MakerAttributed to
Prothro Pottery Company(American, active 1846–1865)American, active 1846–1865
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Four-Gallon Jar
Datec. 1846–1865
Made inHenderson, Texas, United States
MediumAlkaline-glazed stoneware
Dimensions16 3/4 × 9 1/8 in. diameter (42.5 × 23.2 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of William J. Hill
Object numberB.2012.174
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Ceramics Study Room
Exposé
Explore Further
Department
Bayou BendObject Type
James Prothro was born in South Carolina, resided in Alabama by 1840, and may have been in Texas by 1846. He settled in Rusk County where his pottery business was recorded in the 1850 manufacturing census. Prothro contracted with the Confederate States Army in 1864 to produce stoneware for use hospitals; the contract made specific reference to an enslaved worker named Alex.
This jar features an impressed four-gallon capacity mark and two strap handles. Its rim became deformed after the pot was turned on the potter’s wheel.
Provenance[Jon St. Clair, Austin]; purchased by William J. Hill (1934–2018), Houston, 2008; given to MFAH, 2012.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Incised: 4
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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