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| SEG / Paul Revere Pottery pitcher with multi-color glaze |
It’s a common theory among parents of teenagers – keep them busy, and they may not have time to get into any trouble! But just what activity, pray tell, would do the trick? After all, mowing the lawn and washing the dishes only go so far. How about something more creative and constructive, something along the lines of producing a line of fine commercial art pottery, for example? Before you get to chuckling too hard, however, take a good look at the lasting legacy of The Saturday Evening Girls Club and Paul Revere Pottery.
Keeping young girls well "occupied" and teaching them a fun, profitable and useful trade was just what Paul Revere Pottery founders Edith Guerrier and Edith Brown had in mind when they first proposed the idea of a pottery to the young members of The Saturday Evening Girls Club. The girls, most of who were the teenaged daughters of local immigrant families, met weekly for various activities at the Boston Public Library in Boston, Massachusetts.
Within a year of their inspiration, Guerrier and Brown studied potting, bought their first kiln, hired a pottery chemist and set up shop in their own home and a local summer camp in 1907. A year later, they moved their growing enterprise to Library Club House, a large brick structure near the church where Paul Revere
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| A vivid yellow SEG / Paul Revere Pottery vase |
first glimpsed the fateful twinkle of signal lights that triggered his famous ride. Soon after, they named their company Paul Revere Pottery.
Along with the new location, the Saturday Evening Girls acquired a marvelous financial backer for their fledgling company. Boston socialite and philanthropist Mrs. James J. Storrow had already funded a number of local programs aimed at helping the unemployed and idle find worthwhile occupation, so the girls and their pottery project were right up her alley. Storrow, along with a number of other wealthy Bostonians, continued to help finance the Club’s venture until the closure of Paul Revere Pottery in 1942.
But Library Club House did a lot to help itself, as well. A steady series of lectures, music and dance classes, readings, glee club recitals and plays also generated funds to support the pottery. And it paid off handsomely. Within five years, the public was eagerly buying up Paul Revere Pottery’s Arts & Crafts style art ware, keeping a total of more than 200 girls well occupied. An average of around 20 girls at a time actively worked on the pottery.
The girls worked in brightly lit, well-ventilated rooms decked with flowers. They even had someone on hand to read them stories as they created their masterpieces. The deal even included a two-week paid vacation – certainly no Dickensian child labor problems here!
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| Decorated SEG / Paul Revere Pottery matte glaze creamer |
In the 35 years that Paul Revere Pottery operated, the girls produced a number of distinctive wares coveted by many of today’s collectors. You’ll find Paul Revere art ware items like bowls, vases, humidors, lamps, desk sets, candlesticks, tiles and paperweights. Dinnerware items were also popular, including plates, cups, platters, pitchers, cream & sugars, salt & pepper sets, honey jars and a large array of children’s items.
Simpler items came in a single color with either a glossy or matte finish. The more popular decorative items show off the girls’ talents. For decoration, they’d typically outline a geometric design, flowers or a landscape scene in black and fill it in with assorted colors. Decoration on the children’s items was especially charming, with duckies, rabbts, cats, chickens and roosters running rampant.
Keep an eye out for a distinctive round backstamp depicting a man on a galloping horse with the words "Paul Revere Pottery." Paper labels marked "Bowl Shop, S.E.G." were also added, but of course, few stuck around for the long haul. Some of the most treasured pieces also bear the carved initials of the talented teen who created them.
So, what’s a Paul Revere Pottery item worth after all these years? They sure don’t come cheap. Even a plainer art ware piece with some repair can sell for more than $150, with most priced from about $200 on up. You will find some smaller items for a bit less, however, especially if you keep an eye on the online auctions. More highly decorative items start a bit higher, and are often priced from about $300 on up to $1,000 or more for rare finds.
Not bad for a bunch of kids, is it? Kinda makes you wonder what your own could do with the proper motivation…
Source collectingchannel.com
