Red Wing’s stoneware companies made a wide range of kitchenware in their time, starting with plain, utilitarian wares in the 1870s and 1880s such as mixing bowls, Russian milk pitchers, bean pots, preserve jars, meat roasters and pie plates. Most early pieces were made in brown Albany slip glaze, but harder to find salt glaze examples also exist. Some styles were rarely signed, but are identified as Red Wing thanks to company catalogs and promotional literature from the day. These lines continued when Red Wing transitioned into making white, zinc glazed wares.
In the 1910s, 20s and 30s, the Red Wing Union Stoneware Co. manufactured several different lines of more decorative, colored wares for use in home kitchens. Examples include sponged (or mottled), blue & white tinted, banded, Gray Line and more. Read on to learn about some of these shapes and lines.
Bowls
To say Red Wing was a prolific producer of bowls would be an understatement. The city’s clay industry produced thousands upon thousands of stoneware bowls in a wide variety of shapes and sizes from its inception until shifting to dinnerware production in the late 1930s/early 1940s. While most bowls were intended for mixing ingredients in the kitchen, Red Wing also made stoneware bowls to use kneading bread dough, germinating seeds and even washing hands.
Merchants highly utilized bowls as an advertising medium. One brave RWCS member has set out to create a list of all the advertising stamps known to exist on Red Wing bowls. To date, he’s identified more than 800. His current database is available in the Member Resources section of the website.
Pantry Jars
Red Wing introduced its “blue and gray line of pantry jars” in the mid to late 1920s. These were virtually the same in form as the plain, white preserve jars that preceded them, but more decorative. Marketed for keeping food stocks like flour, bread, cereals, coffee, and sugar and spices fresh, they were adorned with double blue bands wrapping around the top and bottom of the piece, a small wing in the middle, and a blue banded lid. These are easier to find in small sizes under 2 gallon, but can be found as large as 8 gallons. Interestingly, Red Wing introduced a different style of wing that was exclusive to the pantry jar line, aside from the occasional crock or water cooler that was assumedly mismarked with the pantry jar wing.
Beater Jars
The beater jars Red Wing introduced in the 1910s quickly became popular with housewives, who used them for beating eggs, cream and salad dressings. The jar’s rounded interior ensured that the hand-crank eggbeater tool reached all of the contents for mixing and was easy to clean.
Made in zinc glaze, the first beater jars were adorned with a thick blue band encompassing the top area of the jar. These weren’t signed by Red Wing, but they’re often found with business names and catchy slogans that merchants commissioned to advertise their trade and build customer loyalty. In 2017, a group of RWCS members began creating a database of known advertising examples. Since then, more than 330 different examples have been recorded representing businesses from at least 11 states. This database is available to RWCS members in the Member Resources section of the website.
Eventually Red Wing dropped the thick single band in favor of thin bands circling the top and bottom of the jar and printed “RED WING BEATER JAR EGGS – CREAM SALAD DRESSING” between the bands. In this case, merchant advertising often covered the opposite side of the jar.
In the late 1920s, Red Wing released another style of beater jar that had vertical ribs surrounding the jar. This mold was used in lines like Gray Line, and Saffron Ware and an all-blue version. Hard-to-find blue/rust sponged examples also exist; they usually include merchant advertising in the interior.
Spongeware
One of Red Wing’s most popular lines of kitchenware is made up of white glazed items that were colored with in blue and/or red (rust brown) sponging. Mixing bowls sized 5-11 inches and sponged with both colors are the most common form, but pitchers, beater jars and other items were also made on a more limited basis. Items made with only blue or rust sponging were also made, but at a lesser quantity.
Blue & White
Red Wing and several other stoneware manufacturers produced zinc glaze that was decorated with blue sponging, blue bands or blue tinting.
Greek Key
Red Wing’s line of Greek Key mixing bowls incorporate a Greek key banding and blue tinting. They range in size between 6 to 12 inches in diameter and many can be found with merchant advertising stamped inside.
Cherry Band
Similar in style to Red Wing’s Greek key bowls, Red Wing’s Cherry Band pitchers incorporate a band of cherries and blue tinting. Introduced in 1914, they were made in three sizes (2, 4 and 5 pints) and many can be found with merchant advertising stamped on the front. Production continued into the early 1930s. The earlier pitchers tend to have darker blue tinting than the later examples.
Blue Tint
Red Wing’s blue-tinted stoneware extends to bailed refrigerator jars, perfection butter jars, lily pitcher/bowl and hard-to-find hot water bottles (aka foot or bed warmers). Red Wing even filled an order placed by Denver’s Western Pottery for blue-tinted water coolers and matching lids.
Blue Sponge
By volume, most of Red Wing’s sponged items were decorated in blue/rust. However, it decorated a limited line of items with all blue sponging, including paneled mixing bowls, pitchers, butter jars, mini jugs, small bail-handled jugs and umbrella stands.
Blue Bands
Many Red Wing pieces were decorated with simple blue bands. Examples include beater jars, butter jars, bowls, casseroles, pitchers, spittoons, pantry jars, jugs, water coolers/filters and mugs, among others.
All Blue
Bowls, butter crocks, beater jars and other items were also made in an attractive royal blue glaze.
Gray Line
Often referred to as “Spongeband” by collectors, Red Wing produced its Gray Line series of kitchenware from at least 1929-1935. The line included items mixing bowls, casseroles, a salt & pepper shaker, mugs, pitchers, a “Cookies” jar, a hanging salt holder, and bail-handed batter bowl. The cake stand and 12” mixing bowl are the hardest to find, and subsequently most valuable. Many pieces can be found with merchant advertising.
Saffron Ware
Red Wing’s Saffron Ware kitchenware was introduced in the early 1930s. (As of this writing, the earliest piece of Saffron Ware merchant advertising that listed a year was 1933.) This line utilized different clay and a different manufacturing process than regular stoneware production. As a result, it proved to be more fragile than stoneware and the clear glaze was not sufficient in protecting the pieces from staining. Saffron Ware used many of the molds from Gray Line and other shapes. Many pieces are marked “Red Wing Saffron Ware” on the bottom and used one of three decoration types: red/white bands, blue bands or blue/rust sponging.
Bean Pots
Manufactured by each of Red Wing’s original three stoneware companies, bean pot production started when each company was formed and continued into the Potteries’ early dinnerware lines. The earliest bean pots were turned by hand and glazed in Albany slip before eventually transitioning into zinc glaze. Although most of the two-toned zinc and Albany versions produced in the 1920s and 30s are unsigned, they’re easily identified as Red Wing products due to the advertising they carried for merchants. Like other kitchenware lines, business usually gave these away to loyal customers or sold them at discounted prices. A group of RWCS members began creating a database of known advertising examples in 2016; since then around 500 different examples have been recorded representing businesses from at least 14 states. This database is available to RWCS members in the Member Resources section of the website.
Red Wing also included a ribbed bean pot in its Saffron Ware line. These can be found with red/white banding and blue/rust sponge.
Mugs
Red Wing began making stoneware mugs in its salt glaze era. Often used in public areas like saloons and hotels, these attractive pieces were decorated with cobalt blue stripes and coggle wheel banding that matched the banding used on Red Wing’s Success Filters and spittoons. The same shapes and sizes continued when Red Wing transitioned to zinc glaze. Once the transition was complete, a simple banded style was introduced and the mugs often carried merchant advertising. Most of these are unsigned, but some early examples can be found with Red Wing signatures on the bottom. This simple style was also added to Red Wing’s Gray Line.
