Shawnee Pottery
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Pre-WWII was a time in America that saw a lot of resentment building with countries like Germany and Japan . Just as the political landscape was infecting the daily news, so was the everyday mindset seeing the overflow of this political game play. The average consumer was insisting on buying nationally and demanding less in the way of foreign trade.
In the realm of pottery, making this was to be fortuitous for companies like Shawnee . The groundwork for Shawnee ’s growth and strength was laid in becoming a creator of functional and desired pieces of basic everyday kitchenwares and other uses.
Built in Zanesville , Ohio , the Shawnee Pottery Company started to become an early on hit for its offering up to 100,000 pieces of pottery a day. This supply line to department stores like Sears and Roebuck, as well as Woolworths, increased the amount of homes that were acquiring the Shawnee pottery pieces. Not many companies could say that they had as well-established beginning as Shawnee saw happening.
One of the reasons for their popularity was their line of simple kitchenwares and cookie jars. Their works tended to fashion rural portrayals upon their pieces, which hit home to a country that wanted to see more of what made this country so great. Shawnee provided with its pottery a way for families to enjoy quiet evenings and cozy afternoons...especially in the face of a world growing increasingly mad. Many of their items they sold came with smiles upon the figures designed into the wares. To put it in it’s simplest of forms... Shawnee was creating therapy to a nation.
As the years past, so did the repertoire of what they made available. Shawnee pottery developed other home lines of wares...baking dishes (wonderful pie plates) to wall ornaments. These were fast becoming more then functionality...they were growing as collectibles. The Shawnee marks on their ware would usually list the actual line involved...such as “Patented/Smiley Co/Shawnee.
Shawnee continued to make available the things families wanted...items that brought a smile to the face and fullness to the stomach. Many pottery brands have their fame built upon the quality of their artisans and the ability to follow specific themes...but few can attest to their growth being a result of political occurrences. Shawnee pottery started at the right time and many Americans have benefited from their coming on the scene. |
