Description:
Thrown red earthenware milkpan, steep, canted sides, flat bottom, round, open bowl, faintly impressed "J. CRAFTS" in the center well, made by Justus Crafts (1791-1869). Sons of Graves Crafts, Justus and his twin brother Justin (1791-1850) trained as redware potters with Thomas Crafts (1781-1861) of Whately. In 1815, Justus married Spiddy Bardwell (1792-1842), and they and Justin moved to Berlin, Vermont, where Justus and Spiddy had 4 of their 8 children. In 1816, the brothers established a redware pottery; in 1823, Justus sold his share of the business to Justin and returned to Whately to manage Thomas Crafts's teapot works as a partner. Justus also appears to have made other forms of redware for independent sale during that period. According to entries in 1826 in the account book of Rev. Rufus Wells (1743-1843), who was born in Deerfield and was an ordained pastor in Whately and dealer in groceries and utilitarian supplies, Wells bought three milk pans and two pots from Justus. With Thomas Crafts's decision to switch from redware to stoneware, Justus left Thomas in 1831 to build a redware kiln and sell his own redware pottery. Justus was listed in the 1850 Whately Census as Age 59 and with an "Earthen Ware Factory," which he appears then to have closed and farmed. Old Sturbridge Village has milk pans marked "T. Crafts" and "J. Crafts." Farm families had several of these shallow redware milk pans with sloping sides 2" to 4" high, which they used to "set" or "settle" or separate cream as it rose to the top from the daily milking, placed in a cool cellar or pantry. Because these pans were fragile and received heavy use, they had to be replaced periodically. 18th and early 19th century milk pans were hand-thrown, glazed only on the side, and often large. By the mid 19th century, smaller and lights pans with higher sides were sold in nests of 4 or 5, which were often drape- or slip-molded. These were replaced by tin pans which were both lighter and easier to clean.
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