Bristol Glazed Stoneware
Title
Bristol Glazed Stoneware
Description
Stoneware production in the U.S. began at different times but took off in the 19th century. After the civil war, stoneware production increased even further with the use of industrial pottery techniques, including the use of molds to create vessels. This industrialization put most local potteries out of business by the Great depression.
Bristol Glazed stoneware is characterized by an off-white glaze (Bristol) developed during the Victorian Era to cover the buff body of utilitarian Stoneware. While this originated in England, it became popular in North America in the late 1800s and is seen on a variety of stoneware vessels. The glaze is traditionally composed of feldspathic materials, like those used in porcelain glazes, and contains combinations of China clay and zinc oxide changing the opacity of the white color glaze (Greer 1981:210, 212). Like other utilitarian stoneware, Bristol Glaze stoneware has an off-white vitrified paste generally fired at 1200-1350° Celsius. If the glaze is applied on a vessel with a high iron content, it may have a pink-ish hue. It is most often seen to cover the entire vessel, instead of being combined with another glaze, after 1920 (Greer 1981:212).
In this collection, Bristol Glaze Stoneware is commonly found and often has patterns, maker’s marks, and decorations that aid in distinguishing between uses of the vessels. For example, the ship motif seen above comes from an Old Spice bottle, similar to the one in pictures 3 and 4.
Bristol Glazed stoneware is characterized by an off-white glaze (Bristol) developed during the Victorian Era to cover the buff body of utilitarian Stoneware. While this originated in England, it became popular in North America in the late 1800s and is seen on a variety of stoneware vessels. The glaze is traditionally composed of feldspathic materials, like those used in porcelain glazes, and contains combinations of China clay and zinc oxide changing the opacity of the white color glaze (Greer 1981:210, 212). Like other utilitarian stoneware, Bristol Glaze stoneware has an off-white vitrified paste generally fired at 1200-1350° Celsius. If the glaze is applied on a vessel with a high iron content, it may have a pink-ish hue. It is most often seen to cover the entire vessel, instead of being combined with another glaze, after 1920 (Greer 1981:212).
In this collection, Bristol Glaze Stoneware is commonly found and often has patterns, maker’s marks, and decorations that aid in distinguishing between uses of the vessels. For example, the ship motif seen above comes from an Old Spice bottle, similar to the one in pictures 3 and 4.
Source
https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/Post-Colonial%20Ceramics/NorthAmericanStoneware/index-NorthAmericanStoneware.html#Footnote2
Greer, Georgeanna H.
1981 American Stonewares; The Art & Craft of Utilitarian Potters. Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pennsylvania.
Greer, Georgeanna H.
1981 American Stonewares; The Art & Craft of Utilitarian Potters. Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pennsylvania.
Date
1870-1960s
Type
Historic Ceramic
Coverage
p1/ACC 133, p1/ACC 133, p1/ACC 133, p1204/ACC 140, p1338/ACC 140, p1764/ACC 170, p3116/ACC 170, p4763/ACC 170, p1836/ACC 170, p472/ACC 170, p1836/ACC 170, p4/ACC 189, p354/ACC 193
Collection
Citation
“Bristol Glazed Stoneware,” The Phoenix Project , accessed October 2, 2026, https://martaphoenixproject.gsuanthropology.com/items/show/204.