Rookwood Artists
Miami University Art Museum's Rookwood Pottery Collection includes pieces created by 11 different decorators and 11 different designers. Only 11 of 44 pieces are signed.
Artist's marks are included in the bios below only for artists with signed pieces in the collection. These marks are copied from the book Rookwood Pottery: An Explanation of its Marks and Symbols by Edwin J. Kircher (1962). It is accepted that signed pieces are more sought after, but every piece in our collection illustrates the unique skills required of a Rookwood artist.
If a bio does not include an artist's mark, this indicates that the artist merely designed the shape number of the corresponding piece, which was subsequently reproduced by other Rookwood employees.
Find out more about each piece by clicking on the image.
Louise Abel was a decorator at Rookwood Pottery from 1919 until 1932, with a break from 1928-29 to study in her home country of Germany. Abel studied at 7 different institutions, including the Cincinnati Art Academy. Her sculpted animal and figural designs became standard shapes used by Rookwood. Abel returned to Germany permanently in 1959, where she continued her work as an artist and sculptor.
Anna Marie Bookprinter, born in Finneytown, Ohio in 1862, worked at Rookwood from 1884 to 1905. She married fellow Rookwood artist Albert R. Valentien in 1887, when she also took a leave of absence to study in Paris. After her marriage, she began signing her work AMV rather than AMB. Anna and her husband moved to California after leaving Rookood in 1905 and stayed there for the remainder of her life.
Patti Rose Merriman was born in Hornellsville, New York in 1888. She married Rookwood artist Arthur P. Conant in 1911, but didn't become a Rookwood artist until 1914. She worked at Rookwood until 1923, when she left to spend more time with her family.
Lorinda Epply was born in Cincinnati in 1874. After studying at the Cincinnati Art Academy and Columbia University, Epply became a Rookwood artist. Her tenure at Rookwood last from 1904 until 1948, during which time she completed her most well-known work uses jewel porcelain glazes.
Rose Fechheimer was born in Cincinnati in 1874, and studied at the Cincinnati Art Academy before becoming a Rookwood decorator in 1896. During the ten years she spent at Rookwood, she primarily decorated standard and iris glaze pieces.
William Ernst Hentschel was born in New York in 1892. He studied at four different institutions, including the Cincinnati Art Academy. He began as a designer at Rookwood in 1913 and produces over 4,000 different designs. In addition to his work in ceramics, Hentschel also developed a new printmaking method he called "Aquatone," involving an airbrush and multiple stencils. He continued his work at Rookwood until 1939.
Edward Timothy Hurley was born in Cincinnati in 1869. He studied at Xavier University and the Cincinnati Art Academy. He worked at Rookwood as a decorator from 1896 to 1948, producing a large volume of vellum glaze landscapes, which are highly sought-after collector's items. In addition to his ceramic work, Hurley was also a talented etcher. He married fellow Rookwood artist Irene Bishop in 1907.
Elizabeth "Lisbeth" Neave (Lincoln) Lingenfelter was born in Cincinnati in 1867. She went by both Lisbeth Lingenfelter and Lizzie Lincoln throughout her life. It is unclear if one of these is a maiden name, or if Lincoln is an anglicized version of Lingenfelter. Like many of her contemporaries, she studied at the Cincinnati Art Academy. She worked at Rookwood from 1892 to 1931. After leaving the pottery, she became assistant housekeeper at Christ Hospital, and later Bethesda Hospital. She is considered to be one of the most talented decorators using matte glazes.
William Purcell McDonald was born in Cincinnati in 1864. He studied at both the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Art Academy. He joined Rookwood Pottery in 1882, one of the first artists to do so. He continued working at Rookwood until his death in 1931 and was considered one of their top decorators.
Albert "Bert" Cyrus Munson designed pieces at Rookwood pottery for fifty-four years, from 1890 to 1944. His work is found on many different glazes and shapes throughout the years, but he is most noted for his Z-line work. He designed by rarely ever decorated, although occasionally his initials can be found on rare pieces.
Albert Frank Pons was born in Cincinnati in 1888. He studied at the Cincinnati Art Academy and became a Rookwood artist at 16 in 1904. He stayed at Rookwood until 1911.
Frederick Rothenbusch, the nephew of Rookwood artist Albert Valentien, was born in Cincinnati in 1876. He worked at Rookwood as a decorator from 1896 to 1931. Most of his work was done using vellum glazes.
Sara Sax was born in Cincinnati in 1870. She worked at Rookwood from 1896 until 1931. Her work with Rookwood's French Red glaze set her apart from other decorators.
Kataro Shirayamadani was born in Kanazawa, Japan in 1865. He was the first decorator hired by Rookwood who was not American-born. He worked at the pottery from 1887 until his death in 1948, with an 8-year hiatus in Japan. His work is some of the most highly sought-after by collectors, and he is well-known for his clean style of painting drawing from eastern influences. In addition, he designed many popular Rookwood shapes, such as the Lotus Bowl pictured.
William Watts Taylor was born in Opelousas, Louisiana in 1847. He started at Harvard College in 1864 but was forced to drop out due to illness during his freshman year. Taylor worked in his father's business until becoming manager of the Rookwood Pottery for Mrs. Nichols in 1883. Taylor is not included in Herbert Peck's comprehensive list of Rookwood artists, but his intitials are included next to several pieces in the design catalog, indication that his work at Rookwood extended beyond management.
Sara "Sallie" Alice Toohey was born in Cincinnati in 1872. She worked at Rookwood from 1887 until 1931. The majority of her tenure was spent overseeing glazing in both the architectural department and the vase department. While she had a private studio at the pottery, pieces decorated by Toohey are fairly rare.
John Hamilton Delany Wareham was born in Grand Ledge, Michigan. While studying at the Cincinnati Art Academy, he was discovered by William Watts Taylor. He joined the Rookwood Pottery as a decorator in 1893. During his forty-one years at Rookwood, he advanced from decorator, to head of the decorating department, to vice-president, and in 1934, took the places of J. H. Gest as president of Rookwood.
David Seyler was born in Dayton, Kentucky in 1917. He studied at the Cincinnati Art Academy, the University of Chicago, and the Chicago Art Institute. According to Herbert Peck, Seyler used Rookwood's facilities as a convenience rather than as a paid employee, but it is also possible that he was considered an unpaid intern. Seyler remained at Rookwood from 1934 until 1939.