Isaac Suttles was born in Ohio and probably was employed by John M. Wilson at the Guadalupe Pottery sometime after the Civil War. Census records from 1870 suggest that Suttles worked with and resided with the family of Marion J. Durham. Durham had joined Wilson as a partner in the Guadalupe Pottery after the war and purchased Wilson’s remaining interest in 1869, establishing what became known as the Durham-Chandler-Wilson pottery. By 1873, Suttles had established his own pottery in La Vernia, Texas. Suttles is thought to have introduced the technique of salt glazing to the Guadalupe Pottery, to the Durham-Chandler-Wilson pottery, and in turn to H. Wilson & Company.

This small jar exhibits considerable inconsistency in the surface color, possibly resulting from conditions in the kiln, and it appears to carry an impression of the potter’s fingers near the base.