The Overbeck sisters (Margaret, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Mary Frances) were
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
women
potters
A potter is someone who makes pottery.
Potter may also refer to:
Places United States
*Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US
* Potter, Arkansas
* Potter, Nebraska
*Potters, New Jer ...
and artists of the
Arts and Crafts Movement who established Overbeck Pottery in their
Cambridge City, Indiana
Cambridge City is a town in Jackson Township, Wayne County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,870 at the 2010 census.
History
Cambridge City was laid out and platted in 1836. The community was named after the city of Cambridge, ...
, home in 1911 with the goal of producing original, high-quality, hand-wrought ceramics as their primary source of income. The sisters are best known for their fanciful figurines, their skill in matte glazes, and their stylized designs of plants and animals in the
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
and
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
styles. The women owned and handled all aspects of their artistic enterprise until 1955, when the last of the sisters died and the pottery closed. As a result of their efforts, the Overbecks managed to become economically independent and earned a modest living from the sales of their art.
Examples of their art have been exhibited at the
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915) and the
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...
(1933), as well as in exhibitions hosted by the
General Federation of Women's Clubs
The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...
,
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...
, the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...
, and at other venues in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. In addition, their art is included in several museum collections, and has been featured in ceramic arts and collectibles magazines and a 2006 episode of ''
Antiques Roadshow
''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...
''. The Overbeck family's Cambridge City home/studio was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976; the present-day home is maintained as a private residence.
Early life and family
The four Overbeck sisters who became involved in making
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
were: Margaret (July 3, 1863 – August 13, 1911); Hannah Borger (March 14, 1870 – August 28, 1931); Elizabeth Gray (October 21, 1875 – December 1, 1936); and Mary Frances (January 28, 1878 – March 20, 1955).
Their other siblings were Ida Alice (September 22, 1861 – 1946), Harriet Jane (January 17, 1872 – 1951), and an only brother, Charles (February 1, 1881 – 1913). The siblings changed the spelled of their surname from "Overpeck" to Overbeck around 1911.
[
Their parents, John Arehart Overpeck (1828–1904) and Sarah Ann (Borger) Overpeck (1840–1906), moved to Jackson Township, ]Wayne County, Indiana
Wayne County is a county located in east central Indiana, United States, on the border with Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,917. The county seat is Richmond.
Wayne County comprises the Richmond, IN Micropolitan Statistica ...
, from Overpeck, Butler County, Ohio
Butler County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 390,357. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 during St. Clair' ...
, in 1868. The family relocated to a home on the east side of present-day Cambridge City, Indiana
Cambridge City is a town in Jackson Township, Wayne County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,870 at the 2010 census.
History
Cambridge City was laid out and platted in 1836. The community was named after the city of Cambridge, ...
, in 1883. John Overpeck, a farmer and amateur cabinetmaker, was of German ancestry; Sarah Ann Overpeck, a homemaker who made quilts, rugs, and lace, was of Austrian and German ancestry. Their children grew up in Cambridge City and attended local public elementary and high school schools. At home the family was involved in creative arts, such as music, woodworking, textile arts, painting, and eventually ceramics.[Postle, p. 16.]
Sarah Ann Overpeck discouraged her daughters from marrying; she felt that marriage would "limit their ability to fulfill their creative potential."[Denker, pp. 24–25.] Although Ida and Charles would later marry, Margaret, Elizabeth, Hannah, Mary Frances, and Harriett Overbeck chose not to marry. After the death of their parents in the early 1900s, the siblings retained ownership of their parents' property in common. Ida and her husband, Martin Funk, and Charles and his wife, Hallie (Hill) Overbeck, relinquished their rights to the family's Cambridge City home to Hannah, Elizabeth, Harriet, and Mary Frances after Margaret's death in 1911.[
]
Margaret Overbeck
Margaret attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design in Cincinnati, Ohio, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. It was founded as the McMicken School of Design in 1869, and was a department of the U ...
in the 1890s. She also studied with the influential designer, Arthur Wesley Dow
Arthur Wesley Dow (1857 – December 13, 1922) was an American painter, printmaker, photographer and an arts educator.
Early life
Arthur Wesley Dow was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1857. Dow received his first art training in 1880 from An ...
, of Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, and with Marshall Fry, a New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
china painter
China painting, or porcelain painting, is the decoration of glazed porcelain objects such as plates, bowls, vases or statues. The body of the object may be hard-paste porcelain, developed in China in the 7th or 8th century, or soft-paste porcel ...
and potter
A potter is someone who makes pottery.
Potter may also refer to:
Places United States
*Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US
* Potter, Arkansas
*Potter, Nebraska
* Potters, New Je ...
.[Denker, p. 25.][Gugin and St. Clair, eds., p. 266.] Margaret may have taught art to her younger sisters before she began work as an art instructor at private schools, including the Sayre Institute in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, and Megguier Seminary in Boonville, Missouri
Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...
. In 1899 Margaret took a faculty position at DePauw University
DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...
in Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylv ...
, where she taught art, but left the university in 1907 after suffering serious head injuries in an automobile accident in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. Margaret returned to the family home in Cambridge City to recuperate.[Newton and Weiss, p. 60.]
In addition to her work as an art teacher, Margaret exhibited a watercolor at the World's Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
in 1904. She was also a contributor to ''Keramic Studio'', a china-painting publication. Her designs appeared in several issues of the specialty magazine between 1903 and 1913, most notably the March 1907 issue.[
After working at a ]Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capita ...
, pottery studio during the summer of 1910,[ Margaret returned home to Cambridge City, where she established an art-pottery studio with her sisters, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Mary Frances. Margaret is generally credited with the idea of the sisters establishing Overbeck Pottery in the family's Cambridge City home.][ She lived long enough to see the business established in early 1911, but died in Cambridge City on August 13, 1911, of complications attributed to her earlier injury in an automobile accident.][Newton and Weiss, p. 62.]
Hannah Overbeck
Hannah initially studied photography with her older sister, Ida, before attending Indiana State Normal School (present-day Indiana State University
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...
) in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...
. After her graduation from college in 1894, Hannah taught school for a year in Clinton, Indiana
Clinton is a city in Clinton Township, Vermillion County, Indiana, Clinton Township, Vermillion County, Indiana, Vermillion County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,893 at the 2010 census.
History
The city was established in 18 ...
, but ill health forced her to return home.[
Hanna was a skilled sketch artist, who also painted with watercolors. From 1904 to 1916 she contributed designs to ''Keramic Studio''. At the Overbeck pottery studio Hannah and her sister, Mary Frances, were primarily responsible for the pottery's decorative designs. Her original design motifs were inspired from nature. She also made hand-formed pottery without the use of a potter's wheel.][Denker, p. 28.] Chronic neuritis
Neuritis () is inflammation of a nerve or the general inflammation of the peripheral nervous system. Inflammation, and frequently concomitant demyelination, cause impaired transmission of neural signals and leads to aberrant nerve function. Neurit ...
during the final years of her life made it difficult for Hannah to hold a pencil and draw, but she continued to work on designs until her death on August 28, 1931.[
]
Elizabeth Overbeck
Elizabeth was an art student of her sister, Margaret. During 1909–10 Elizabeth studied ceramics under the direction of Charles Fergus Binns at the New York School for Clayworking (the present-day New York State College of Ceramics
The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (NYSCC) is a statutory college of the State University of New York located on the campus of Alfred University, Alfred, New York. There are a total of 616 students, including 536 undergradu ...
at Alfred University
Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...
) in Alfred, New York
Alfred is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 4,896 at the 2020 census.
The Town of Alfred has a village named Alfred in the center of the town.
Alfred University and Alfred State College are located in th ...
.[
Elizabeth, the technician of the Overbeck pottery enterprise, was the only one of the sisters to use a ]potter's wheel
In pottery, a potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping (known as throwing) of clay into round ceramic ware. The wheel may also be used during the process of trimming excess clay from leather-hard dried ware that is stiff but malleable, a ...
to form her pottery.[ In addition, she formulated and mixed the ]ceramic glaze
Ceramic glaze is an impervious layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fused to a pottery body through firing. Glaze can serve to color, decorate or waterproof an item. Glazing renders earthenware vessels suitable for holding ...
s, as well as supervising kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...
operations. Elizabeth became especially known for her innovative pottery forms and her skills in developing new glazes and ceramic processes. She died on December 1, 1936, leaving her younger sister, Mary Frances, to continue making pottery on her own.[
]
Mary Frances Overbeck
Mary Frances, along with her sister, Margaret, studied with Arthur Wesley Dow and Marshall Fry.[ Mary Frances may also have studied at Indiana State Normal School. Trained as an artist in the mediums of oil, watercolor, and pen-and-ink illustration, Mary Frances's specialty was bird paintings. She also became well known for her bookplate designs.][Newton and Weiss, p. 65.] Prior to establishing the pottery studio in Cambridge City with her sisters, Mary Frances taught in the public schools at Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...
, and at Cambridge City and Centerville, Indiana. Between 1904 and 1916 Mary Frances contributed flower studies that were published in ''Keramic Studio''.[
Mary Frances and her sister, Hannah, designed and decorated the Overbeck sisters' pottery. Their primary role was to paint, finish, and decorate the pottery before Elizabeth fired them in the kiln behind their home. Mary Frances's decorations were highly stylized, mostly geometric designs. She also created unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade pottery forms without using a potter's wheel.][ In addition, she created small figurines of people, animals, and birds. Mary Frances and her sisters also created fanciful, to figures they called "grotesques." Mary Frances referred to these small, figural caricatures of people and animals as "humor of the kiln."] Mary Frances continued to operate Overbeck Pottery after the deaths of her sisters, but she primarily focused on making decorative figurines instead of large ceramic pieces. She died on March 20, 1955.
Other Overbeck siblings
Harriet Jane Overbeck trained as a musician in Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
; and at Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. She was also proficient in French, German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, and Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
languages. Harriett gave private lessons in music and foreign languages at the family home in Cambridge City in addition to her role as housekeeper for her sisters. She died in 1947.[
Ida Alice, the eldest sister, was the only sister to marry. She established a photography studio in Cambridge City around 1890, and married Martin Funk in 1893. Ida was not involved in the Overbeck pottery business.][ She died in 1946.
Charles Borger Overbeck, the youngest sibling, was a graduate of ]Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
and became an engineer. He died in 1913. Charles and his wife, Hallie, had two children, Virginia and Charles Jr.[
]
Career
The Overbeck sisters established Overbeck Pottery in their home in 1911 with the goal of producing high-quality, hand-wrought ceramics. The women owned and operated the enterprise until 1955, when the last of the sisters died and the pottery closed.
Establishing Overbeck Pottery
The Overbeck sisters established their ceramic arts studio in their Cambridge City home in 1911, when the Arts and Crafts movement was expanding in the United States. The movement "afforded middle-class women a profession which was considered respectable and a path into the art community at large," and china painting was viewed as an appropriate artistic activity for "genteel women" to pursue.[ At that time the center of the Arts and Crafts pottery movement in the United States was Cincinnati, Ohio, where the ]Rookwood Pottery Company
Rookwood Pottery is an American ceramics company that was founded in 1880 and closed in 1967, before being revived in 2004. It was initially located in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has now returned there. In its heyday ...
, the best-known of the movement's potteries, was established in 1878.[Denker, p. 23.]
The American potteries employed women workers, but these businesses were usually owned and managed by men.[ What made the Overbeck sisters unusual was their intention to produce "an entirely American product, untainted by reference to foreign art and decorative arts."][ Their goal was to produce high-quality, original artwork with motifs inspired by nature. The Overbecks also placed an emphasis on original designs and experimentation in their work.][Postle, p. 51.] The small pottery enterprise was also the sisters' primary source of income. The frugal women handled the artistic operation and the financial aspects of the business themselves, and as a result of their efforts they made a modest living from the sales of their art and were economically independent.[
The Overbecks trained as artists, and Margaret, Hannah, and Mary had additional training as china painters. However, at the time they established their ceramics studio, the women were inexperienced in pottery-making, even though a number of their early designs had been published in ''Keramic Studio''.][ When Margaret died in 1911, the same year the women established their studio, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Mary Frances carried on the work. The studio operated with division of labor among the sisters. The sisters set up a design studio on the main floor of their home, a ceramics workshop in the basement, and a coal-fired kiln in a small shed behind the house. Elizabeth created the shapes, while Hannah and Mary Frances created the designs and decorated the pottery.][ The industrious women lived simply and used only basic tools for their artwork. Although Elizabeth made some wheel-thrown pottery, most of their ceramics were handmade using the coil method.][ The Overbeck Pottery closed in 1955 when Mary Frances died.][
]
Art sales and publicity
Because their ceramics were handmade pieces, output was modest, as was the income the sisters earned from their work. In addition to the sales made from the showroom at their home/studio in Cambridge City, outside sales came almost exclusively from L. S. Ayres and Company, a department store in Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
, Indiana, and commissions from individual buyers. To supplement earnings from the sales of their art, the sisters taught ceramics classes during the summer in their home at Cambridge City. Elizabeth also taught ceramics classes in Richmond, Indiana. In addition, they gave demonstrations to women's groups around Indiana. They also created and sold their other handiwork, which included furniture, jewelry, knitted goods, tie-dyed fabrics, enameled copper, and lacework.
Growth was slow because they "could afford little advertising."[ Most of the notoriety for their pottery and distinctive matte glazes came from word-of-mouth publicity, publication of their designs, through exhibitions, and recognition from the awards they received. ''Keramic Studio'' publish their designs, as well as the instructions to create them.][Newton and Weiss, p. 69.] The sisters regularly exhibited their art at the Indiana State Fair
The Indiana State Fair is an annual state fair that spans 18 days in July and August in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. The Indiana State Fair debuted in 1852 at Military Park in Indianapolis and is the sixth oldest state fair in the U.S. It is the ...
, where they won several prizes. They also won awards for their entries at the Richmond art fair in 1927 and the Indiana Artists Exhibition in Indianapolis in 1928 and 1928. The sisters were also the recipients of an honorable mention at the Robineau Memorial Ceramic Exhibition at Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
, in 1934.
Artistic techniques
As with other artists of the Arts and Crafts movement, the Overbecks strived to produce simple, functional objects that were handmade, beautiful, and inspired by nature. All of the Overbeck Pottery pieces were hand crafted. No mass-produced products or assembly lines were used, and each piece was unique. Their functional pieces, which included teapots, tea sets, pitchers, vases, and bowls, were mostly undecorated except for glazes. The sisters also produced decorative pieces, as well as small figurines and fanciful figures they called "grotesques," which were popular with buyers.[Newton and Weiss, p. 63.]
The sisters' designs were Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
and later, Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
styles. They also experimented with glazes, keeping the formulations they used a secret, and destroyed any pieces that did not turn out as they had planned. While the Overbeck sisters have been recognized for their experiments with glazes, especially their early work that included matte glazes in subdued tones, in later years they produced pieces of more modern styles and developed shiny glazes with brighter hues. Robin's-egg blue became a signature color.[
The sisters initially used clay from their Jackson Township farm and from the property behind their Cambridge City home. They also obtained clay from ]Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, and Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
. To produce their pottery the sisters' designs were created on paper, transferred to damp clay forms, and decorated and glazed before the final step of firing the pieces in the kiln. Favored motifs were plants, trees, birds, and animals found in the Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
.[Denker, p. 29.] Until Elizabeth's death in 1936, the Overbeck sisters marked their pieces with "OBK" and often included the initials of the potter and the decorator: "E" for Elizabeth, "H" for Hannah, and "F" for Mary Frances. After Elizabeth's death, Overbeck pottery was marked with the monogram, either alone or with an "F" or "MF" for Mary Frances.[
]
Later years
While the Overbeck sisters operated their pottery studio in east-central Indiana, their work was exhibited in Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, as well as in the United States, including Chicago, Illinois; Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
; Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
; Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
; Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
, Indiana. In addition, the sisters were invited to enter pottery pieces in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in 1915 and the Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...
International Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, in 1933.[Gugin and St. Clair, eds., p. 267.]
After the deaths of Margaret, Hannah, and Elizabeth, Mary Frances operated the family pottery business on her own beginning in 1936. She also became sole heir to the Overbeck property upon the deaths of her siblings and parents. Overbeck Pottery closed after Mary Frances's death in 1955.[
]
Death and legacy
Margaret died in 1911; Hannah in 1931; Elizabeth in 1936; and Mary in 1955. The remains of the Overbeck siblings are buried at Riverside Cemetery, Cambridge City, Wayne County, Indiana.
The Overbeck sisters operated their studio at a time when female roles were confined and limited; however, these women managed to become self sufficient and earned a modest living from their art. The sisters' small, home-based studio became "nationally-recognized for its artistic contributions to the Arts and Crafts movement,"[ despite some critics who saw their work "little more than maiden ladies practicing a quant hobby."][ The family's Cambridge City home/studio was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.][ The present-day home is maintained as a private residence.][
''Ceramics Monthly'' described the Overbeck women as "fiercely independent," but each had a specialty in producing their ceramics and worked together as a team.][ As Flora Townsend Little remarked in ''Art and Archaeology'' following a visit to their studio in 1923: "'True artists all, their results show much variety and originality of shape, style of decoration, and glazes.'"][ In a description of an Overbeck vase appearing in ''Arts and Crafts Quarterly'', another author commented, "This pot eloquently testifies to the superb design and execution talents of the Overbeck sisters."][ Alan Patrick explained in ''Indiana Arts Insight'' (1979) that the Overbecks are best known for their small figurines and fanciful "grotesques," as well as their skill in matte glazes and their stylized designs of plants and animals in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles.][ In addition, the Overbeck sisters were praised for the originality they demonstrated in the simple shapes and decorative styles of their pottery.][
Examples of the Overbeck sisters' art have been selected for inclusion in exhibitions, including the nationally-traveling collections of the ]General Federation of Women's Clubs
The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...
, Baltimore Arts and Crafts, and the American Ceramic Society
The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) is a non-profit professional organization for the ceramics community, with a focus on scientific research, emerging technologies, and applications in which ceramic materials are an element. It is located in W ...
, as well as in Indiana at the Keramic League and Art Association of Richmond in Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
; the Wayne County Historical Museum; the John Herron Art Institute (the forerunner to the Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It i ...
mounted an exhibition of Overbeck work in 2007. Significant collections of Overbeck work is found at the Richmond Art Museum
The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana. Artist John Elwood Bundy and author and attorney William Dudley Foulke were instrumental in the founding.
Permanent collection
Its collection includes imp ...
and in the Cambridge City Public Library, whose core collection was a gift of Overbeck scholar Kathleen Postle. The Midwest Museum of Art in Elkhart, Indiana has a room devoted to Overbeck pottery. In addition, outstanding pieces are found in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...
and other museums and private collections. A collection of Overbeck pottery was featured on the 2006 episode of the Antiques Roadshow
''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...
from Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
.
Overbeck pottery is included in museum collections at the Midwest Museum of Art in Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana, east of Chicago, Illinois, and north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Elkhart has the larger population of the two principal cities of th ...
; the Museum of Overbeck Art Pottery at the Cambridge City Public Library; the Richmond Art Museum
The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana. Artist John Elwood Bundy and author and attorney William Dudley Foulke were instrumental in the founding.
Permanent collection
Its collection includes imp ...
; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Ball State University Art Gallery; and the American Ceramic Society's museum at its headquarters in suburban Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
. Their art is also in private collections, including one pottery piece given to Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
and Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
. A number of Overbeck oil paintings, mostly of birds, are also known to exist. Overbeck pottery continues to be valued by collectors. Articles related to the Overbeck sisters' art have appeared in magazines such as ''Antique Week'' (April 25, 2005) and ''Today's Collector'' (October 1994).[
]
Honors and tributes
Elizabeth was elected an honorary fellow of the American Ceramic Society in 1936.[
Ball State University hosted a tribute exhibition called "The Overbeck Potters" from December 7, 1975, to January 25, 1976, at its campus art museum in Muncie, Indiana.][Postle, p. 95.] In 1987–88 Overbeck Pottery was recognized in a Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...
, exhibition, "The Art That Is Life: The Arts and Crafts Movement in America, 1875-1920." An Overbeck vase was also selected "as an example of originality in early American pottery" in a multi-city traveling exhibition. In 1990 the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...
included an Overbeck vase in one of their exhibitions.[ In addition, a small collection of Overbeck pottery was featured on a 2006 episode of '' ]Antiques Roadshow
''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...
'' from Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.[
]
Public collections
Significant public collections of Overbeck works are housed at:
* Midwest Museum of Art in Elkhart, Indiana[
* Museum of Overbeck Art Pottery at the Cambridge City Public Library, Cambridge City, Indiana][
* ]Richmond Art Museum
The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana. Artist John Elwood Bundy and author and attorney William Dudley Foulke were instrumental in the founding.
Permanent collection
Its collection includes imp ...
, Richmond, Indiana[
]
Notes
References
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* Reprinted in 1998, Western Wayne Heritage, Inc., Cambridge City, Indiana.
Further reading
*
External links
Art Images
Overbeck pottery, Cambridge City Public Library
"Doing it for Themselves…The Overbeck Sisters"
"Moment of Indiana History" segment, Indiana Public Media
Waynet.org
"Overbeck Art Pottery Highlights"
Midwest Museum of American Art, Elkhart, Indiana
Overbeck Museum
at Cambridge City, Indiana
The Overbeck Sisters
"Sister Act: Overbeck Potter"
2005 article from ''Antiques'' magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overbeck Sisters
American potters
Arts and Crafts movement
American artists
Artists from Indiana
People from Cambridge City, Indiana
American art pottery
Place of birth missing
19th-century American women artists
20th-century American women artists
American people of German descent