The Arts & Crafts of Newcomb Pottery by Rizzoli International Publications

T h e ArTs & Cr A fTs of

Newcomb Pottery

Plate 63 Plate 62

Tile with pine forest design, c. 1909

Vase with wild rice design, c. 1909

Henrietta Bailey, decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Incised and

Marie de Hoa LeBlanc, artist. Incised and slightly sculpted; under-

slightly sculpted; underglaze with glossy glaze, 53 ⁄4  51 ⁄2 in.

glaze with glossy glaze, 6  6 7⁄16 in. (15.2  15.2 

(14.6  13.9 cm). Collection of New Orleans Museum of Art.

1.1 cm). Collection of New Orleans Museum of Art. Accession

Accession number 38.12

number 88.223

Plate 63 Plate 62

Tile with pine forest design, c. 1909

Vase with wild rice design, c. 1909

Henrietta Bailey, decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Incised and

Marie de Hoa LeBlanc, artist. Incised and slightly sculpted; under-

slightly sculpted; underglaze with glossy glaze, 53 ⁄4  51 ⁄2 in.

glaze with glossy glaze, 6  6 7⁄16 in. (15.2  15.2 

(14.6  13.9 cm). Collection of New Orleans Museum of Art.

1.1 cm). Collection of New Orleans Museum of Art. Accession

Accession number 38.12

number 88.223

Plate 76

Plate 77

Vase with chrysanthemum design, c. 1910

Brooch, with malachite stone set in cut-out and hand‑wrought silver filigree pin

Unknown decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Low-relief carving;

underglaze with satin glaze, 8  45 ⁄8 in. (20.3  11.7 cm).

Attributed to Mary Harrison Palfrey. 5 ⁄8  2  1 ⁄2 in.

Collection of Don Fuson

(1.6  5.1  1.3 cm). Private collection

Plate 76

Plate 77

Vase with chrysanthemum design, c. 1910

Brooch, with malachite stone set in cut-out and hand‑wrought silver filigree pin

Unknown decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Low-relief carving;

underglaze with satin glaze, 8  45 ⁄8 in. (20.3  11.7 cm).

Attributed to Mary Harrison Palfrey. 5 ⁄8  2  1 ⁄2 in.

Collection of Don Fuson

(1.6  5.1  1.3 cm). Private collection

Plate 82

Plate 98

Vase with “4 o’clock” plant design, c. 1913

Vase with quince design, c. 1917

Cynthia Littlejohn, decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Low-relief carv-

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Low-re-

ing, underglaze with satin glaze, 9  5 ¾ in. (22.9  13.3 cm).

lief carving, underglaze with matte glaze, 81 ⁄4  37⁄8 in. (21 

Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number

10 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession

C.1973.107.A

number C.1973.378.A

Plate 82

Plate 98

Vase with “4 o’clock” plant design, c. 1913

Vase with quince design, c. 1917

Cynthia Littlejohn, decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Low-relief carv-

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Low-re-

ing, underglaze with satin glaze, 9  5 ¾ in. (22.9  13.3 cm).

lief carving, underglaze with matte glaze, 81 ⁄4  37⁄8 in. (21 

Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number

10 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession

C.1973.107.A

number C.1973.378.A

fig. 7.

Vase, c. 1898. Oak leaf design. Emilie de Hoa LeBlanc,

decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Underglaze painting with glossy glaze. Height 81 ⁄4 in. (21 cm). Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Right fig. 8.

Vase, 1897. Green glaze on two-handled form. Selina

Elizabeth Bres, ceramist. Height 51 ⁄2 in. (14 cm.). Collection of the Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans

vase, “it being the property of the art department.” This may mean that the vase, not bearing any artist’s cipher, was the work of Joseph Meyer, who was on staff. However, “the others belong to pupils,” and had to be returned to them; Woodward could not donate them out right because they were not his to donate. But then a curi ous compromise was forged: the vase with oak leaves and the small, two-handled vase with green glaze were returned, were copied at Newcomb, and these replicas were sent to Boston (fig. 7 and fig. 2, right). The original version of the two-handled vase, almost identical to the one in Boston, is extant and is now in the Louisiana State University Museum (fig. 8). The New Orleans example bears the painted initials “S. E. B.” and the date “97.” In other words, it was executed by Selina Bres in 1897. Did

Bres make the Boston copy? Probably, just as Emilie de Hoa LeBlanc copied her own vase with oak leaves. The Boston museum’s choice of two glazed wares and just one decorated vase (albeit on an essentially Eastern form) may be attributed to Morse and Dow, who, subse quent to Fenollosa’s forced resignation, were serving as the museum’s curators of Japanese pottery and Japanese prints, respectively. Their interest in the East would have favored such work, and the influence of these men may have prompted Newcomb to pursue such avenues in the first place. There seems to have been an interesting symbiosis. Not only were Morse and Dow involved in the display and acquisition of these Newcomb vases, but both men wrote brief commendatory letters to Mary Sheerer. She quoted their letters in an article about the Newcomb Pot tery in the November 1899 issue of Keramic Studio.26 Both letters were republished a month later in the local news paper, the Picayune.27 The significance of these accolades from such Boston luminaries was not lost on Newcomb or the citizens of New Orleans. Despite current interest in the Newcomb Pottery, the significance of the undecorated wares has not been recog nized. Some scholars have mistakenly described these wares as “inexpensive ‘souvenir’ items.”28 One occasionally finds them wrongly classified as “glaze samples.” Yet their frequent inclusion in important exhibitions at the turn of the century and their illustration in many of the early publications about the Pottery suggest their intended importance.29 Significantly, in his letter of commendation to Sheerer, Morse mentions the Massachusetts ceramist Hugh C. Rob ertson, whom he calls “that queer genius.”30 Robertson was the eminent American ceramist of “undecorated ware.” In the 1880s, he had imitated the shapes and simple mono chrome glazes of the Far East, then became obsessed with copper red glazes, and ultimately became fascinated by boldly splashed, irregularly dripping glazes (fig. 9). Rob ertson was probably familiar with Fenollosa’s and Morse’s collections, as well as the men themselves, especially since the potter had been giving specimens of his work to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts from the 1870s onward. Robertson’s glaze effects were far bolder than Newcomb’s, but conversely, critics found it easier to applaud New comb’s gentler efforts. Seen together, the ceramics of these two enterprises represent an important trend that soon emerged in many other American potteries as well. Newcomb’s undecorated ware offers evidence that some of the Newcomb women were taught to glaze and perhaps even throw on the wheel. As we have seen, the

vase in the Louisiana State Museum and perhaps also the copy in Boston were glazed by Bres. Neither of these bears Meyer’s mark. Other examples of undecorated ware are attributable to early Newcomb decorator Elizabeth Goelet Rogers and Sara Bloom Levy. Significantly, these examples also lack Meyer’s cipher. The idea that some Newcomb decorators were learning to throw on the wheel before 1900 is quite remarkable. It was only after the start of the new century that luminaries of the American pottery movement such as Adelaide Alsop Robineau and Mary Chase Perry attempted this. On the other hand, most of the pottery produced at Newcomb for the next two decades continued the traditional gendered division of men throwing and women decorating. Newcomb’s decorated ware was equally indebted to these same Bostonians, especially Dow, whose ideas were well known in New Orleans. In the course of his lectures, Fenollosa inevitably spoke of Dow and the aims of his “school.” Dow was teaching at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and held summer classes in his native Ipswich. Although he traveled and lectured extensively, there is no record of journeys to the South. In contrast, Ellsworth Woodward and his brother traveled northward, especially in the winter semester break and in the summer. It is quite possible that Woodward, who had a keen interest in pedagogy and often dropped in on schools to learn their methods, may have visited Dow, either in New York or Massachusetts.31 Dow also occasionally disseminated his ideas in magazines, and his students reported on his courses as well.32 Woodward knew of Dow’s ideas. Indeed, one of Woodward’s early essays on the Newcomb Pottery was immediately followed by an essay on Dow’s method.33 This conjunction was perhaps fortuitous, but it is indicative of how closely interrelated the world of art educators was. Dow’s pedagogy became pervasive in the United States and especially at Newcomb with the 1899 publication of his manual, Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers. Yet he had been teach ing this approach to design for a decade, and Fenollosa had been lecturing on these ideas for the same length of time. Dow’s program, based on his understanding of Japanese printmaking, was aimed at printmakers and painters, but also had great relevance for the decorative arts. Equally important for Newcomb students were the classes that Dow held in the summer at his home in Ips wich. Begun in 1891, they were extremely popular. It is uncertain how early Newcomb students began making the pilgrimage there, since almost no records survive in either New Orleans or Ipswich. One of the first Newcomb

fig. 7.

Vase, c. 1898. Oak leaf design. Emilie de Hoa LeBlanc,

decorator; Joseph Meyer, potter. Underglaze painting with glossy glaze. Height 81 ⁄4 in. (21 cm). Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Right fig. 8.

Vase, 1897. Green glaze on two-handled form. Selina

Elizabeth Bres, ceramist. Height 51 ⁄2 in. (14 cm.). Collection of the Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans

fig. 11.

Vase, 1898. Underglaze painting with anchor and

wave motifs. Marie de Hoa LeBlanc, decorator; unknown potter. Height 713 ⁄16 in. (19.8 cm). This vase or an identical version of this design is one of the twenty eight examples of Newcomb Pottery wares acquired by the museum in St. Louis between 1902 and 1912. Other Newcomb ceramics acquired by the museum over that decade documented the Pottery’s stylistic changes and technical developments. They were deaccessioned in the 1940s. Photo courtesy Newcomb Art Gallery

Woodward and Ives aimed to represent in the St. Louis collection any aesthetic and technical advances in the Pottery’s repertoire. Directly following the Fair, in November 1904, Ives purchased two pieces of Newcomb Pottery, one of which was a copper-red vase demonstrating experiments with a reducing kiln.38 Woodward sent a small vase in January 1907 which “shows a leaning we have at present towards designs without sustaining out lines.”39 Later that year Woodward recommended a partic ularly large work that he earmarked for St. Louis, “partly because I am proud of it, and partly because you have the best collection of Newcomb pottery outside our own reserve. The vase is in the customary blue and green gloss glaze. It represents a forest modeled in low relief and is sixteen inches in height. We very greatly appreciate your interest in continuing the museum collection for St. Louis, as well as your friendly attitude in general to our work.” Ives responded enthusiastically, and on receipt of the vase declared, “It is a superb example of work and will enrich the case greatly.”40 The next acquisition in December 1908 represented: “a movement toward a somewhat more natu ralistic style of ornament than has been heretofore used.” Woodward noted, “It is interesting to me . . . . that the growth of the student of design is less towards formality of line and more towards the grace of nature while still preserving the formality of value and space balance.”41 Ellsworth Woodward wrote in early 1910 about two wares that were successful experiments with matte glazes. One work had a transparent matte glaze, which Wood ward enthused, had met with highly popular success. “You will note that this glaze does not crackle and has the soft, egg-shell texture to the touch and allows the use of underglaze color in precisely the same way as we use it with the old form of transparent glaze. We anticipate a considerable growth in this direction and propose immediately to use it in connection with fireplace tiles, in which in our particu lar style of design connected with landscape may prove interesting.” The other piece had an opaque matte glaze, which Woodward admired for its “dull, yet powerful color and the even texture.”42 Woodward wrote to Ives in November 1910 describing the next suggested acquisition, which would first be sent to Chicago for the annual arts and crafts exhibition, and with Ives’s approval, sent on to St. Louis. These works Woodward described as “some of the best enamels we have turned out.” 43 Ives died suddenly in May 1911, while traveling abroad. After Ives’s death, Woodward corresponded with the Museum’s acting director, R. A. Holland, and a few

Plate 104

Cut-out and hand-wrought silver serving utensil, c. 1920–23

May Asbury Jones, artist. 81 ⁄4  23 ⁄4  13 ⁄4 in. (21  7  3.5 cm). Collection of Don Fuson

fig. 11.

Vase, 1898. Underglaze painting with anchor and

Plate 104

Cut-out and hand-wrought silver serving utensil, c. 1920–23

May Asbury Jones, artist. 81 ⁄4  23 ⁄4  13 ⁄4 in. (21  7  3.5 cm). Collection of Don Fuson

Plate 114

Drawing with View of St. Louis Cathedral from Jackson Square on winter evening, c. 1920

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, artist. Gouache on illustration board, 251 ⁄8  81 ⁄2 in. (63.8  47 cm). Collection of Don Fuson

Plate 114

Drawing with View of St. Louis Cathedral from Jackson Square on winter evening, c. 1920

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, artist. Gouache on illustration board, 251 ⁄8  81 ⁄2 in. (63.8  47 cm). Collection of Don Fuson

Plate 124

Plate 125

Embossed, tooled, and gilded leather binding with constructivist design, c. 1925–30

Endpapers with stylized floral design, c. 1925–30

From The Woman of Andros by Thornton Wilder, 1930 edition.

On Specimens of the Russian Poets, trs. by John Bowing, F.L.S.

Unknown artist. 81 ⁄4  51 ⁄4 1 ⁄8 in. (21  13  .03 cm).

1821 edition. Unknown artist. 71 ⁄4  21 ⁄2  11 ⁄4 in. (18.4 

Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number

6.4  3.2 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Acces-

2001.7.3

sion number 2002.3.4

Plate 124

Plate 125

Embossed, tooled, and gilded leather binding with constructivist design, c. 1925–30

Endpapers with stylized floral design, c. 1925–30

From The Woman of Andros by Thornton Wilder, 1930 edition.

On Specimens of the Russian Poets, trs. by John Bowing, F.L.S.

Unknown artist. 81 ⁄4  51 ⁄4 1 ⁄8 in. (21  13  .03 cm).

1821 edition. Unknown artist. 71 ⁄4  21 ⁄2  11 ⁄4 in. (18.4 

Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number

6.4  3.2 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Acces-

2001.7.3

sion number 2002.3.4

Plate 132

Table runner with Southern pine design, c. 1905–10

Unknown artist. Silk thread on woven linen in running and outline stitches, 63  171 ⁄2 in. (160  44.5 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. D&MA.1973.211.A

Plate 132

Table runner with Southern pine design, c. 1905–10

Unknown artist. Silk thread on woven linen in running and outline stitches, 63  171 ⁄2 in. (160  44.5 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. D&MA.1973.211.A

Plate 1, detail

Plate 164

Hand-wrought silver belt buckle in Palmetto design with overlay, polished finish, c. 1925–30

Cut and hand-wrought brass doorbell, n.d.

Attributed to Juanita Mauras. 21 ⁄2  13 ⁄4 in.

(9.4  7.3  .33 cm). Private collection

Oak tree design. Attributed to Alice Moise. 311 ⁄16  27⁄8  1 ⁄8 in.

(6.4  4.4 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number D&MA.1973.35.A

Plate 1, detail

Plate 164

Hand-wrought silver belt buckle in Palmetto design with overlay, polished finish, c. 1925–30

Cut and hand-wrought brass doorbell, n.d.

Attributed to Juanita Mauras. 21 ⁄2  13 ⁄4 in.

(9.4  7.3  .33 cm). Private collection

Oak tree design. Attributed to Alice Moise. 311 ⁄16  27⁄8  1 ⁄8 in.

(6.4  4.4 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number D&MA.1973.35.A

Plate 189

Plate 193

Vase with Abstract pitcher plant design, c. 1931

Pitcher with Stylized pitcher plant, c. 1933

Aurelia Arbo, decorator; Jonathan Browne Hunt, potter. Low-relief

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator; Francis Ford, potter. Low-

carving, underglaze with matte glaze, 7  4 in. (17.8 

relief carving, underglaze with matte glaze, 53 ⁄4  83 ⁄8  55 ⁄8 in.

10.2 cm). Collection of the Haynie Family

(4.6  21.3  14.3 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number 2004.9.3

Plate 189

Plate 193

Vase with Abstract pitcher plant design, c. 1931

Pitcher with Stylized pitcher plant, c. 1933

Aurelia Arbo, decorator; Jonathan Browne Hunt, potter. Low-relief

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator; Francis Ford, potter. Low-

carving, underglaze with matte glaze, 7  4 in. (17.8 

relief carving, underglaze with matte glaze, 53 ⁄4  83 ⁄8  55 ⁄8 in.

10.2 cm). Collection of the Haynie Family

(4.6  21.3  14.3 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number 2004.9.3

Mr. Bultmann works as a “Funeral Director – Under taker.” The 1940 census shows Mrs. Bultmann, now wid owed, to be head of the household with three daughters and four grandchildren living in the Perrier Street home. Ruth Bultmann received a Diploma in Art from Newcomb College in 1917. She continued her education and was awarded a Bachelor of Design in 1919. Her area of concentration was calligraphy (Plate 109). The 1919–20 and 1920–21 University catalogues list her as a Graduate Art student. After leaving Newcomb, she applied her tal ents to designing bookplates and greeting cards, as well as advertising signs, stationery, and funeral cards for the family business. Bultmann returned to Newcomb in the years 1931–33 as an Art Craftsman for the Pottery enterprise. She died on October 10, 1975 in Metairie, Louisiana.

BUTLER, Mary Williams (1873–1937)

Mary Williams Butler was born in New Orleans on March 15, 1873, to Frank Newcomb Butler and Mary Palfrey Wil liams. Mary Butler was one of five children. The 1900 cen sus shows the Butler family and one Irish servant living at 1608 Carondelet Street. Her father’s occupation is listed as “Attorney”; no occupation is given for her mother. Accord ing to the 1910 New Orleans City Directory, Mr. Butler’s occupation was president of Top Hat Oil Company and the family resided at 3222 Prytania Street. Mary Butler’s domiciles changed every year or so beginning in 1910. The City Directory of that year lists her address as 1150 Maga zine Street. Between 1911 and 1933, she moved back in with her family; she listed her domicile as 1220 Washing ton Avenue, the address of Newcomb College; resided at 1535 Seventh Street; lived at the corner of Broadway and Oak Streets, directly across from the College’s new cam pus; moved to 402 Audubon Street. Her last domicile was 331 Pine Street. Mary Butler began her career at Newcomb in 1898 as a Special Art student. In 1899, she enrolled in Newcomb College and received her Diploma in Art in the spring of 1901. She worked as a pottery decorator before her aca demic tenure with the College (Plate 39). Beginning in 1901, Miss Butler was an instructor/graduate student in drawing and design, achieving a full professorship in 1934. She was the genesis for the metalwork program at the Newcomb Pottery. Miss Butler spent her summers learning

Plate 202

sweater frog, 1940–1945

Carmen Favrot, silversmith. Silver with overlay monogram “GFF.” Carmen Favrot, artist. 11 ⁄8  21 ⁄16  1 ⁄8 in. (2.9  5.2  .3 cm). Collection of Gervais Freret Favrot, Jr.

Previous spread Plate 198

Plate 199

Vase, c. 1942–48

Platter of Gulf Stream ware, c. 1942–48

Newcomb Guild Lichenware. Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator;

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator; Kenneth Smith or Francis

Kenneth Smith or Francis Ford, potter. Rutile and chromium oxide-

Ford, potter. 11 ⁄2.  123 ⁄4 in. diameter (3.8  32.4 cm).

based glaze, 103 ⁄4 in. (27.3 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane

Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number

University. Accession number C1973.289.A

C.1973.298.A

new pedagogy and studio techniques, in particular at Har vard with Denman Ross and at the Kalo Shop in Chicago. Mary Williams Butler was scheduled to retire in 1938 at the mandatory age of sixty-five. In October 1937, she suffered a fatal heart attack. Newcomb College suspended classes the following afternoon.

CHALARON, Corinne Marie (1900–1977)

Corinne Chalaron was born in New Orleans on November 1, 1900, to Thomas Francis Chalaron and Estelle Delery. The 1900 census lists the Chalaron family living at “Orleans Avenue – Suburb. No Houses Numbers” with her extended family and three lodgers. Mr. Chalaron’s occupation appears as “Clerk – Bank”; no occupation is listed for her mother. Corinne Chalaron was one of four daughters. In 1920, the Chalaron family was living at 1509 Pine Street; Mr. Chalaron was still working as a clerk in a bank. The 1940 census shows Corinne Chalaron and her mother living at 376 Millaudon Street; no occupation is listed for either woman. Chalaron’s design aesthetic is easily recognizable. She worked as an Art Craftsman at the Pottery enterprise between 1922 and 1924. Her nature patterns incorporated tiers unfolding like a lotus, inspired by the 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb. Leaving for one year, she came back to Newcomb in the 1925–26 academic session. When Mary Sheerer returned from Paris in 1925, Cha laron embraced the new Art Deco style, utilizing geomet ric forms to create abstractions that gave her work a unique, syncopated rhythm (Plate 120). The influence of the “moderne” may have precipitated her enrollment— while still working at the Pottery—in the Tulane Univer sity School of Architecture. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1926. Corrine Chalaron died on February 5, 1977.

COLEMAN, Browning (1883–1958)

Browning Coleman was born in New Orleans on October 3, 1883, to Nicholas D. Coleman and Eliza M. Browning. Miss Coleman was an only child. The 1900 census lists Coleman family and two servants as living at 1221 Orange Street; her father was widowed. His occupa tion was insurance agent. Mr. Coleman died in October

BUTLER, Mary Williams (1873–1937)

Plate 202

sweater frog, 1940–1945

Carmen Favrot, silversmith. Silver with overlay monogram “GFF.” Carmen Favrot, artist. 11 ⁄8  21 ⁄16  1 ⁄8 in. (2.9  5.2  .3 cm). Collection of Gervais Freret Favrot, Jr.

Previous spread Plate 198

Plate 199

Vase, c. 1942–48

Platter of Gulf Stream ware, c. 1942–48

Newcomb Guild Lichenware. Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator;

Sarah A. E. “Sadie” Irvine, decorator; Kenneth Smith or Francis

Kenneth Smith or Francis Ford, potter. Rutile and chromium oxide-

Ford, potter. 11 ⁄2.  123 ⁄4 in. diameter (3.8  32.4 cm).

based glaze, 103 ⁄4 in. (27.3 cm). Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane

Newcomb Art Collection, Tulane University. Accession number

University. Accession number C1973.289.A

C.1973.298.A

CHALARON, Corinne Marie (1900–1977)

COLEMAN, Browning (1883–1958)