Hull Pottery was a major competitor of both Roseville and Weller in their later years. Hull Pottery began operations at Crooksville, Ohio in 1905 by it's founder A. E. Hull. The company initially produced utility stoneware for home use and at one time was one of the largest manufacturers of stoneware specialties. Hull Pottery expanded the business by adding a second plant in 1907. By the early 1920s, Hull was producing a variety of stoneware, planters, and art pottery. Hull began to incorporate airbrushing and blended glaze techniques in their pottery and extended offerings to bathroom and kitchen goods which usually had a white semi-porcelain body.
In the 1930s, Hull entered the growing art pottery field and introduced several lines of matte finish, pastel, and floral designs. These were offered in a variety of planters, ewers, vases, and bowls, in varying sizes. One of the most successful offerings were the Little Red Riding Hood cookie jars which were patented by Hull in 1943. The success of the cookie jars launched a complete new line of figural kitchen and novelty offerings which continued into the 1950s. The pig banks are equally popular and are collected by both Hull Pottery collectors and bank collectors. Hull is best known for their pastel matte glazed ware, but much of their art pottery lines were in high gloss.
The main plant was destroyed in 1950 by a flood followed by a huge devastating fire when the kilns exploded after being reached by the water. The company rebuilt using the most modern machinery but was unable to recreate the matt glaze with the more modern processes. Hull soon abandoned the matt glaze look and concentrated on producing high-gloss artware lines. Most popular of the high gloss lines were novelties and especially piggy banks. These and some dinnerware lines were produced in the late 1950s and 1960s. Hull finally ceased production in 1985 after eighty years of business.
For more information about Hull Pottery see The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Hull
Pottery by Brenda Roberts.
For club information, write to:
The Hull Pottery Association
13199 Rambo Rd.
Crooksville, Ohio 43731.
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