Virtual Tuesday Talk: The Wilson Potters from Slavery to Reconstruction

This talk tells the story of Hiram, James, and Wallace Wilson—Black potters who produced stoneware vessels near Seguin, Texas from the mid-to-late nineteenth century. When they arrived in Texas in 1856, they were enslaved and forced to learn the difficult art of ceramic production. The Wilsons soon threw pots, churns, and jugs into Edgefield-style vessels. After Emancipation, they launched their own successful H. Wilson & Company Pottery, where they innovated different glazing and throwing techniques. The potters were not only entrepreneurs, but community-builders who founded the freedom colony of Capote and were active in grassroots religious and educational causes. Through both an overview of their history and a deep look at individual vessels, I show that these objects speak to the Wilson potters’ ingenuity and survival from slavery, through Reconstruction, and beyond.

Speaker:  Ashley Williams, PhD Candidate in Art History, Columbia University

This event is taking place online only. The speaker will not be present at the DAR Museum.