Maker's Marks on Pottery

Then and Now: Archeology at Fort Stanwix

Archeology Home		Maker's Marks on Pottery In the nineteenth-century, maker's marks were very common on pottery and showed where and when a piece of pottery was made.
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		This mark, from T.J. and J. Mayer's Dale Hall Pottery, shows many different things. The lion and unicorn are symbols of Great Britain, and so were widely used by English potters. At the top, it says, "Prize Medal 1851." Prizes were given out to encourage improved goods for many different industries in the nineteeth century including pottery. The center of the mark is the "registry mark" for the pottery, a precursor to a copyright mark in England.
		The Richard Alcock pottery, like other English potteries, was able to supply places like the Stanwix Hall Hotel because they had a selling agent in New York City. The pottery sold in New York was then shipped along the Erie Canal to towns and cities across the state.
		This mark from the Adam's pottery also carries the name of the pattern, Columbia. Pattern names were chosen to help sell more dishes, many of which were made for sale in the United States.