employee of this new business as manager. After much work, and I’m sure, failure Rookwood had pottery for sale in 1880. Mr. Bailey and Mrs. Nichols worked hard to promote the sale of their pottery. In 1881 the decorating department was formally organized. In September Albert Valentien was hired as the first “regularly employed” member of the decorating staff. We assume that to mean that he was the first full time decorator hired, the first of many talented decorators. In 1883 the official Rookwood shape book was begun. Each of the already 200 numbered shapes was carefully entered and described along with a small photo or drawing. This shape book was maintained throughout Rookwood’s lifetime. Throughout the entire production time of Rookwood each piece was stamped with the Rookwood logo, the shape number and the date. Because of the meticulous attention to marking Rookwood is today one of the easiest of potteries to identify and date. In 1883 Mrs. Nichols hired William Watts Taylor, her friend and businessman. Mr. Taylor realized that the pottery had no identifying image and set about to create one. He divided their product into three glaze lines, Ivory or Cameo, Dull Finish, and Standard. Almost everything they were producing fit into there lines and what didn’t was soon discontinued. Of the three lines Standard was thought to have the most artistic merit. With these glaze lines Rookwood won a gold medal at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, and Rookwood Pottery was on its way. By 1889 buyers were telling Mr. Taylor that although they liked the Standard glaze they were looking for something not so dark. In 1892 Rookwood moved to Mt. Adams, a Cincinnati suburb to a new building. This new building offered larger and better facilities. By 1894 Mr. Taylor was ready to introduce three new glaze lines in a lighter palette. These three lines were Aerial Blue, Sea Green, and Iris. Aerial Blue was soon discontinued probably due to low sales. However Sea Green and Iris were very successful and brought fame and money to the pottery. With these lines and the earlier ones Rookwood won the Grand Prix for ceramics and the 1900 Paris Exposition. By the turn of the century the fashion taste of the nation was changing and matte glazes some of which were created by a former Rookwood employee, Artus Van Briggle, were becoming the rage. In 1901 Rookwood matte glazes were introduced to the public, including Modeled Matte, Painted Matte, and Conventional Matte. Also during this time Rookwood realized that although they wanted to continue with their artist decorated lines, to support the business end of the company and appeal to a broader range of buyers they would have to do something different. Around 1901 Rookwood also introduced their Commercial wares. These pieces were molded and glazed usually a single color. No decorator was involved so more could be produced and at a lesser cost. The Commercial line was what really kept Rookwood in a financial position to continue with their wonderful artist decorated wares. Architectural tiles were first produced in 1902. In 1903 tiles were ordered for the New York subway. Vellum glaze was introduced in 1904. 1904 Rookwood again wowed the public with their new glaze line called Vellum. It was a transparent and rather misty glaze over decoration. In 1905 Albert Valentien painted the first landscape under the Vellum glaze and Scenic Vellums became Rookwood’s most salable line. In 1913 William Watts Taylor died of a heart attack at age 66. Joseph Henry Gest took over as president, an employee since 1902. In 1915 a lower fired clay body called Porcelain and later Jewel Porcelain was developed. Even though the Vellum glaze and other mat glazes were still the company’s main output, gloss glazes were coming back into fashion. At this time Rookwood also made garden pottery, fountains, tile, lamp bases and sculptures. The boom of the twenties ushered more decorated lines including Flambé and Mat Moderne. The decorated ware as well as the Commercial lines was selling well. This was the last decade of prosperity before the events of history took over. The stock market crash set in motion the end. By October, 1930 the pottery showed serious financial loss. In October, 1931 Rookwood was forced to close “as long as necessary to balance the budget.” Many long term decorators left, and by the end of 1932 all decorators were laid off. Mr. Gest resigned in 1934. He was replaced by John Wareham who had worked at the pottery since 1893. On April 16, 1941 the Rookwood Pottery Company filed for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy sale was held the following September and was sold to a group, including Walter Schott and his wife Margaret, intending to reopen. A new decorating department was created with some of the former decorators. Just as decorated ware began to be seen again Pearl Harbor plunged us into World War II. The war created shortages but the pottery continued to operate on a limited scale. Toward the end of 1942 the Schott group transferred ownership of the pottery to the St. Thomas Institute, a Catholic research foundation. With the end of World War II, Rookwood expanded production. Old glazes were resurrected as materials became available again, and new glazes were introduced. In spite of the time and money spent to expand business the buying public was not interested in art pottery. The last of the decorators left in 1953. In 1959 the pottery was sold to the Herschede Hall Clock Company and was moved to Starkville, Mississippi where taxes and labor were cheaper. And finally the Rookwood Pottery Company closed in the summer of 1967. Sponsors
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