Vase

Object NameVase

Studio Newcomb College Pottery (American (New Orleans, LA), 1895 - 1940)

Artist / MakerDecorated by Anna Francis Connor Simpson (American, 1880 - 1930)

Artist / MakerDecorated by Maude Robinson ((American, 1879-1960))

Artist / MakerPotter Joseph Fortuné Meyer (French-American, 1848 - 1931)

Date1910

MediumCeramic

Dimensions6 × 5 × 5 in. (15.2 × 12.7 × 12.7 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Ceramics

Credit LinePurchased by University Museums. Funded by Carol Pletcher and the Neva M. Petersen Aquisition Endowment Fund. In the permanent collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2017.152

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: Sophie Newcomb College opened in 1886 as a women’s college within the men’s only Tulane University. The 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia inspired many Arts & Crafts era potters, like brothers William and Ellsworth Woodward who taught pottery courses at Newcomb in the late 1880s. They worked to open a commercial pottery at the college, with its first exhibition and sales in 1896. The Woodward brothers hired Joseph Fortuné Meyer to build a kiln and throw the pots and Mary Given Sheerer, who came from Cincinnati, to teach ceramic decoration. Female students learned pottery decoration in their studies, an occupation considered appropriate for women. Decorative motifs utilized the native natural imagery of the south and colors were in the blue and green range. In 1910, Newcomb transitioned to a subtle matte glaze with more muted colors, in line with other art potteries. Paul Cox, a graduate from Alfred University who later came to Iowa State College as the head of Ceramics Engineering, perfected the glaze. Newcomb College Pottery was internationally recognized and awarded through competitions and well-known for quality and craftsmanship in the era of great art pottery of the early 20th century. ________________________________ Label #2: This is a rare 1910 example of a double signed Newcomb Pottery high glaze vase by potter Joseph Fortune Meyer with a combined decorating effort by Anna Francis Simpson and Maude Robinson. The emergence of new design schools afforded opportunities for women, particularly at places such as Newcomb College in New Orleans, which had established a pottery to provide employment for young women who had trained in its art program. The Arts and Crafts commitment to decoration inspired by local plants and flowers is clearly seen in Newcomb pottery, where the primary motifs are magnolias, live oaks, hanging moss, and cypress trees.

MarkingsImpressed marks include the Newcomb College logo, the M monogram of potter Joseph Meyer and the letter K for a clay body used with glossy Newcomb. The date code DT-56 for 1910 is written in cobalt slip as are the decorators marks that include the monogram for Anna Francis Simpson and the signature for Maude Robinson.

PeriodArts and Crafts

Locations