COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Celebrate Charter Day On Sunday, March 10 Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania Will Turn 338 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019 • VOL. 50, NO. 8
Nemadji: The “Southwest” Pottery That Isn’t
AAN Current News
Smack Dab In The Middle: Design Trends Of The Mid-20th Century By Donald-Brian Johnson What’s in a name? When it comes to Nemadji Pottery, the answer is plenty. It’s 1940, and you’re a tourist “Out West.” Maybe you’ve been visiting the Badlands and are now looking for the perfect souvenir. You spy an array of pottery bowls and vases in the “Southwest” style. The shapes are simple, accented by an eye-catching mix Two small Nemadji vases, one with original straw décor, of multi-colored swirls are each 3.5 inches high. against an earth-tone base. You pick up a pot and flip it over. The stamp reads “Nemadji Indian Pottery—Native Clay.” How’s that for authenticity? Well, while Nemadji is certainly in the “Southwestern style,” northeastern Minnesota is where it actually hails from. But if the marking on that pot read, “made in Moose Lake,” would you have snapped it up? Probably not. Nemadji occupies a unique place in the history of American pottery. From the company’s earliest days, its “Up North” underpin- This small, short orange stripe vase marked nings were underplayed. A Nemadji “Nemadji Indian Pottery—Native Clay” is 3.5 catalog from the 1960s notes that inches high. the pottery was “made largely from designs of ancient Indian pottery, Minnesota. The location, conveand many of their traditional niently situated on a large bed of shapes are preserved in our native clay, was ideal for Johnson’s designs.” As late as 1982, “Better purposes. Specializing in industrial Homes & Gardens” praised brick, as well as some decorative Nemadji’s “rich earthen hues . . .made hand-thrown pottery, Northern Clay by the American Indians,” and many was a success. But more capital was eBay listings still tout Nemadji as needed. For that, Johnson called on the perfect addition to a Native prominent Moose Lake attorney American collection. and lumberman Clayton J. Dodge. So what exactly is Nemadji? The Dodge was happy to oblige. The story begins with ceramist Frank newly-renamed “Nemadji Tile and Johnson. In 1920, Johnson founded Pottery Company” soon won the Northern Clay Products nationwide acclaim for its decoraCorporation in Nemadji Township, tive tile, used primarily for flooring. just northeast of Moose Lake, Hand-thrown Nemadji pottery was also popular, and there the difficulty set in. Dodge saw decorative pottery as a sure thing for the country’s burgeoning tourist trade. Johnson, however, had no interest in mass-produced ware, and the partnership ended. His 1929 replacement proved largely responsible for the Nemadji designs today’s collectors covet. Danish immigrant Eric Hellman creatFrom Nemadji’s final years (1995-2002), the ovoid and ed the original thrown wide-top pots on white clay have unglazed interiors. Continued on page 2
Celebrate Pennsylvania’s birthday by visiting Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) sites free of charge on Sunday, March 10. Call or check websites of various PHMC historic sites and museums along the Pennsylvania Trail of History for special times and other details. The State Museum in Harrisburg will display William Penn’s original charter and four Indian Deeds in recognition of the
commonwealth’s 338th birthday. From noon to 5 p.m., at the Landis Valley Farm Museum in Lancaster, Pa., there will be crafts and trades demonstrations, wagon rides, and the grand opening of its newest exhibit, “Thrown, Fired and Glazed: The Redware Traditions From Pennsylvania & Beyond,” a much anticipated exhibition. Look for more information on this exhibit in an upcoming issue.
Wotring Sells Man-In-The-Moon Batter Jug For $5,750 Ex. Machmer Stoneware Bank Sells For $1,750
Hattie Brunner Winter Scene Sells For $4,620 At Witman Sale In Manheim on page 3
Asian Fine Art And Antiques Top $1 Million At Clars on page 7
By Karl Pass Auctioneer Tim Wotring held a good country sale at the Schnecksville Fire Company on Jan 24 in Schnecksville, Pa. Quality advertising, pottery, and early toys were sold. A few noteable items included a stoneware batter jug from Pittston, Pa., (Evan Jones) with rare man-in-the-moon decoration that sold for $5,750. Wotring does not The stoneware batter jug from Pittston, Pa., (Evan Jones) charge a buyer’s premium. with rare man-in-the-moon decoration sold for $5,750. A miniature stoneware flask went for $225; a redware jug, initials in freehand cobalt “WJ” and $950; and a Pepper’s Ginger Ale tin coin slot sold for $1,750. The bank advertising sign, $375. A 1922 tin sold for $575 on May 24, 1997, wind-up Toonerville trolley toy through Sotheby’s at the Dick and Continued on page 15 brought $275, and a stoneware bulbous bank (restored finial) with
Palpable Energy Drives Garth’s January Americana And Decorative Arts Event on page 10
Glenn Miller Conducts Another Successful Advertising Sale At Monroe County Fairgrounds on page 13
In This Issue
This 1922 tin wind-up Toonerville trolley toy brought $275.
A stoneware bulbous bank (restored finial), with initials in freehand cobalt “WJ,” found a buyer at $1,750. It sold on May 24, 1997, in Kutztown, Pa., through Sotheby’s at the Dick and Rosemarie Machmer sale for $575.
SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 4 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . . . . on 6 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 7
FEATURED AUCTION: Poster Auctions International - February 24 in New York, N.Y. - Page 12
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 15