In 1948, a new street named Madison Place was constructed in Ann Arbor. Before the first two homes (615 & 621 Madison Place) could be built, developer W. O. Edwards had to demolish the remains of a large, conical, concrete pottery kiln on the property. This kiln, which hadn't been fired since before 1911, was the last physical trace of Ann Arbor's internationally renowned Markham Pottery complex. The business had once flourished behind Herman Markham's house, until a spectacular fire completely leveled the pottery works, save for a few free-standing kilns.
The Markham Family
Herman Cornelius Markham was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1850 to a farm family from Connecticut. His parents were Augustine & Electa (Henion) Markham. His grandfather, Isaac Markham, was a revolutionary war soldier who had reportedly fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. In his adult life, Herman proudly displayed his grandfather's flintlock musket in his Ann Arbor home. Herman married Ione Sprague in October of 1876. In November 1877 their only child, Kenneth Sprague Markham, was born.
Herman, like several of his siblings, was well-educated and had a wide range of skills and interests. He attended the University of Michigan where he focused on Chemistry, Anthropology, and Archaeology. Around Ann Arbor he was known primarily as a farmer and an apiarist, serving as the Superintendent of Bees & Honey in the Washtenaw County Agricultural Society. According to many newspaper reports, he was an employee of the University of Michigan's Department of Archaeology for several years. He was also a skilled wood engraver, watercolorist, occasional traveling salesman, and very briefly worked as a clerk at The Crescent Works, Ann Arbor's corset factory.
Ann Arbor Clay
If you follow Madison Street west through Ann Arbor, it ends at Seventh Street where the the Old Walnut Heights condominiums now look down from a hill. In the late 1800s, when this section of Seventh was still known as Jewett Avenue, the Markham family home crowned this high ground. A large bed of roses sat alongside the house, which complemented Herman's bees, and a tributary of Allen's Creek ran through the backyard.
All accounts of Markham Pottery's beginnings point to the roses as the inspiration. As the story goes, Herman Markham loved to display his roses and never had enough vases for all his fine flowers. He was also frustrated by water in vases quickly turning warm and causing the roses to wilt. In the manner of someone who is generally handy, with interests in chemistry and archaeology, he decided to craft a vase out of clay dug out of his yard and fired it in his home's fireplace. His first attempts at pottery making were untrained and undecorated, but achieved his goal of creating simple, natural forms that would keep water cool. He even crafted a potters wheel for his experiments, made from an old sewing machine and a jig saw.
The clay found on his Ann Arbor property would continue to be his creative material of choice as his foray into the world of pottery expanded. After the clay was dug, it would be washed, screened, and repeatedly graded. When a creamy, fine medium was achieved, it would be thrown on the makeshift wheel. Molds were constructed from successful pieces, and then could be duplicated. As Markham Pottery grew from a hobby project into a marketable business, Herman Markham constructed a simple wood building on the open land behind his home to use as a workshop.
1904 - 1910, Ann Arbor
Art historians point to 1904 as when Herman committed to his pottery business as his main source of income. Herman Markham referred to his first pieces as "Utile" and incised the bottoms with a special cipher (see image). The name came from his desire to craft utilitarian vases that would not overshadow the beauty of the roses they would hold. As his work developed more distinct characteristics, and as dealers and friends urged him to personalize his pottery, he changed the name to Markham and incised the bottoms with his signature and an individual piece number (see image). In 1905 the Ann Arbor City Directory lists Herman Markham's occupation as "pottery" for the first time. The same was listed for Kenneth, Herman's son, who worked as an assistant in the family business.
In January 1906, the Ann Arbor Argus-Democrat published the article "New Local Industry Steadily Developing" about the growth and success of Markham Pottery. "The beautiful work of which is growing another plume in Ann Arbor's illustrious bonnet," declared the newspaper. The shape of Markham pots and vessels were all based on classical forms. Their surface appeal was the unique earth tones and textures, which look like delicate etchings, appearing as if they might have been recently unearthed by archaeologists. Matte in finish, with no two pieces the same, the glaze was a secret formula that Herman Markham developed with, in his words, "varied combinations of chemical, physical and mechanical forces." Throughout his career, he carefully guarded his glazing process, only revealing that the designs formed naturally like frost on a window pane. He was often interviewed about his work, and would let visitors watch his entire system of creating pottery, except for when the glaze was applied. Markham Pottery was crafted in two styles of surface known as reseau (finely textured) and arabesque (coarsely textured).
Markham Pottery never advertised their business, but demand grew steadily. Pieces were featured in exhibitions and galleries across the United States and Europe, and were sought after by collectors. In 1907, the Ann Arbor News-Argus ran a story on Markham Pottery, "A Story Of One Man's Genius", featuring photos of work crafted for the upcoming Brussels International Exposition of 1910. Markham Pottery even contracted with large businesses like Chicago's Marshall Fields, all while remaining a small business run by only two men.
1911 - 1912, Tragedy
On August 23, 1911, the front page of the Daily Times News featured two tragic art world headlines: "Famous Painting Stolen", which detailed the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, and "Markham Pottery Burns", which detailed the destruction of Markham's workshop. University of Michigan Professor Hugo Paul Thieme was an avid collector of Markham Pottery. When he built a new home in Ann Arbor, he commissioned the Markhams to craft fireplace tile for his hearth. These pieces were drying, in preparation for firing, on the day of the accident. According to the story, which ran in newspapers across the country, an oil stove used to dry the hearthstones overheated and set fire to the pottery workshop while Herman Markham was on a lunch break. The entire workshop, with seven years of tools, molds, and machinery, was completely destroyed. "It's hard to estimate our loss," said Markham when interviewed by a reporter. Over one thousand pieces of pottery were lost in the fire, and five hundred and fifty of them were intended for Professor Thieme's home. After the fire, a small committee was formed in Ann Arbor to financially assist Markham Pottery in rebuilding their business. Professor Thieme was one of the committee members. The Daily Times News ran an editorial urging local citizens to lend their support, for fear that they might lose Markham Pottery to another city.
1913 - 1921, National City, California
Although Markham Pottery had thrived in Ann Arbor, production had always halted during the cold winter months of Michigan. It's difficult to dig clay out of frozen ground. Faced with the task of rebuilding his business, Herman Markham decided it was time to relocate to a warmer climate where he could work year round. Much to the dismay of many individuals and other businesses in Ann Arbor, he traveled to California in search of a new home and work space. The most important factor in the move would be finding a steady source of clay comparable to the supply found on his Ann Arbor property. In National City, just south of San Diego, the Markhams received an invitation to visit the the California China Products Company, and found what they were looking for.
The California China Products Company (CCPCo) was founded in 1911 by mineralogist John H. McKnight & Walter and Charles B. Nordhoff. (Charles B. Nordhoff was best known as the co-author of Mutiny On The Bounty, but that is another story for another time.) Mining the extensive clay deposits around San Diego County, they manufactured high-quality porcelain, earthenware, and ceramic tile. The Nordhoffs and the Markhams formed a symbiotic relationship. The Markhams moved into a portion of the CCPCo space, using their equipment, kilns, and clay supply, to get their business back on its feet. The Nordhoffs benefitted financially having Markham Pottery as a tenant. November 29, 1913's edition of The San Diego Sun announced "The new Markham pottery at National City started manufacturing operations this week."
It didn't take long for Markham Pottery to rebuild their business. For example, in 1914 they signed a $35,000 contract to furnish 100,000 souvenir ice cream steins for San Diego's upcoming Panama–California Exposition (1915 - 1917). In today's money, that contract is worth more than a million dollars. Within two years, they left their temporary space at CCPCo, and moved to their own studio and kiln. Kenneth Markham got married in National City on December 13, 1917. He and his father continued to work as a team, only halting production temporarily when Ione Sprague Markham died in late January 1919. During the last few years of Markham Pottery, Herman often did speaking engagements around the San Diego area. He still had the very first vase he had crudely constructed back in Ann Arbor, and shared it with his audiences to show how far his idea had progressed. He never shared the secret of his glazing technique. Markham Pottery stayed in business until 1921, when Herman was ready to retire.
1922 - Present Day
Herman Markham died on November 18, 1922 in San Diego County. Over 100 years later, Markham Pottery is still featured in the authoritative Kovels' American Art Pottery: The Collector's Guide to Makers, Marks, and Factory Histories. Pieces may be found in museums, private collections, and art auctions around the country. Connoisseurs of the work claim that Markham pieces numbered less than 6000 were crafted in Ann Arbor, and pieces above 6000 are attributed to National City. The University of Michigan's Museum of Art collection includes some Markham Pottery, many pieces of which were gifted from the family of Professor Hugo Paul Thieme. If you happen to see Markham Pottery in person, know that you may be viewing an authentic piece of old Ann Arbor clay, dug from the ground near the intersection of South Seventh & Madison Streets.
