Object ID	1985.299
Object Name	Pitcher
Dimensions	H-9.125 W-8.55 D-5 inches
Early Date	1854
Late Date	1854
Made By	United States Pottery Company
Description	The United States Pottery made a variety of earthenware and porcelain forms which were both functional and decorative. As is the case with most American ceramics made in the 19th century, the majority of these objects were never stamped with the mark of the pottery poosibly because they were standard, commercial items or so that they would not be identified as American. Although the United States Pottery had a reputation for making high quality wares, American consumers generally preferred English and European to domestically produced ceramics at that time. This pitcher is exceptional because it is painted with an inscription that identifies it as the production of the United States Pottery of Bennington, Vermont. The "Cascade" Pitcher, one of the few designs unique to the United States Pottery, was inspired by the rocks and rushing waters of Niagra Falls, one of America's great natural wonders and a popular tourist attraction in the 19th century. Although the pitcher does not appear in illustrations of the Pottery's display at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York in 1853, a contemporary description of the objects shown there refers to "a large water pitcher intended to represent a waterfall with rocks in front and water overflowing the mouth and falling in volumes down the sides in relief."
Credit	Gift of Robert B. and Marie P. Condon

The Bennington Museum, 75 Main Street, Bennington, Vermont 05201 802-447-1571    info@benningtonmuseum.org
Last modified on: March 06, 2007