This
wonderful individual 2-cup coffee pot was designed by
Rockwell Kent for
Vernon Kilns Pottery.
According to
Bill Stern (2001), Vernon Kilns was
one
of the
well-known "Big Five"
of the Southern California Pottery group (p. 42, California
Pottery: From Missions to Modernism).
This
coffee pot is part of
Rockwell
Kent's Our America series.
According to page 234 of Maxine Feek Nelson's book, Collectible
Vernon Kilns, 2nd ed., Rockwell Kent "drew over 30 designs to
represent American locales and pastimes." Rockwell Kent gained
fame illustrating
Herman
Melville's book, Moby Dick,
and other books.
The coffee pot
measures about 3 3/4 inches in diameter at its widest point and stands about 4
1/2 inches tall without the lid. It measures almost 6 inches across from
the tip of the spout to the edge of the handle. The lid measures 3
inches in diameter.
The
coffee pot is off white on the Ultra shape, and the design is
in maroon. On both sides of the coffee pot, a steam ship sailing
down a river is pictured.
Steep bluffs edge the river.
The
design on the coffee pot is very detailed! In addition, the lid and
coffee pot are both trimmed with a wonderful star design. Note
the wonderful down-turned handle and lid handle!
Maxine Feek
Nelson's book states that the individual 2-cup coffee pot shows a
hunting scene from Virginia. I have looked through all the
pictures of Our America pieces in Nelson's book, but I did not see any
pictures like the ones on this coffee pot. I think this
scene might the one that illustrates
steamers
on the Columbia River
in Oregon
that Nelson states appeared on a pint jug, but I can't find an example
of this scene.
The
bottom of the coffee pot is marked "Our
America, Designed by Rockwell Kent, Vernon Kilns, Made in U.S.A."
in maroon under the glaze. This mark matches Mark 36 as
shown in Nelson's book..