Historic Stoneware Lecture, Reception Set for Sept. 8

Learn about the evolution of Baltimore stoneware from 1812 to 1900 as specialist Luke Zipp explains why Baltimore could have been the most influential stoneware production center in the American South.

Zipp, a specialist in stoneware pottery history, will give a lecture on the subject Sept. 6 at the Maryland Historical Society. His lecture will be followed by a reception, according to a news release from the society.

Zipp "will discuss the city, its high-quality natural resources, highly skilled craftsmen and ambitious businessmen, which all contributed to make 19th century Baltimore an epicenter of the highest quality stoneware manufactured in the nation at that time," the release states.

Zipp graduated in 2002 trom Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor of arts degree in history.

"His thesis "Artisans’ Shops to Industries: The Evolution of the 19th Century Baltimore Potter’s Craft," won the Johns Hopkins Arthur Kouguell Memorial Prize for outstanding history concentrator," the release states.

His articles are published in Ceramics in America and Antiques and Fine Art. He is writing a book on the subject. 

According to the release, Zipp is co-founder and partner in Crocker Farm, Inc., an antiques auction firm in Sparks, MD. One of its specialties is antique American stoneware.