The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike,
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: McDonald, Ann Gilbert
Title: Weller Pottery research papers
Dates: circa 1976-circa 2008
Call No.:
Acc. No.: 11x44, with a 2013
addition; 15x54; 2017x4. 2019x45
Quantity: 17 boxes, 1 folder (6 linear
feet)
Location: 23 C 1-3
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Ann Gilbert McDonald was a writer; most of her
articles appeared in publications covering antiques. She also collected Weller Pottery. She received a B.A. degree from Nazareth
College of Rochester, New York, an M. A. degree from
Ann Gilbert was born in 1939, the daughter of Perry
and Clair Gilbert, both of whom were zoologists. Dr. McDonald was married to Bradley G.
McDonald, an attorney. They had a son. In addition to her interests in antiques and
writing, she was also involved in civic affairs in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. McDonald was a member of the National
League of American Penwomen and the Northern Virginia Antique Arts Association.
In 1992, she was recognized as a Woman of
Achievement by the Arlington County (Va.) Commission on the Status of Women,
honoring her community involvement and contributions to improving the quality
of life in Arlington. She died in May
2019.
The Weller Pottery was founded in
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
The collection chiefly contains notes about the
Weller Pottery, but also includes information about night lamps, perfume
bottles, and other things of interest to Ann McDonald. The notes about the Weller family and the
Weller Pottery of Zanesville, Ohio, were collected by Dr. McDonald for her books
All about Weller. Included are copies of marriage and death
records, newspaper articles about family members and the pottery, some
correspondence with descendents of the Wellers who ran the pottery, and a
little information about the pottery pieces.
Also includes newspaper articles about
A later addition to the collection includes
information about the artists who worked for Weller Pottery and artists who
lived in Zanesville, Ohio. Of particular
interest is correspondence with Ruth Axline, who included a sketch done for her
by Sarah McLaughlin in one of her letters.
Copies of pages from Weller catalogs, information about Weller pottery
marks, and miscellaneous information about the pottery and Zanesville is
included in this group of papers.
Also in the collection is some correspondence with
collectors of Weller pottery, photos of Weller pottery, copies of articles
written by Dr. McDonald (a number of these articles were about night lights),
and her research notes about and photos of night lamps. A very little information about perfume
bottles is also found.
ORGANIZATION
Folders in alphabetical order, with exception that
folders containing articles written by Dr. McDonald come first. Boxes 10-11 contain legal size files. Boxes
12-14 contain photos, negatives, slides, and a videotape. Boxes 15-17 contain note cards.
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Most accessions: gift of Ann Gilbert McDonald. An additional group of papers was received in
2013, but it was not given a separate accession number.
Accession 2019x45: gift of Perry McDonald (son),
sent after Dr. McDonald’s death.
RELATED
MATERIALS
Books by Ann Gilbert McDonald are held by the
Winterthur library; search WinterCat for titles and call numbers.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
McLaughlin, Sarah, 1872-1939.
Weller family.
Topics:
Weller Pottery Company.
Art pottery, American.
Potters – Ohio - Zanesville.
Pottery – Ohio -
Zanesville.
Night lamps.
Artists – Ohio -
Zanesville.
Zanesville
(Ohio)
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 23 C
1-3
Box 1:
Folders 1-2: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: articles in
chronological order: many on Weller Pottery or night lamps
[note:
bibliography of her works found in folder 1]
[articles
are from all accessions]
Folder 3: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: article:
“Collectors Who Specialize in One Line of Weller” (acc. 15x54)
Folders 4-5: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: articles in Antique Trader Weekly: twelve part
lighting series (acc. 15x54)
Folder 6: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: articles about
perfume bottles (acc. 15x54)
Folder 7: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: articles on
Weller family: 5 part series in Antique
Trader Weekly (acc. 15x54)
Folder 8: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: articles on
Weller Pottery: typescripts (2013 addition)
Folder 9: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: biography,
etc. (acc. 15x54);
Includes
article about her from “Notable Women of Arlington,” 1992 (acc. 2019x45)
Folder 10: McDonald, Ann Gilbert: talk: “The Weller
Artists, the Large Vases, and the 1904 World’s Fair,” given June 9, 1995 at
Cincinnati Art Galleries banquet
Folder 11: Aladdin lamps: information from J.W.
Courter (acc. 15x54)
Folder 12: articles on pottery and antiques (not by
McDonald) (acc. 15x54)
Folder 13: Axline, Ruth (Weller decorator; includes
a sketch by Sarah McLaughlin) (2013
addition)
Box 2:
Folder 1: Burgess,
Levi: family (acc. 11x44)
Folders 2-4: Correspondence,
with photos (acc. 11x44)
Folder 5: Ervin,
Mark: Weller artists and articles (2013 addition)
Folder 6: Evolution of the Night Lamp: royalties
(acc. 2019x45)
Folder 7: Glass
companies (acc. 15x54)
Folder 8: Grant
family: Fred I, II, III (acc. 11x44)
Folder 9: HPCA News: newsletter of Haeger Pottery
Collectors (acc. 15x54)
Folder 10: Kerosene
lamp seminar, 1983 (acc. 2019x45)
Folder 11: Lessell,
John: Camark Pottery, Weller Pottery
(acc. 11x44)
Box 3:
Folder 1: Long,
William A. (acc. 11x44)
Folder 2: Lopez,
Lupita: photos (2013 addition)
Folder 3: Lorber, Rudolph (Weller designer;
includes photos from Burroughs collection) (2013 addition)
Folder 4: Mazzuki,
Mark: photos for Weller Book II (2013 addition)
Folder 5: McLaughlin,
Sarah: chiefly photos of her work (2013 addition)
[note:
for a sketch done by her, see folder for Ruth Axline]
Folder 6: McLaughlin,
Sarah R., and relatives (acc. 11x44)
[see also a sketch by her in file
for Ruth Axline]
Folder 7: Night
lamps: articles by A.G. McDonald (acc. 15x54)
Folder 8: Night
lamps: 1870s patent lamps (acc. 15x54)
Folder 9: Night
lamps and oil lamps: articles about (acc. 15x54)
Folder 10: Night
lamps: photos from lighting series, book, and research (acc. a5x54)
Folder 11: Night
lamps: reproductions (acc. 15x54)
Folder 12: Night
lamps: slide lecture for Rushlight Club, Nov. 1995) (acc. 15x54)
Folder 13: Night
lamps with political connections (acc. 15x54)
Box 4:
Folder 1: Night
Light (club): newsletters, etc. (acc.
2019x45)
Folder 2: Perfume
bottles (acc. 2019x45)
Folder 3: Pickens
family: Minnie Pickens Weller, et al.
(acc. 11x44)
Folder 4: “Pot
Potpourri”: 1998 Pottery Lovers Convention, by Larry Seyler (acc. 11x44)
Folder 5: Putnam
Female Seminary (2013 addition)
[note: Weller
women artists attended this school]
Folder 6: Rhead,
Frederick H. (acc. 11x44)
Folder 7: Schneider,
Norris: articles (2013 addition)
Folder 8: Schneider, Norris F.: his articles on
pottery and Zanesville, also his notebook
(acc. 11x44)
Folder 9: Schneider,
Norris F.: correspondence (acc. 15x54)
Folder 10: Upjohn,
Charles Babcock (2013 addition; also 2017x4)
Folder 11: Wagner,
Ed (2013 addition)
[see
also folder of Weller catalogs, which were apparently provided by him]
Folder 12: Weigelt,
Carl (2013 addition)
Folders 13-15: Weller
artists, A-S (2013 addition)
[continues
in next box]
Box 5:
Folder 1: Weller
artists, T-Z (2013 addition)
Folder 2: Weller
artists and information; work at other potteries, Barber (2013 addition)
Folder 3: Weller
artists: biographies from Ohio Art and
Artists (2013 addition)
Folder 4: Weller artists: from 1920 census, ancestry.com,
and Artists in Ohio (2013 addition)
Folders 5-8: Weller
artists in Zanesville directories, A-W (2013 addition)
Box 6:
Folder 1: Weller
women artists (acc. 15x54)
Folder 2: Weller women artists: general, Ruth
Axline, Naomi Walch, Dorothy E. Laughead, Marie Rauchfuss (acc. 15x54)
Folder 3: Weller women artists: Terry, Hester
Pillsbury, Mildred Brandfass, Virginia Adams, Josephine Imlay (acc. 15x54)
Folder 4: Weller
catalog pages (2013 addition); and
S.A. Weller’s
Sicardo Ware (photocopy, acc. 2017x4)
[2013 addition came in envelope with Ed Wagner material,
and were probably supplied by him]
Folder 5: Weller
family photos (2013 addition)
Folder 6: Weller
pottery photos (2013 addition)
Folder 7: Weller
pottery lines: photos, including some of artists (2013 addition)
Folder 8: Weller
pottery marks (2013 addition)
Folder 9: Weller
Pottery: seven foot vase signed by artist Frank Ferell (acc. 2017x4)
Folder 10: Weller
publication: “A Definition of Art Pottery,” no date (acc. 2017x4)
Folder 11: Weller
reproductions (2013 addition)
Box 7:
Folder 1: Weller
research: letters from Joy and Roger Wilcox
Folder 2: Weller
research material no. 2 (2013 addition)
Folder 3: Weller
shape books 1 & 2 [photocopies] (2013 addition)
Folder 4: Weller
slide talk (2013 addition)
Folder 5: Weller
garden catalog [photocopy] (2013 addition)
Folder 6: Weller
trade catalog: “Weller Garden Pottery,” [no date; photocopy] (acc. 15x54)
Folder 7: All
About Weller: books I and II: ads, promotions, antique publications (acc.
15x54)
Folder 8: Weller
book: promotion, lecture (2013 addition)
Folder 9: Weller
books I and II: errors, mistakes (acc. 15x54)
Folders 10-12: Weller
book: photos: chapters 1-13 (acc. 15x54)
Box 8:
Folders 1-2: Weller
book: photos: chapters 14-20 and biography
(acc. 15x54)
Folders 3-7: Weller
book II: photos: chapters 1-10 (acc.
15x54)
Box 9:
Folders 1-3: All About Weller, Book II: original
manuscript (acc. 15x54)
Folder 4: Weller
book II: appendices (2013 addition)
Folder 5: Weller
book III: photos (acc. 15x54)
Folder 6: Weller
book III: research materials (2013 addition)
Folder 7: Weller
book III: chapters for book (acc. 2017x4)
Folder 8: Weller book research: correspondence
from collectors, museums, Paul Evans (acc. 15x54)
Folder 9: Wide-Awake
lamp, 1878
Folder 10: Wheatley
Pottery Co.: catalog, circa 1924 [photocopy]
(acc. 11x44)
Folder 11: Wisconsin
Pottery Show: Weller exhibition, 2001 (acc. 15x54)
Folder 12: World’s
fairs articles
Folder 13: World’s
Fair: St. Louis, 1904 (2013 addition)
Folder 14: Wright
lamps and new miniature lamps (acc. 15x54)
Folder 15: Zanesville
history, pottery lovers, miscellany (2013 addition)
Box 10: [legal
size files]
Folders 1-2: Night
lamps: catalogs, ads (acc. 15x54)
Folder 3: Robinson
Ransbottom Pottery Co. and Weller molds
(acc. 11x44)
Folder 4: Weller
family: deeds, maps, records (acc.
11x44)
Folder 5: Weller
family: directory listings (acc. 11x44)
Folder 6: Weller
family: Louise: marriages and family
(acc. 11x44)
Folder 7: Weller
family: marriages, careers, obituaries, Ethel Weller (acc. 11x44)
Folder 8: Weller
family: William H., Harry A., Frank E.
(acc. 11x44)
Folder 9: Weller family: wills and other legal
documents of Daniel, Jacob, Sam, Minnie, Louise, Darcy Smith, Ethel (acc. 11x44)
Box 11: (legal
size files)
Folder 1: Weller
lines: trade journal articles, advertisements (2013 addition)
Folder 2: Weller
Pottery: ads in magazines and trade journals [photocopies] (acc. 11x44)
Folder 3: Weller
Pottery catalogs [photocopies] (2013
addition)
Folder 4: Weller
Pottery: material: articles (acc.
11x44)
Folder 5: Weller
Pottery: material (acc. 11x44)
Folder 6: Weller
Pottery miscellany (2013 addition)
Folder 7: Weller
Pottery: miscellany, not for books (acc.
11x44)
Folder 8: Weller
Theater (acc. 11x44)
Folder 9: Zanesville,
Ohio, miscellany (acc. 11x44)
Box 12: photos,
slides, negatives, videotape
Folder 1: Photos
and negatives: Weller Pottery (acc.
11x44)
Folder 2: Photos:
Cochran collection (15x54)
Folder 3: Photos:
Coniff collection (11x24; 15x54)
Folder 4: Photos:
Senior collection (acc. 11x44)
Folder 5: Photos:
Duck/rabbit planter, with correspondence (acc. 15x54)
Folder 6: Photos:
People, places, grave markers (acc.
11x44)
Folder 7: Photos
and: night lights (acc. 15x54)
Folder 8: Negatives:
oil lamps and miniature oil lamps (acc. 15x54)
Folder 9: Slides
(acc. 15x54)
[see also box of
slides]
Folder 10: photos
on compact disks (acc. 15x54)
Folder 11: videotape
from July 14, 1993: interview with Ruth Axline;
Mark
Ervin visits old Putnam Weller factory and Levi Burgess house (acc. 15x54)
[photos
of the Burgess house are found in Box 13]
Box 13:
photographs
(all accessions)
Art
glass, pottery, primitives, 1972; and furniture, 1977; (acc. 2019x45);
Color
transparencies;
Coppertone
wares;
Levi
Burgess house, taken by Mark Mazzuki;
Night
lamps, from Dr. McDonald’s collection; (acc. 2019x45);
Pottery;
Dr. McDonald’s personal
collection of glass, pottery, and lamps; (acc. 2019x45);
Dr. McDonald’s
personal collection of Weller Pottery, pictured in All About Weller, books 1 and 2;
(acc. 2019x45);
Box 14: slides (acc. 15x54)
[see
also folder of slides in Box 12]
Box 15: note cards
Weller artists, A-Z (2013
addition);
Additional note cards on
Weller artists (acc. 15x54);
Bibliographies for books
(acc. 15x54)
Box 16: note cards
(2013 addition)
Weller Pottery Lines,
Alvin-Zona;
Weller
history and family;
Weller
Pottery miscellany
Weller
books I & II: bibliography (incomplete)
Box 17: note
cards (acc. 2019x45)
Bibliographies;
Two
groups of cards listing purchases
Folder on
shelf:
Ladies’ Home
Journal,
June 1904 (v. 21, no. 7), with cover by Weller artist Gazo Foudji