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During the 19th century, relatively few pieces of stoneware were elaborately decorated, but those that were reflected the aesthetics as well as the skills of potters who made them. In manufacturing pottery for a variety of customers, Moses Tyler (1794-1842) and Charles Dillon (1800-1842) drew a rich variety of images and symbols from their environments to decorate stoneware, including political, social, and cultural influences on their lives. Tyler and Dillon were among important stoneware manufacturers in Albany including William Capron, Paul Cushman, and many others.
Albany was fortunate to have large deposits of blue clay which provided potters with a ready source of raw materials. Raw clay could also be easily transported up the Hudson River to the city. Albany is best known for its self-glazing clay called Albany Slip, still used today, which produces a characteristic reddish brown color and was often used for the interiors of pots.
Keg
Tyler & Dillon; Albany, New York
Salt-glazed stoneware, 1826-34
AIHA Collection (Rockwell Fund)
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