brush mccoy pottery
Brush-McCoy Pottery was named J.W. McCoy Pottery Co. before George Brush joined the business. George Brush owned a firm that used their molds to make bowls and kitchenware until a fire destroyed the manufacturing building in 1908. In 1909, Brush joined J.W. McCoy Pottery, and in 1911 the company was renamed “Brush-McCoy Pottery” after George became general manager. In the coming years, the Roseville firm made several acquisitions and bought a multitude of pottery molds to begin the production of what would become the most famous Brush-McCoy art pottery lines.
Brush-McCoy pottery often features earth-centric coloring and designs. This is exemplified in some of the well-known lines: Green Woodland, Sylvan, Matte-green, Majolica, Moss-green, New Navarre, Venetian, and Basket Weave. While not all pieces were colored in greens and browns, the majority had some tie to nature. In 1923, Brush-McCoy produced their prominent “Vellum” or “Art Vellum” line, which is recognized by its simple shapes and matte finish. In addition to the typical earth tones, this line features a soft blue. The blue pieces display their unique coloring either as the only hue or blended with the other tones to create an “old-parchment” look.
Brush-McCoy pieces often bear the “McCoy“ incised mark, but unlike most art pottery makers, a large selection of Brush-McCoy pottery does not feature a mark at all. However, a notable exception is the aforementioned Loy-Nel-Art line, which exhibits the “Loy-Nel-Art” impression, occasionally paired with the ”McCoy” mark. However, this line is typically considered McCoy pottery, rather than Brush-McCoy since it was released before the name change in 1911.
In 1925 the company changed its name to “Brush Pottery Company”, and shortly after ended production of its most famous art pottery lines. Though the most sought-after pieces come from the time period between 1911 and 1927, Brush-McCoy continued to make florist pottery, cookie jars, and novelties until it officially closed its doors in 1982.