Vase, Model #A418

This vase is an example of Arts and Crafts pottery produced by a firm that originally made clay ornaments for buildings. Since the 1880s, the Arts and Crafts Movement in the United States had favored handcraftsmanship and critiqued the dehumanizing effects of mechanization. To diversify and raise its artistic profile, the firm made an inexpensive line of art pottery for the average consumer.

The pots were machine-molded rather than handmade and then covered with a velvety green matte glaze that was introduced in 1900. This pottery was awarded the highest honors for manufacturing at the international Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held in Saint Louis in 1904.