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Tucker Porcelain
In 1826, William Ellis Tucker opened his porcelain factory in Philadelphia, marking yet another chapter in the effort to develop a fine tableware industry in this country and thus reduce Americans’ dependence on foreign imports.
Tucker was not the first Philadelphian to challenge foreign imports; the American China Manufactory, begun by Gousse Bonnin & George Anthony Morris in 1770, had turn out blue-and-white porcelains in the English style of Bow and Worcester for two years before their business failed.
Tucker had worked in his father’s china store, decorating the plain white wares they imported from abroad. In his factory, he experimented first with creamware, then with porcelain. After trying more than 20 different formulas, he eventually devised a recipe (using kaolin from nearby West Chester and feldspar from Wilmington, Delaware) that produced a dazzling white product that was the equal of European wares.
During its brief life (the factory closed in 1838), the Tucker factory distributed china to buyers in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Virginia, and many of these pieces migrated westward as the country was settled.
The most recognizable Tucker form is a high-handled pitcher hand-painted with flowers or a scenic view and trimmed in gold. More magnificent were large two-handled classical urns based on contemporary European models. The Tucker factory also made a variety of coffee and tea wares, including a veilleuse, a small teapot on a warming stand. Many large services are plain white simply banded in gold, occasionally with an added wreath or monogram. Condition, as always, affects price. After years of heavy use, gold trim is often worn or missing.
Tucker was not the first Philadelphian to challenge foreign imports; the American China Manufactory, begun by Gousse Bonnin & George Anthony Morris in 1770, had turn out blue-and-white porcelains in the English style of Bow and Worcester for two years before their business failed.
Tucker had worked in his father’s china store, decorating the plain white wares they imported from abroad. In his factory, he experimented first with creamware, then with porcelain. After trying more than 20 different formulas, he eventually devised a recipe (using kaolin from nearby West Chester and feldspar from Wilmington, Delaware) that produced a dazzling white product that was the equal of European wares.
During its brief life (the factory closed in 1838), the Tucker factory distributed china to buyers in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Virginia, and many of these pieces migrated westward as the country was settled.
The most recognizable Tucker form is a high-handled pitcher hand-painted with flowers or a scenic view and trimmed in gold. More magnificent were large two-handled classical urns based on contemporary European models. The Tucker factory also made a variety of coffee and tea wares, including a veilleuse, a small teapot on a warming stand. Many large services are plain white simply banded in gold, occasionally with an added wreath or monogram. Condition, as always, affects price. After years of heavy use, gold trim is often worn or missing.
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Latest page update: made by jsonderg
, Apr 19 2007, 12:50 PM EDT
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