| True blue Hadley collector sells signed pieces online |
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hadley Pottery in Louisville has been turning out its trademark white pottery with “Hadley Blue” designs since the 1940s. Kentucky and Indiana residents may be the biggest category of collector, but over the decades the masses visiting Louisville for the Kentucky Derby have carried it back to tables all over the country, if not the world.
All pieces are signed M.A. Hadley for Mary Alice Hadley, an artist who decided to make some dishes with a nautical theme for use on her family’s Ohio River houseboat in 1940. Friends and family wanted some, then others did too, so her husband, George Hadley, an engineer, transformed an old building into a productive factory that opened its doors in 1945.
Its first four patterns were Blue Horse, Clipper Ship, Whale, and Pear and Grape, all but the last still being produced. The decoration is hand painted directly on the unfired clay, coated with a porcelain-like white glaze, and fired only once at 2,100 degrees. The company changed hands in 1979 and again in 2009.
Jean Campbell, New Albany, Ind., has been collecting the pottery since the 1970s and has amassed several hundred pieces. At first she bought just from the factory, then started buying at antique shops and auctions too. She found many unusual pieces from the 1950s and 1960s, including signed and dated pieces by Mary Alice herself, who worked until her death in 1965. Campbell sells Hadley on eBay as dcampbell812.
Unusual designs, perhaps prototypes that were not put in the line or one-of-a-kind pieces made for individuals, are particularly prized. Campbell’s 12in square wall plaque with a mystical hand holding an eye gets the most comment from visitors. “M.A. Hadley 5-5-52” is etched on the edge.
Besides learning how to recognize Mary Alice’s signature, Campbell notes that the blue in early pieces was much darker, “almost black.” And the horses were different too, she added, “wild.”
You will find pieces with other colors added with the blue and some pieces, such as the Pear and Grapes, in green, but the most unique line was called “Hot Brown Fleck” or just “Brown Fleck” in dark brown, sometimes with dots, sometimes with other designs. It ceased production when the clay was depleted.
For a look at 50 early pieces, visit the website of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Ind. George Hadley was an alumus and donated 400 pieces.
For more information, visit www.hadleypottery.com or www.hadley.retrovenue.com |
| 2/16/2011 |
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