Rookwood Pottery

Rookwood Pottery is one of the most recognisable names in the history of American ceramics. Founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, it became a leading example of how pottery could be both beautiful and functional, bridging the gap between art and industry. Rookwood also played a key role in movements such as Art Nouveau and helped integrate ceramics into both domestic interiors and public architecture as its rise was inseparable from the wider social and economic changes followed by the Industrial Revolution.

At first, Rookwood produced vases, dinnerware and ornamental objects. Soon, however, the company expanded into ambitious architectural ceramics including tiles, mosaics and large-scale installations that still survive in public spaces today. The Standard glaze, also known as mahogany, gave pieces a rich, glossy depth that became instantly recognisable. Other important finishes included the translucent Sea Green and the matte Vellum glaze that were also distinctive to Rookwood. 

In 1880 from the offset, it introduced Limoges-style pieces that drew on French porcelain traditions, particularly underglaze slip decoration. At the same time, the company borrowed from Japanese design, incorporating motifs such as lotus flowers, plants and fish.

Rookwood Pottery vase with autumn leaves motif, c. early 20th century. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Rookwood Pottery Company vase, 1884. Earthenware decorated with plants, reflecting the influence of nature in nineteenth-century ceramics. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Umbrella stand with Japanese-inspired fish, Rookwood Pottery Company, 1884. Stoneware reflecting the influence of Japanese design. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

2 FIsh in Waves vase, Rookwood Pottery Company 1901. Decorated by Edward Timothy Hurley, a glazed stoneware vase that also reflects the influence of Japonism in its depiction of fish and water. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

The Japanese ceramic painter Kataro Shirayamadani, hired in 1887, decorated many of the most highly prized works, bringing with him the refined traditions of Japanese ceramics. French-born artist Henry François Farny  also contributed painted portraits of Native Americans, while Grace Young, Sara Sax and Constance Baker also worked for periods.  In late nineteenth-century America, still a relatively new country, this was a way of showing that American ceramics could be cosmopolitan and distinctive at the same time. Unlike Europe or Asia, the United States did not yet have centuries of established artistic tradition to draw upon, so borrowing and blending became an important way to shape and define identity.This however also reveals contradictions as the use of Native American imagery as decoration reflected a wider tendency to focus on cultures that were, at the same time, being marginalised in American society. Some historians interpret this as a response to market demand for the exotic, while others view it as an early attempt to create a specifically American decorative vocabulary.

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, William Purcell McDonald for Rookwood Pottery Company, 1898. Earthenware portrait reflecting late nineteenth-century interest in Native American subjects. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

At the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, Rookwood won first prize, an important moment that demonstrated American ceramics had gained international influence. From that point onwards the company was associated not only with decorative art but also with ambitious architectural commissions. Its tiles and mosaics were installed in New York’s Grand Central Terminal, in courthouses, subway stations, universities and other prominent public buildings. In this way, Rookwood ceramics became part of the daily lives of ordinary citizens as well as objects of luxury collected in private homes.

The context of the industrial revolution is also crucial to understanding Rookwood’s importance. The Industrial Revolution had transformed Cincinnati into a centre of trade and manufacturing. A wealthy middle class emerged, eager for cultural refinement as well as consumer goods. At the same time, mass production was often criticised for producing objects that were uniform and lacking character. Rookwood was part of the American art pottery movement that responded to this criticism by showing how ceramics could combine technical innovation with individuality. Some commentators, however, point out that Rookwood also relied on the very industrial methods it appeared to resist, and so it can equally be seen as a product of the new machine age rather than a rejection of it.

Today, Rookwood pieces remain highly collectible. More common, later-production works may sell for only a few hundred pounds, while rarer examples by celebrated artists can reach thousands. Identifying features such as backstamps and date codes are essential for confirming authenticity and establishing when a piece was made. Condition is equally important, as cracks, chips or repairs can dramatically reduce value. At the highest level, Rookwood has achieved remarkable prices at auction. In 2004, a Black Iris vase by Shirayamadani sold for around 305,000 US dollars at Cincinnati Art Galleries, setting a record for American art pottery. The following year, a Standard-glaze vase by Matthew Daly, painted with a portrait of Chief Joseph, reached approximately 51,000 dollars, and in 2018, a vellum-glazed vase by Frederick Rothenbusch fetched nearly 195,000 dollars.

Rare Rookwood Pottery porcelain bat tray with built-in matchbox holder, designed by Kataro Shirayamadani, c.1903. Formerly auctioned by Toomey & Co for $1,375.

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Limoges-style earthenware vase by Maria Longworth Nichols Storer for Rookwood Pottery, c.1882. Formerly auctioned by Toomey & Co for $33,750.

Its glazes, motifs and architectural works remain instantly recognisable. It drew on international traditions while experimenting with new techniques, contributed to everyday life through architecture, and reached international acclaim in the decorative arts. Today, Rookwood occupies a distinctive place in both history and the art market. It stands as a reminder that ceramics, often overlooked or compared with more ancient traditions, can illustrate the artistic, social and economic conditions of their period as well as being valuable.