Louwelsa

Object NameKerosene Table Lamp

Manufacturer Weller Pottery (American (Zanesville, OH), 1872 - 1948)

Artist / Maker Edward Alle ((American, b. 1868))

Designer J. W. Brooks

Mediumpottery, glazed, brass, glass

ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Ceramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Neva Petersen Estate for the Farm House Museum. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2018.208a-d

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: In 1872, Samuel Augustus Weller (1851−1925) established and operated a one-man pottery in Fultonham, Ohio, producing ﬂowerpots, bowls, crocks, and vases. Sometime between 1882 and 1890, he relocated to the epicenter of American pottery manufacturing in Zanesville, Ohio. In 1893, he saw William Long’s Lonhuda ware at the Chicago World’s Fair, and shortly thereafter Long joined Weller to produce this faience-glazed pottery line. When Long left Weller’s employment after less than a year, Weller renamed the faience line Louwelsa after his daughter Louisa born in 1896. Louwelsa wares were produced from 1896 to 1924 and continue to be popular with collectors. By 1905, Weller Pottery was the largest pottery in the country. It mass-produced art pottery until about 1920 but continued to produce commercial lines until the ﬁrm closed in 1948. This kerosene lamp was designed by J.W. Brooks and decorated by Edward Abel. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Abel began his career as a china decorator as early as 1886. In 1890, at the age of twenty-two, he joined Rookwood Pottery, where he continued decorating wares until around 1895 when he joined Weller Pottery during the height of the Louwelsa wares’ production.

PeriodArts and Crafts

Published Referenceshttps://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/humler-and-nolan/weller-louwelsa-lamp-vase-birds-abel-6-1-2-x-12-99774

SignedEd Abel added his signature in yellow slip near the base. Impressed on the bottom in a typical Weller half circle is the notation "Designed by J.W. Brooks".

Locations