7 minute read
White’s Pottery
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I have always felt that wandering around an antique store is like walking through a museum. It is history, usually of the most personal, day-to-day kind. I was recently fortunate to be able to check out some pieces of Whites of Utica Pottery at Showcase Antiques of CNY in Little Falls.
Sharry Whitney had tipped me off to the display. Since I had a weekday free, I decided to indulge in a little research first. I suppose that was just my rationalization for another trip to the Oneida County History Center in Utica. I enjoyed wandering through their displays until a young lady asked me if I had questions or needed help.
It was Rebecca McLain, Director of Education and Outreach, and she was very pleasant and helpful. Soon I was sitting down with a book called Potters and Potteries of New York State, 2nd Edition, by William C. Ketchum, Jr. (Syracuse University Press, 1987). I read how the firm was started by Noah White in 1838. He was joined by his sons, and it remained a family run business as long as it was in business, until 1910. In the 1860s and ‘70s, Whites Utica was the most common mark to be found on any pots in the area. Rebecca also brought me a folder full of information on White’s Pottery. I leafed through newspaper clippings, letters, and booklets. Most interesting to me were the hand-written or typed (on a typewriter! Talk about history!) letters from people asking questions about pieces they owned or had come across. Copies of the replies were included. One undated magazine article spoke of a stoneware jug that went at auction for $1,450! An article from the Weekly Observer, Nov. 9, 1969, mentioned stoneware items on disShowcase Antiques in Little Falls recently acquired a large collection of Whites of Utica Pottery
Historical information about Whites of Utica pottery at the Oneida County History Center
Employees of White’s factory in Utica, 1905
play at Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute. Hey! I remember that display! Well, not from 1969 (I was almost 7 at the time), but from more recent visits to MWPAI. I decided to go take another look. Before I did, I also perused a booklet from MWPAI with information and illustrations.
MWPAI is only a short distance away from the History Center so I decided to revisit the pottery display on the second floor of Fountain Elms. I had looked at those pots plenty of times (I am kind of a museum geek) but had not realized they were all made in Utica.
Feeling that I had educated myself somewhat, I headed to Little Falls and Showcase Antiques. Yes, I walked up and down all the aisles, looking at all the antiques. I can seldom afford to buy everything I desire, but I LOVE to look! I saw some White’s Pottery in one case, but it was not the display I was looking for. I soon found it in showcase #22 and had a delightful conversation with Debbie Guile who owns Showcase with her husband, Dave. They were very excited to get the pieces from a local collector, especially the number of pieces acquired. Deb- b i e
showed me some of the pieces not yet on display, still in the cleaning room.
I learned even more about White’s Pottery. For example, they started making steins in answer to competition from an Ohio company. German steins were very hot at the time, so at first, that was how White’s marketed them. Once the steins became popular, White’s began making some with American-themed artwork. A couple of those were in the display at Showcase (if they haven’t sold yet).
Showcase’s display has already generated some excitement. The August issue of Mohawk Valley Living contained a small blurb saying to watch for it in September and Debbie soon got a call from a lady in Whitesboro. Debbie did her best to describe pieces over the phone, as the woman did not have internet access, but then planned to drive to Whitesboro with a couple of pieces the woman was particularly interested in.
I felt very happy with my day spent absorbing local history. Now when I prowl the antique stores, I can take a more knowledgeable look at the pottery.
Brief History Whites of Utica Pottery provided by Showcase Antiques
In the 1800s, stoneware crocks and jugs were used for the preservation and transport of food and drink. Utica’s central location and proximity to the Erie Canal were ideal for pottery factories. The canal was used to transport rich clay north from New Jersey, and again to distribute finished product to
New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. Noah White, a barge pilot on the Erie Canal, worked for several small potteries in Utica before buying out The Addington Pottery in 1839. The factory was located on the Erie Canal in the vicinity of the Utica Auditorium. For approximately 70 years, WHITES OF UTICA, as it is most commonly known among stoneware collectors, produced a wide variety of utility and advertising pieces. Over those years Noah’s sons and grandsons joined and left the company, thus the company’s name and markings on their pieces changed several times. In the 1870s a new building helped expand the operation, and the addition of a 65-horsepower steam engine helped to improve production processes. Very early pieces were hand thrown and hand decorated, while later pieces were produced in molds. During the heyday of production, the company employed 20-25 workers. Major items included jugs for liquor, olive oil, and vinegar; churns for butter; chamber pots; preserve jars; beer bottles and fire bricks. In the 1880s, competition from Ohio stoneware manufacturers, and the introduction of glass containers forced the company to strategically enter new markets. Germany dominated beer stein and mug production; White’s added these to their product line in
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1885. Interestingly, White’s chose to copy the popular German styles, and sell them as if German-made by omitting their identifying marks and by depicting German scenes and verses. Then at the 1901 Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo, N.Y., the company tried to capture the American market by using its name on steins featuring Washington Crossing The Delaware, The Battle of Bunker Hill, Ben Franklin, The Minute Men, and on advertising mugs for American breweries and restaurants across the Country. The Mohawk Valley has a few serious stoneware collectors; the trained eye can identify White’s pieces--even those unmarked. •
Showcase Antiques of CNY 375 Canal Place, Little Falls 315-823-1177 Open 10-5, closed Wed.
Oneida County History Center 1608 Genesee St., Utica 315-735-3642
Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute and Fountain Elms 310 Genesee St., Utica 315-797-0055
Pottery display at Fountain Elms at Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute in Utica
Cynthia M. Quackenbush, a.k.a. “Mohawk Valley Girl,” writes a daily blog about her everyday adventures in the Mohawk Valley. Follow her frugal fun at: mohawkvalleygirl.wordpress.com
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