Story by RWCS Hall of Famer: Wendy Callicoat
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My passion for collecting Red Wing Stoneware began in the summer of 1994, when I bought a 5 gallon wing shoulder jug for $5 at a garage sale in Joplin, Mo. After my purchase, I researched books and price guides and quickly became hooked. I joined the RWCS in 1995 and began buying anything stamped “Red Wing”. Before I knew it, I had filled my home with my new treasures. I soon decided that I needed to focus on collecting a specific line of Red Wing products and acquire the best examples that I could afford.
My decision was reached quickly, as I have a passion for art and felt that the Brushed Ware line produced by Red Wing in the 1920s and 30s was the perfect fit – mainly because each piece is essentially an original, one-of-a-kind piece of art. Brushed Ware sort of falls into its own category, because while it is considered to be Red Wing’s first line of art pottery, it was made with a stoneware clay body.
Brushed Ware gets it name from the process that is used to produce it. A colored stain is applied to the exterior of each piece then partially wiped (brushed) off to reveal the clay and the design below in a “soft pastel effect” as stated on the August 1931 Red Wing Pottery Brushed Ware Price List. The inside is glazed in a color that complements the outside, and the stain is fired into the clay. Because this process was done by hand, it makes each piece a little different from the rest. I have found that this makes for a great excuse to have multiple sets of the same shape. Red Wing used four types of colors for the Brushed Ware line: Dark Green, Luster Green, Light Green and Bronze Tan. These pieces were bottom-marked with various round blue ink stamps.
Brushed Ware is most commonly recognized by the flower pots and cemetery urns that grace the local cemeteries around Red Wing. According to Ray Reiss’ Red Wing Art Pottery book, Red Wing’s first documented piece of Brushed Ware was the Cleveland Vase, which the Red Wing Stoneware Co. gave to President Grover Cleveland’s wife when the couple’s train passed through Red Wing in October 1887.
No one knows for sure what happened to the original piece, and there’s a question to whether it even made it outside state lines. (Mrs. Cleveland wrote a letter of appreciation to the Red Wing Stoneware Co. after returning to Washington, but Reiss says in his book that RWCS Charter Member Helen Bell once heard a story that the First Lady tossed the vase off the train at Prairie Island, when the city of Red Wing was no longer in view.)
The Red Wing Stoneware Co. made early copies of the Cleveland Vase as mentioned in a 1901 article in the Minneapolis Journal. These pieces, bottom-marked “SAXON; RED WING, MINN”, had a Brushed Ware appearance, but most known examples were actually cold-painted bisque. True Brushed Ware Saxon pieces do exist, such as a vase numbered “103” that appears on pg. 18 of Reiss’ book, and more variations of the Cleveland Vase were made later, including Brushed Ware versions.
Red Wing’s focus on Brushed Ware increased when demand for stoneware started to decline in the 1920s. An advertisement titled “Red Wing Artware” shown on page pg. 150 of Red Wing Collectibles pictures a sampling of 16 different Brushed Ware pieces. The earliest pieces were marked with a round “Red Wing Union Stoneware Company Red Wing, MN” ink stamp.
As production continued through the early 1930s, many Brushed Ware pieces were marked simply with the blue “Red Wing Art Pottery” ink stamp. The August 1931 price list shows 74 pieces in the Brushed Ware line. The shapes of many of the Brushed Ware pieces were continued as the production entered into the Glazed Ware art pottery timeframe.
Many terrific examples of Brushed Ware are readily available whether you’re beginning a collection or adding to a current one. Some examples of the most popular pieces include the three sizes of the Crane vase, the Cherub urn and the larger floor urns. One of the most difficult pieces to find is the 33-inch Jardinière with Pedestal, as many of them were separated or broken over the years.
One thing to be aware of as you begin your search is that there were several other potteries that manufactured Brushed Ware items. These potteries often did not sign the bottom of the product. From my experience, I’ve found that the Crane vase and the flower pots are the most often copied and the most difficult to detect because the colors are very close to the original Red Wing product. Another piece made by both Red Wing and its competitors was the Stag Lobby or Sand Jar, which was offered in wide variety of glazes in addition to the Brushed Ware version. When searching for original Red Wing Brushed Ware items, the best advice I can give is to follow the guidelines of color and markings. If it’s not signed, it’s nearly impossible to prove that a piece was made by Red Wing.
Wendy’s Favorites
Many of my favorite pieces have been found thanks to members of my Red Wing family. Each one has their own special story and some have a special place in my heart.
