Ceramics in America 2023

Discover the 2023 edition of Ceramics in America, a scholarly collection exploring centuries of American ceramic artistry and its profound social impact. This volume presents in-depth research across regional traditions—from Louisiana to Virginia—and features a landmark essay on nineteenth-century potter John Wesley Carpenter. Examine rare eighteenth-century London porcelains made with Cherokee Territory clay, and explore how ceramicists harnessed their craft to advance abolition on both sides of the Atlantic. Contemporary works by Baltimore artist David Mack underscore ceramics' enduring role in social change. An essential resource for historians, collectors, and ceramic enthusiasts.

240 Pages, 8.8 x 11.3 in, 240 illustrations.

Contents:

Introduction
Robert Hunter

Southern Hoodoo and the Dr. Peter Davis Ring Bottle
Robert Hunter

At the End of a Rope: A Stoneware Jar and Political Frustration 
Elyse D. Gerstenecker, Robert Hunter, and Kurt Russ

John Wesley Carpenter: Tradition, Innovation, and Adaptation in a Shattered Post-Civil War South
Stephen Compton

Geochemical Investigation of a Ceramic Snuff Box: ‘A’-Mark English Porcelain Attribution confirmed
W. Ross Ramsay, Howell G. M. Edwards, Errol Manners, and Ashley Howkins

“From Death to Life”: Slavery and Emancipation in the British West Indies as Revealed on a Child's Plate
Daniel S. Sousa

Hidden Histories: The Case of Elijah Lovejoy and the Production of Anti-slavery Ceramics
Neil Ewins

A Chelsea Keramic Art Works Vase with a Portrait of William Lloyd Garrison
James D. Kaufman

Souvenirs of Fantasy: George Ohr’s Clay Tokens  
Ellen J. Lippert

English Delft for Colonial Tavern Tables in King William County and Williamsburg, Virginia
Elizabeth Donison, Ned Rose and Angelika Kuettner

Earth, Fire, and the Abolitionist: The Emancipation of Clay for Social Change
David Mack

A Tale of Two Chinese Porcelain Punch Bowls
Amanda Creekman Isaac and Captain Charles T. Creekman

Family Reunion: The Clay Sculptures of Babette Wainwright
R. Ruthie Dibble

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Ceramics in America stands as an essential annual publication from the Chipstone Foundation, bridging scholarship and collecting with rigorous interdisciplinary perspective. Each volume explores historical ceramics within American cultural, social, and material contexts—from archaeological inquiry to contemporary studio practice. Indispensable for collectors seeking depth, curators building institutional knowledge, decorative arts students, historical researchers, and working potters alike.