Hampshire Pottery Vase

About the Arts and Crafts Movement:

Beginning in England in the early 1880s, the Arts and Crafts movement spread across the United States and Europe by the late 1880s. It celebrated the importance of beauty in everyday objects and urged a reconnection to nearby nature. The movement resisted the way industrial mass production undermined artisan crafts and was inspired by the ideas of artisan William Morris and writer John Ruskin. Valuing hand-made objects using traditional materials, it was known for a color palette of earth tones. Its artistic principles replaced realistic, colorful, and three-dimensional designs with more abstract and simplified forms using subdued tones. Stylized plant forms and matte glazes echoed a shift to quiet restraint in household décor. The Arts and Crafts movement also embraced social ideals, including respect for skilled hand labor and concern for the quality of producers’ lives. The movement struggled with the tension between the cost of beautiful crafts and the limited number of households able to afford them. Some potters relied on practical products such as drain tiles to boost income or supported themselves with teaching or publications. Arts and Crafts influence extended to other endeavors, including furniture, such as Stickley’s Mission Style, and architecture, such as the Arts and Crafts bungalow, built widely across the United States. American Arts and Crafts pottery flourished between 1880 and the first World War, though several potteries continued in successful operation into the later 20^th^ century.

About Hampshire Pottery:

Hampshire Pottery was established in Keene, Vermont, in 1871 by James Scholly Taft and James Burnap, one of several successful potteries using rich local clay deposits for utilitarian household items. In 1879, Thomas Stanley joined the firm, and highly-glazed Majolica ware was developed. Decorative pottery lines were expanded in the 1880s, and molded souvenir pieces with transfer-printed scenes sold well. Hampshire Pottery benefited from the expansion of middle-class tourism, as urbanites visited resort towns and sought souvenirs. Chemist Cadmon Robertson joined the firm in 1904 and developed over 900 new glaze formulas for art pottery. Robertson died in 1914, and the pottery was sold in 1916 to George M. Morton, formerly connected with Grueby Pottery. The Keene location continued to produce until shortages caused by World War I contributed to its closing in 1917. After the war, operation resumed and came to specialize in white china for hotels and mosaic floor tiles. Hampshire Pottery closed permanently in 1923.

About the Object:

The frothy blue glaze on this large vase is one of the company's signature colors, likely the creation of Cadmon Robertson. Neither true matte nor glossy, the vibrant tones of Hampshire Pottery speak to its intended audience of carefree resort-goers.

Currently not on view