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The Albert Hastings Pitkin Collection
By Justin W. Thomas
When I think of early col-
lectors of American utilitarian
pottery, the names Henry
Francis du Pont (1880-1969),
Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-
1982), Dr. Walter Hough (1859-
1935), Robert Weeks (1848-
1931) and Emily Johnston De
Forest (1851-1942), Edwin Atlee
Barber (1851-1916) and Henry
Chapman Mercer (1856-1930)
are some of the names that
come to mind. Although Albert
Hastings Pitkin may not be as
well-known today, his name
should be recognized just as
much as any other.
According to the
Wadsworth Antheneum
Museum of Art in Hartford,
Conn., “A native and lifelong
resident of Hartford, Albert
Hastings Pitkin (1852-1917) was
among the first in the country
This slip-decorated red earthenware
dish, likely made in Pennsylvania, was
illustrated in “Early American Pottery
and China.”
The red earthenware washbowl was
likely made by Anthony Wise Baecher
in Virginia.
This well-executed Pennsylvania
sgraffito jar with two eagles, a shield
and fish was illustrated in “Early
American Pottery and China” and
among the objects from Pitkin’s collec-
tion exhibited at the Met in 1909.
The iconic slip-decorated red earthen-
ware pitcher made by Nathaniel
Seymour in West Hartford, CT., illus-
trated in “Early New England Potters
and Their Wares,” is among the objects
from Pitkin’s collection exhibited at the
MET in 1909.
Antiques & Auction News — April 19, 2019 - - 15
This is Albert Hastings Pitkin (1852-
1917).
to systematically study and
collect early American pot-
tery. While visiting a local
farmhouse in the Hartford
area in the spring of 1884, his
discovery of two pieces of
redware or lead glazed red
earthenware pottery spurred
his passion for ceramics.
Pitkin began to amass a col-
lection and became known as
a leading authority of New
England red earthenware.
“In 1910, he joined the
staff at the Wadsworth
Antheneum as curator of the
department of ceramics.
During his tenure, he oversaw
the installation of his own col-
lections in the Morgan
Memorial, and upon his death,
his wife, Sarah Howard Loomis
Pitkin, donated over 300
objects to the museum.”
The Wadsworth
Antheneum is one of the ear-
liest museums established in
America, having been founded
in 1842 by Daniel Wadsworth
(1771-1848), a native of
Hartford who was an artist,
architect, traveler and patron
of the arts. The museum is
comprised today of five build-
ings, but the first was the
Gothic Revival Wadsworth
building that was built in 1844.
Later came the Watkins
Library of Reference in the
1860s, the Tudor Revival Colt
Memorial in 1910, the
Renaissance Revival Morgan
Memorial of 1910-15, and
finally the Avery Memorial in
1934.
Pitkin may be most known
as a collector today; it was his
involvement with the Morgan
Memorial that he achieved
notoriety within academic and
museum circles during this
lifetime.
John Pierpont Morgan Sr.
(1837-1917) was born in
Hartford on April 17, 1837, and
became among the biggest
figures in American banking
and financing in the late-19th
and 20th centuries. For
instance, he is responsible for
the merger that created
General Electric, as well as
other enterprises, such as J.P.
Morgan & Company, the
United States Steel
Corporation and AT&T. “But
his family was also the third
generation of Morgans to sup-
port the Wadsworth
Antheneum. His grandfather,
Joseph, was one of the institu-
tion’s founders, and John and
his father, Junius, contributed
generously to the museum.
Following Junius’ death in
1890, J. Pierpont Morgan com-
missioned and funded the
Morgan Memorial building in
his father’s honor. In 1917, in
accordance with his father’s
will, John Pierpont “Jack”
Morgan (1867-1943) dispersed
more than 1,350 objects from
Pierpont’s collection to the
Wadsworth Antheneum.”
I recently had the privilege
of seeing the entire Pitkin col-
lection, some of which has
been on public display for
many years. But, I do not
believe its impact on early
publications and museum
exhibitions is widely
recogized.
For example, illustrated in
figure 44 of Lura Woodside
Watkins’ book, “Early New
England Potters and Their
Wares,” is what I view as one
of the most iconic examples of
Connecticut red earthenware
production, the 12.5-inch
pitcher made by Nathaniel
Seymour (1763-1849) in West
Hartford, Conn., circa 1800,
covered with brushed slip-
decoration and green dots.
This object is probably the
most well-known of any from
Pitkin’s collection today, but I
was certainly surprised when I
saw the entirety of this collec-
tion, seeing that there are
other objects that could be
just as famous.
I thought the most signifi-
cant piece of pottery that I
viewed was a 19th century
slip-script red earthenware
plate from Norwalk, Conn.,
which read, “James Gordon
Bennett.” This script likely
represents James Gordon
Bennett Sr. (1795-1872), an
This exceptional red earthenware
flowerpot is from Pennsylvania.
Here is a slip-script red earthenware
plate reading, “James Gordon
Bennett,” likely representing James
Gordon Bennett Sr. or James Gordon
Bennett Jr. from the New York Herald.
immigrant from Scotland, or
his son, James Gordon
Bennett Jr. (1841-1918). The
elder Bennett was the
founder, editor and publisher
of the New York Herald, which
was established in May 1835
and quickly became an indus-
try leader in the way newspa-
pers were operated during the
period, as well as publishing
the first ever interview with a
This slip-decorated red earthenware
jug attributed to West Hartford, Conn.,
was painted for the Smithsonian as
part of the “Index of American
Design.”
A slip-script red earthenware dish,
“Hard Times in Jersey,” is attributed to
River Edge, N.J., located just outside of
New York City.
sitting president in 1839,
Martin Van Buren (1782-1862).
In 1866, the elder Bennett
gave his son control of the
newspaper, which at the time
saw the highest readership of
any paper in the country. But
competition and new technol-
ogy soon led to a decline in
readership, although the New
York Herald continued to
operate successfully until the
paper merged with the New
York Tribune in 1924, under
the new name the New York
Herald Tribune. This newly
formed newspaper was large-
ly successful for another 43
years, until it finally ceased
production in the late 1960s.
The 19th-century New York
City marketplace was a major
consumer, eyed by pottery
manufacturers in Connecticut,
Long Island, New Jersey, and
Continued on page 18
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