The history of domestic household pottery production is preserved today because some American institutions began acquiring early examples of American-made red earthenware before 1875, such as the Hopkinton, N.H. Historical Society. This central New Hampshire museum was established in 1859, and immediately began accumulating objects of local interest, which included red earthenware made in the nearby communities that retained original contexts of family ownership. There were, however, also some influential early collectors working at museums, such as Edwin Atlee Barber (1851-1916), who was the director/curator of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1901 to 1916 and Honorary Curator of American Pottery and Porcelain from 1893 to 1916. Under Barbers guidance, the museum amassed the most significant collection of Pennsylvania-German red earthenware from the 1700s and 1800s. Robert (1848-1931) and Emily Weeks De Forest (1851-1942) were also instrumental in the early 1900s at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Robert De Forests involvement with the arts of early America long matched his engagement with housing reform and charity work in New York City, although his marriage in 1872 to Emily Johnston, the daughter of Metropolitan Museum of Art co-founder John Taylor Johnston (1820-93), cemented his ties to the new institution, founded in 1870. Among The Mets notable collections accumulated during De Forests tenure were a number of significant pieces of American red earthenware and stoneware. But, it was a native and lifelong resident of Hartford, Conn., Albert Hastings Pitkin (1852-1917), who was among the first in America to systematically study and collect early American pottery. Whilevisiting a local farmhouse in the spring of 1884, hisdiscovery of two pieces of redware, or lead glazedred earthenware pottery, spurred his passion for ceramics. Pitkin soonamassed a collection and became known as the leading authority on New England redearthenware. In 1910, hejoined the staff at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford as curator of the department of ceramics. During his tenure, he oversaw the installation of his own collectionsin the Morgan Memorial, and upon his death, his wife, Sarah Howard Loomis Pitkin, donated over 300 objects to the museum. Some other influential early collectors include Massachusetts author Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-1982), sculptor and folk-art pioneer collector Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), Dr. Walter Hough(1859-1935), and Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) of the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, among others. Furthermore, the Stahl family of Powder Valley, Lehigh County, Pa., actually witnessed some of this newfound appreciation when some of the familys early production from the 1800s was sold at a local auction in the early 1930s. In the mid-19th century Charles Ludwig Stahl (1828-96) established the Powder Valley Pottery, a red earthenware business that was largely intended for local distribution. In the 1870s, Charles taught three of his sons the pottery craft: Isaac (1872-1950), James (1860-1943) and Thomas (1863-1942). When Charles died in 1896, Isaac took over the company, but only a few years later, James became the owner. The family business closed around 1903, although it later reopened in 1933. However, as the years passed, the wares made by the Stahls became quite collectible and even received some published recognition. The Stahls found that the wares, which were originally priced at only a few pennies, were now selling for at least a dollar, and in some cases much more. This was a rare occurrence. Most American utilitarian potters never lived long enough to see their wares transition for how they were used as their intended purpose to being thought of as collectible. In fact, in the early 1930s, Isaac reportedly attended an auction, which is where he saw pottery created by his family and also the Medinger family of Pennsylvania selling for surprisingly high amounts. The Medingers were located in Montgomery County, roughly 35 miles from where the Stahls operated, and this family also continued production into the 1900s. Interestingly, a group lot of red earthenware recently came to auction near Harrisburg, Pa., which was purchased by dealer Greg Kramer; the lot consisted of some pieces made by Jacob Medinger (1865-1932), along with a peculiar blue glazed red earthenware pitcher marked on the side From Barclay Co. Narberth PA. Narberth is a borough in Montgomery County and one of many neighborhoods on the historic Philadelphia Main Line. I studied this pitcher, which some speculated may have been made by Jacob Medinger, although it may have been produced by another company, as well. It has an art pottery look to it, but its shape suggested a utilitarian function. An old sticker caught my attention, seeing that I had never seen another piece of pottery with this mark before. A Barclay Company catalog from 1928 seems to shed some light on why this object is marked with this company named sticker. According to some of the information published in the back of the catalog, The founder of this business is a sincere lover of beautiful gardens and an ardent enthusiast in the art of garden architecture. Starting but a few years ago with a very small group of choice garden wares, Mr. Hugh B. Barclay has through conscientious care and strict adherence to highest standards of artistic excellence built up a business that now boasts of what is probably the most extraordinary collection of garden furniture and equipment, and that serves a clientele composed largely of connoisseurs in garden art. In many instances, Mr. Barclays search for rare and exclusive objects led him through many foreign lands. Perhaps in a humble village chimney corner, or hidden away in some cottage garden he would find that bit of brass, the old oil jar or vase, whose artistic beauty and skillful craftsmanship had been lost to the world for many a hundred years. As a consequence many of these antiques can never be duplicated. This catalog also included a selection of antique American-made red earthenware and stoneware, which was likely sold for similar prices as the Stahls had witnessed in the early 1930s. The catalog states, Every piece (of American pottery) is genuine antiquity some dating back to the earliest days of the potters craft in this country. Here are old milk crocks, jars of every shape and size; jugs, pitchers and bowls. Bean pots and flower pots that attest the skill of their maker by their long survival. These pieces of early America are not only interesting because of their origin but are much more suitable for floral use and decorative purposes in Colonial type homes than modern homes. Even though there is no proof of it, it is certainly possible that some of the wares made by Jacob Medinger in the 1920s may have been sold through the Barclay Company, seeing that both businesses were located in Montgomery County. It is also possible that the Barclay Company may have sold some pottery produced by the Stahl family, although the fact that this company was selling antique American utilitarian pottery was certainly a result of the demand for these types of objects and how they were now viewed as American antiques by both collectors and museums. Sources The 1928 Barclay Company Catalog of Narberth, Penna. Thomas, Justin W. The 19th- And 20th-Century Stahl Family Pottery In Lehigh County, Pa.: Stahls Pottery Preservation Society Inc. Has Protected Homestead And Site. Antiques & Auction News, June 28, 2019. _____. An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses. Beverly, MA: Historic Beverly, 2025. _____. The Albert Hastings Pitkin Collection. Antiques & Auction News, April 19, 2019. ___. A City on the River: The Early Red Earthenware of the Hartford, Connecticut Area. Beverly, MA: Historic Beverly, 2023.