From Louwelsa and Sicardo to Hudson, Coppertone, and the naturalistic wares: a working chronology of one of America’s most varied art potteries.
Samuel A. Weller began making pottery near Fultonham in 1872 and expanded into Zanesville. The purchase of William Long’s Lonhuda operation in the 1890s helped move Weller decisively into art pottery.
Weller became known both for hiring gifted designers and for producing an unusually broad range of decorated, molded, matte, gloss, luster, and novelty wares. The company closed in 1948.
This collector-oriented list emphasizes the best documented and most frequently encountered lines. “Circa” dates reflect uncertainty in surviving catalogs and modern references.
| Line | Approximate production | Identification notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lonhuda | c. 1892–1896 | William Long’s hand-decorated ware; continued briefly after Weller acquired the pottery. |
| Louwelsa | c. 1896–1918 | Painted florals, fruit, portraits, and scenic subjects over shaded glossy grounds. |
| Dickensware I | c. 1897–1905 | Early incised or sgraffito decoration, including portraits and literary subjects. |
| Turada | Introduced 1897 | Henry Schmidt’s squeeze-bag decorated ware, an early Ohio example of the technique. |
| Eocean | 1898–1920s | Soft shaded grounds graduating from gray or olive to ivory; Eocean Rose has a rosy cast. |
| Dickensware II | c. 1900–1905 | Associated with Charles Upjohn; lighter grounds and slip decoration distinguish it from the earliest ware. |
| Sicardo | 1902–1907 | Jacques Sicard’s iridescent metallic luster ware, often signed “Sicard” in the decoration. |
| Jap Birdimal | 1904 | Frederick Hurten Rhead line combining Japanese-inspired bird and animal motifs. |
| Etna | c. 1906–1910 | Raised or incised decoration, often against warm brown and red-toned grounds. |
| Dechiwo | Introduced 1908 | Rudolph Lorber’s carved and modeled naturalistic ware; a bridge to later woodland lines. |
| Burntwood | c. 1910s | Wood-grain effects and naturalistic molded decoration in warm, dark tones. |
| Claywood | c. 1910s–1920s | Embossed woodland subjects and bark-like surfaces, generally in matte earth colors. |
| Clinton Ivory | c. 1914–1928 | Ivory ground with relief botanical designs; includes Oak Leaf, Narcissus, Knifewood, and related motifs. |
| Patra | c. 1910s–1920s | Decorated ware with stylized botanical motifs and strong polychrome color. |
| Silvertone | c. 1915–1920s | Dorothy England Laughead line with hand-painted decoration on subdued gray-toned grounds. |
| Forest | c. 1915–1928 | Naturalistic trees and woodland scenes modeled in relief. |
| Muskota | c. 1915–1920s | Rudolph Lorber naturalistic designs, often featuring animals and plant forms. |
| Baldin | c. 1917 | Painted apples or florals on a brown ground. |
| Hudson | 1917–c. 1934 | Artist-decorated matte ware with florals, birds, animals, and scenic subjects. |
| Woodcraft | c. 1917–1928 | Modeled bark, branches, leaves, and woodland creatures in natural colors. |
| Brighton | c. late 1910s–1920s | Naturalistic bird and floral decoration associated with Rudolph Lorber. |
| Glendale | c. 1920s | Modeled leaves, flowers, birds, and woodland imagery. |
| Lasa | c. 1920–1924 | John Lessell’s flowing landscape decoration and lustrous, opalescent surface effects. |
| Marengo | c. 1920–1924 | Lessell-era luster line with atmospheric, painterly color. |
| Cloudburst | c. 1920–1924 | Experimental luster effects associated with John Lessell’s decorating department. |
| Lamar | c. 1920–1924 | Lessell-era art line using fluid decoration and luminous surfaces. |
| Coppertone | c. 1920s–1929 | Mottled green-brown “aged copper” glaze; especially known for frogs, fish, turtles, and water forms. |
| Garden Animals | c. 1920s | Dorothy England Laughead’s molded animal and garden figures. |
| Stellar | c. 1930–1932 | One of Weller’s final freehand-decorated art lines. |
| Geode | c. 1930–1932 | Late freehand ware with geological, flowing glaze effects. |
| Cretone | c. 1930–1932 | Late hand-decorated line produced just before freehand work ended. |
| Raceme | c. 1930–1932 | Late freehand line featuring clustered floral or fruit-like ornament. |
| Bonito | c. 1930–1932 | Among the last Weller wares decorated freehand. |
| Embossed production lines | c. 1935–1948 | Simplified molded and embossed wares dominated Weller’s final production period. |
The reference stays available even when the store collection changes.
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