Yellowware

Yellowware pottery, with its deep, rich colors and beautiful glaze, makes such a wonderful accent in country homes. Yellowware expert and collector Marti Diederich , who specializes in American primitive furnishings, shares some interesting facts about this beautiful collectible pottery.

• Yellowware color shades range from deep mustard to buttery yellow.
• Yellowware was first produced in England in the 16th century. Americans began to produce the pottery in the early 1800s when a similar yellow clay was discovered here.
• Up until the invention of glass bakeware and plastic dishes in the '40s, yellowware was used for mixing, baking and storage in almost every American kitchen.
• In the 1880s, pieces were plain or painted with simple white stripes; the more decorative pieces were created in the 1920s and '30s.
• Glazes used for yellowware are lead-based so if you start a collection use them for display only.