by Robin Cohen
My husband, Carl, has an obsession. No, silly, it’s not me. It’s Trenton Pottery! It’s what he searches for at every antique show. It’s why he’s depressed when he leaves a show without finding any. It’s what makes him giddy when he spots a piece or, God forbid, several! Most important, it’s why he loves the hunt!We were introduced to Trenton Pottery several years ago by a lovely couple who shares our love of pottery and also collects it. We wandered into their little shop, M.E. Collins, in the Chelsea Antiques Building in New York and were immediately drawn to a beautiful grouping of pottery we had never seen before. Glossy, solid colors, but mainly soft pastels; simple designs, but mostly Deco shapes; and with substantial weight because they are actually made of the same vitreous china used to make sanitary fixtures in your home.
Neil Collins and his wife, Mary Ellen were happy to share their knowledge of Trenton Pottery; and upon examining the pieces, we were hooked. We bought our first pieces that day and have since collected a wide assortment of different colors and shapes.
Trenton is virtually an unknown pottery, and little is known about its background and origin. In 1892, five individual companies joined together to form Trenton Potteries Company. Crescent, Delaware, Empire, Enterprise, and Equitable Pottery Companies combined their resources, but continued to operate separately after the merger.
For the most part, four of the companies made vitreous china sanitary wares, such as toilets, sinks, and bathtubs. The fifth, Equitable, made more tableware and other items for hospitals. The companies experimented with making porcelain sanitary wares like those imported from England. A new plant called Ideal Pottery was constructed to make porcelain bathtubs. With the addition of a tunnel kiln in 1922, operations to produce sanitary wares were greatly improved. Slip casting was also substituted for pressing clay into molds.
In 1924, Crane obtained a controlling interest in Trenton Potteries and continued the operation until fires in 1967 and 1969 caused the facility to close down. Crane, itself, is still in business today and continues to make sanitary wares.
The French artist, Lucien Boullemier was responsible for the beautifully decorated urns made by Empire Pottery that were exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904. His paintings on the porcelain were exquisite. Four different craftsmen worked on the urns.
From the mid-1930s until sometime after World War II, some art pottery, mostly for florist shops, was produced by TEPECO and fired in the same kilns as the sanitary wares. Many of the same colors used for the sanitary wares were found on thick-walled, usually undecorated pieces; although, we have found several examples of hand-decorated pieces as well as several with applied floral decals. We have collected examples in many different colors such as the pastels, pale green, yellow, light blue, medium blue, pink, mauve, turquoise, white, and off-white, as well as black, rust, purple, maroon, and royal blue. We know of no other colors made, although it may be possible there are others.
Shapes were both Art Deco, such as spheres and disks, and classic in design, such as urns, shells, and cornucopias. Vases, planters, wall pockets, flowerpots, centerpiece bowls, console bowls, bud vases, rose bowls, candleholders, ashtrays, and umbrella stands were made. Many of the forms were made in varying sizes. Some pieces, mainly ashtrays, were made for advertising and promotional purposes. One of two different stamped marks was used on all wares.
In our search for Trenton Pottery, we have met others who also collect it. Several, like Neil and Mary Ellen, collect just the white. Others collect just the Deco shapes. We have found that since the pottery was produced on the east coast, it becomes more difficult to find the further west you travel, and many dealers we’ve asked have never heard of it.