Edwin Bennett (potter)
Edwin Bennett (1818–1908), born in Newhall, Derbyshire, was an English American pioneer of the pottery industry and art in the United States,[1] and founder of the Edwin Bennett Pottery Company of Baltimore, Maryland. Producing a variety of wares from the everyday to the fine and artistic, his company, founded in the 1850s, continued in operation until forced to close during the Great Depression in 1936. Examples of Edwin Bennett pottery may be found in museums across the United States, including the Smithsonian (National Museum of American History), and Maryland Historical Society,[2] as well as in private collections.
Arriving in 1841, he became a citizen of the United States in 1848.[3] Among the original styles Edwin Bennett's company is known for are the "Brubensul" and "Albion" wares.[4] He was among the English introducers of Majolica to the United States,[5] and also produced notable Rockingham-style ware, including the famous "Rebekah at the Well" teapot, modeled by Charles Coxon following Bennett's inspiration.[6] It became the best and longest selling Rockingham ware pattern in history.[7] Bennett was also responsible for the design of the popular infuser-style "McCormick teapot".[8]
Edwin Bennett was a younger brother of James Bennett, who established the pottery industry in East Liverpool, Ohio. The Bennett brothers were long friendly with Andrew Carnegie and his family, who had lived in Ohio. Edwin once entertained Carnegie's mother Margaret, on her way to visit her son in Virginia during the Civil War, in his home on East Baltimore Street.[9]
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Claney, Jane Perkins. Rockingham Ware in American Culture, 1830–1930: Reading Historical Artifacts. New Hampshire: University Press of New England. 2004.
- Holland, Eugenia Calvert. Edwin Bennett and the Products of his Baltimore Pottery. Exhibition catalogue. Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society. Summer, 1973.
- Schneider, M. Majolica. Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 3rd edition, revised & expanded, 1999.
- Various Contributors. Baltimore: Its History and its People. Volume III – Biography. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 1912.
- Company records
- Bennett Pottery Company Records, 1844–1881. Including family history and Bennett's autobiography, correspondence. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
Further reading
- The Story of Baltimore Pottery by Lauren Brooks, Chesapeake Home, August 11, 2005. Photo Gallery
- Puzzling aspects of the most popular piece of American pottery ever made by J.G. Stradling, Magazine Antiques, Feb. 1997[dead link]
