Label
Spittoon, 1853
United States Pottery Company (1847-1858)
Bennington, Vermont
Scroddled (mixed) earthenware
Bequest of Harold G. Rugg, #1957.1.57
Though pottery was produced throughout Vermont, the most famous firms were located in Bennington and are collectively known as "Bennington Pottery." The Norton family started making earthenware pottery in Bennington at the end of the 18th century. Soon the family expanded to stoneware, the gray jugs and storage vessels you see here. Stoneware, the all-purpose storage of the day, was a very lucrative business and only went out of style as glass canning jars and later tin cans became cheaper and more prevalent. Stoneware labeled "Bennington" and "Norton" was produced into the early 20th century.
In the mid-19th century, the Fenton family joined with the Nortons and produced fancy glazed pottery, often red, brown, and yellow though found in other colors, meant to rival identical designs imported from England. Called the United States Pottery Company, this firm had the honor of representing American pottery manufacturers at the 1853 Crystal Palace Exposition in New York, often referred to as the second World's Fair.