Watt Pottery

Known for their simply-rendered fruits and foliage that spread across creamy ivory vessels, Watt Pottery captivated a generation. Tracing its origins to Rose Farm, Ohio, Watt Pottery enjoyed a long run as one of America's beloved 20th century ceramic companies.

In the early '20s, W.J. Watt, a seasoned ceramist who had perfected the art of salt-glazed pottery, established Watt Pottery Company. Their early expertise was in stoneware pieces for the kitchen, from mixing bowls to preserve jars, which they continued into the '40s. Throughout this era, Watt maintained simplistic designs, decorating vessels with straightforward bands of color, but in the '50s, they began to branch out.

First experimenting with the Cut Leaf and Pansy motifs, Watt expanded their range of lines over the subsequent years, which caused an exponential surge in their popularity. One of their best sellers was the Apple series, which debuted in 1952 and contributed to Watt's growing acclaim that continues to the present day.

Quick Facts

• In the '50s, Watt Pottery released the Dutch Tulip, Cherry, and Tear Drop patterns, all of which proved very successful. One of the rarest patterns from this decade is the Morning Glory series
• The Watt company created some small batch experimental lines for salesmen to pitch to businesses and brokers, and made customer lines for companies like the R-F Spaghetti line to promote the Ravarino & Freschi Company
• By the '60s, Watt was yielding close to a $1,000,000 a year in sales