A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod

The aesthetics of utilitarian domestic red earthenware are what collectors and museums have been drawn to for more than a century now, although, it was likely an important factor in the marketplace even when red earthenware was originally produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. In New England, the wares manufactured in southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod were unquestionably at the forefront of the visual appeal of the region’s red earthenware production. The wares produced in this part of Massachusetts have it all: form, glaze, skill and refinement, transforming many of these objects into works of art that can be displayed at any art museum in America. This book is the first of its kind to explore this region’s red earthenware production through archaeology, a historical context, as well as the artistry and creativity behind this industry’s production.