Brown-glazed Rockingham pottery was first produced in England in the late 1700s. English potters immigrating to the United States beginning in the 1820s brought the technique with them to potteries in many locations, including Vermont, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, and Maryland. Variations in the glazing formulas or application techniques could yield uniform browns, multicolored streaks or blotches, and a hard, brilliantly glossy surface. Rockingham-glazed wares were popular in the United States through the mid-1800s.

Christopher Webber Fenton joined the established firm of Norton Pottery of Bennington, Vermont, in about 1839. When the firm dissolved in 1847, and Fenton went on to establish Lyman, Fenton & Co. in 1848 or 1849. This later became the United States Pottery Company, which remained in business until 1858. 

The curving outlines of the sugar bowl’s form reflect the rococo revival taste. Its colorful splotches and hard, shiny surface are typical of the “flint enamel” type of Rockingham wares.