Pottery and cookware for pioneer doll kitchens...

Tiny brown and blue glass bottles,2" tall.

       "One of the first potteries in America was on Bean Hill in Norwich, Connecticut. They manufactured yellow-brown, salt glazed earthenware. Their salt glaze technique was discovered in about 1680 by a servant. There was an earthen vessel on the fire with brine in it to cure salt pork. While the servant was away the brine boiled over, the pot became red hot, and the sides were found to be glazed. A local potter utilized the discovery and the salt-glaze became an established fact."

       Westerwald Pottery, from Germany, was characterized by stamped medallions and the use of a cobalt oxide based colorant for decoration. This salt glazed pottery became very popular in England and America during the Colonial Era because of it's blue decorations.

       Glass bottles in dark colors helped to keep bacteria from growing in food longer. Unfortunately, it also hid the growth of unwanted mold and bacteria as well.

       Beginning in the late 18th century, potters in Scotland and northern England began manufacturing vessels of yellow-firing clay. The trade spread to Wales. A fragment of yellowware pancheon was excavated from Knowles Mill in Worcestershire. By the early 19th century, potters skilled in yellowware manufacture began to emigrate to the United States.

       In the United States, production centered on New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New England and Ohio. The earliest documented American yellowware was in 1797, with large-scale production starting in 1828 in New Jersey.

 Above you can see a lovely large stoneware jug from Bangor Maine; it is salt-glazed and
so is a doll sized version of the same type of stoneware photographed next to it.

The salt-glazed stoneware above is just the right size for 18" dolls. A jar shaped like this
 one and much larger, might be used to pickle cabbage or make
 sauerkraut in the pioneer era.

 

Left, a size comparison between a "real yellowware bowl and a doll sized one. Right,
 are a few examples of kitchenware I have collected for our Little House doll kitchen: a
yellowware bowl, two bottles made of brown and blue glass, a salt-glazed stoneware
 pot with lid and finally a large cast iron kettle for cooking stews over a hearth fire.

What's In Early American Kitchens? 

The Colonial Cookware by Townsends

Read about American cast iron manufacturers here.

Wooden bowl three inches across just the right size
for our 18" dolls to use at their kitchen table!

  

• Read about wooden dishes and flatware used by American pioneers
•  Wooden bowl found at Jamestown
• PDF Pioneer's Dinner Table by Iva A. Dingwall - from the Minnesota Historical Society