Newcomb Pottery was a singular artistic enterprise established in New Orleans just before the turn of the 20th century. One of its founding members, the ceramicist and educator Mary G. Sheerer (1865–1954), stated famously that “the whole thing was to be a southern product, made of southern clays, by southern artists, decorated with southern subjects!” Indeed, the clay came from the state’s bayous. The designs featured romanticized Southern motifs drawn from nature.
Male employees of Newcomb Pottery threw the vessels, as it was then considered unladylike for a woman to sit at a potter’s wheel. However, women artists chose the object’s shape, designed its motifs, and applied the decoration and glazes. The resulting work was critically acclaimed both domestically and internationally, making Newcomb Pottery one of the country’s most significant art potteries of its day.
