Early in the nineteenth century the potters of Chester County, Pennsylvania, developed a distinctive fancy flowerpot form. Commonly made of red clay with slip glazes, the pots are distinguished by the use of hand-crimped ruffles at the upper edge of the pot and on the saucer, as seen here, and occasionally multiple rows of ruffles on the body. As these pieces were usually inscribed with the owner's name, place of residence, and often a date, it is likely that they were intended as presentation pieces. However, since none of the dates have been linked to a recorded event in the life of the owners, they probably indicate the date of manufacture.  The makers, often Quakers of English or Irish descent, followed the traditions of English potters, embellishing their works with simple naturalistic motifs and English flowing script. While many of the owners were Quakers, Ann Hogg, the original owner of the present pot, was a Methodist, which may account for the omission of a date on her pot. This English-style pottery contrasts with that of the nearby Germans who used stylized ornament and Germanic script. An 1834 bill of Enos Smedley lists a variety of forms including five different flowerpots ranging in size from four to twelve inches. He notes that he also has on hand a general assortment of fancy flowerpots, undoubtedly this type.  However, it is clear that this personalized pot would have been a commissioned piece.

Related examples: All of globular-footed form originally with separate saucer: one inscribed "Ann K. Palmer, Concord, 4 month 3rd 1826" and on the bottom of the saucer "Enos Smedley Westtown” (James 1978, p. 159); one inscribed “Elizabeth Canby Brandywine" and using the Quaker system of dating “11th mo. 21st 1825" at Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Center, Williamsburg, Virginia (acc. no. 83.900.1), attributed to Smedley or to one of the James potters (Griffith 1985, p. 10); one inscribed "Tacy Lewis, Newtown Township Delaware County 10th Mo 5th 1824" in MMA (Griffith 1985, p. 8). Another straight-sided saucerless pot with related beaded ornament attributed to Smedley is located at Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, Pennsylvania (acc. no. 1990.16.1). Although it has been suggested that the Bayou Bend example might be the product of the John Vickers factory at Lionville, his documented examples of the 1830s all feature sgrafitto floral spray decoration.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.