hull pottery
Addis Emmet Hull founded the Hull Pottery Company in Crooksville, Ohio, in 1905. For the next 12 years, production consisted of functional ceramics and porcelain work - typical of most potters before the Arts and Crafts Movement.
In 1917, the factory began churning out simple art pottery to sell to florists and gift shops. However, by the early 1920s, the art pottery was selling so well that Hull did two things. First, he traveled internationally to France, Germany, and England to buy the art pottery made there to sell in America. Second, the Hull Pottery Company vastly increased their production of art pottery - expanding their glazing methods and color palettes as well. To support this surge in output, Hull purchased a $75,000 continuous 310ft long kiln. By the mid-1920s, Hull Pottery recorded production of over three million pieces of pottery.
Hull Pottery’s golden era lasted from around 1930 until 1950, the year the factory burned down. Renowned art pottery lines still came after rebuilding the factory as well. One of the most popular lines was called “Red Riding Hood”, a set of pieces modeled after the famous children’s tale. This line began as a single Red Riding Hood cookie jar but was expanded to countless other ceramic forms after its success in the 1940s. Hull Pottery is famous for its matte glaze and utilized this finish on popular forms such as artware, lamp bases, blue band kitchenware, and Zane Grey kitchenware and stoneware. By the later 1950s, some say that it was hard to find a flower or bouquet in a vase that was not Hull made - not a big surprise considering the success of the florist pottery that prompted the company’s transition to more artistic works.
Hull pottery pre-1950s is often marked with “Hull Art U.S.” or simply “Hull U.S.A”. Later works may feature an incised “hull”, “HULL”, or “Hull” in a large script. Each pattern or line also bears identifying engraved letters, numbers, or both.