Glidden Pottery

Glidden Pottery is unique cone-6 stoneware produced in Alfred, New York from 1940 to 1957 as a modernist-inspired dinnerware, with special designs known as Artware. It was started by Alfred College of Ceramics students Glidden Parker and his wife, Harriet Hamill (Pat) Parker. The utilitarian ceramics were slip-cast or ram pressed into molds, then individually glazed and hand-decorated. More than 300 shapes were produced, issued with different color combinations and decorative finishes, and then sold by mail order catalogue or in selected department stores in New York City and Western New York. Most pieces were signed or stamped with a Glidden Pottery name and design number.

Born in Tianjin, China, Fong Chow came to the U.S. in 1947 and became a major designer for Glidden Pottery, known for his innovative designs. Between 1953 and 1957 he had the freedom to create new shapes and glazes that earned numerous awards. He designed Sandstone Artware in 1956. Its horizontal bands of alternating warm and cool colors on the speckled sand-colored background evoke striated Southwestern landscapes. The multi-talented artist also published articles and had solo exhibitions in the U.S., London and Tokyo. His photographic portraits of such luminaries in the arts as Georgia O’Keeffe and Betty Parsons earned him praise. —NW