People

Oscar Bachelder

scar Bachelder was the son of Calvin Bachelder and a third generation pottery. He learned potting skills at an early age working with his father in the Menasha Pottery. He worked as a pottery for his entire life, working with his father at three different potteries, then moving around the U.S. doing short-term stints at many different potteries. He eventually achieved national fame as an art potter in North Carolina under the name Omar Khayyam.

Read the article: Oscar Bachelder Omar Khayyam Pottery

by Pat H. Johnston and Daisy W. Bridges published by the Journal of Studies of the Ceramic Circle of Charlotte, Volume V

Related article: Menasha Pottery

Franklin – Langenberg Pottery

Conrad Langenberg Pottery - 1856 to 1893

The Langenberg Pottery near Sheboygan Wisconsin is a classic example of a small rural farmer/earthenware potter. This business model repeated itself throughout the United States, probably hundreds of times. The story of Conrad Langenberg probably closely resembles that of many of them, except that he managed to stay in business for 37 years, far longer than most.

Read the article: Langenberg Pottery (will open in a new tab in your browser)

Scroll down to see photos.

Langenberg Pottery Examples

We are fortunate today that there were collectors who were eagerly collected and researched Langenberg pottery early on. Most 19th century Wisconsin earthenware pottery makers did not stamp their wares, so there are no extant examples of the wares for many of them. By contrast, there are many pieces of earthenware that survive from the Langenberg pottery. Mark Knipping's article on the Langenberg Pottery on this web site identifies at least two dozen different forms. Many of them appear in the photos below.

Langenberg did not stamp his name on any of his products so all of these are attributed based the location they were found, the form, glaze, similarity to sherds from the waster dump, or some combination of these. However, other potteries operated in the area at the same time, so attribution is never 100%.

Langenberg Sherds

These fragments were retrieved by Mark Knipping. They are extremely helpful for identifying Langenberg pottery which is unmarked and probably resembles other Sheboygan earthenware pottery made by Peter Berns and others.

Small jug attributed to Hammett 14

Cottage Inn (near Belmont) – Hammett Pottery

George Hammett and his son John operated a pottery in Cottage Inn, Wisconsin that is near Belmont from 1856 to 1861. George previously worked in Galena, Illinois. The pottery he made in Cottage Inn resembles the pottery made in Galena, making attribution difficult. Fortunately, sherds were recovered from the pottery site and are pictured below.

Read the article: Hammett Pottery

Hammett Pottery Examples

Hammett Pottery is not signed and resembles pottery made elsewhere in the region so no attribution can be 100%. These pieces that we have attributed to the Hammett Pottery based on provenance, style, and similarities to sherds recovered from the site.

Sherds from the Hammett Pottery Site

These fragments were collected by Mark Knipping in 1971 in Cottage Grove.

Sheboygan – Henry W. Chamberlain

Chamberlain operated a store in Sheboygan in the late 1840’s and early 1850’s. Henry W. was a merchant conducting business similar to such Milwaukee notables as Leonard Farwell and J. N. Bonesteel (and perhaps L. Ransom) and had utilitarian stoneware made for himself to sell from his store.

Article: Henry W. Chamberlain

Related article: Milwaukee Stoneware Factory

Articles will open in a new tab in your browser. Scroll down to see photos.

William Gunther

William Gunther is a central figure in Wisconsin potting. He was the master potter for the Maxfield Brothers, the originator and artist of the "Maxfield Flower" decoration. He was the father of Theodore Gunther and the father-in-law of Weimar Remmi, co-founder, master potter and part owner of the Charles Hermann & Co. Pottery.

Read the article: William Gunther

Articles will open in a new tab in your browser.

Luzerne Ransom

Stoneware with Lucerne Ransom’s name stamped on them and a Maxfield-style cobalt flower decoration. This led to speculation that he owned the Milwaukee Stoneware Factory in the early 1850’s, which is certainly possible, but it is also possible that he simply ordered some pottery with his name on it to resell.

Read the article: Luzerne Ransom article

Hilbert – Adolph Rehm Pottery

Adolph Rehm operated a small pottery in Hilbert Junction which is 20 miles east of Menasha from 1869 to 1876.  was born near the village of Briete outside the City of Lemgo in Lippe-Detmold on June 15, 1851, son of Conrad and Elizabeth (Langenberg) Rehm, and nephew of Franklin potter Conrad Langenberg.

Read the article: Adolph Rehm Pottery

Articles will open in a new tab in your browser.

Scroll to Top