The Ceramic Career of M. Louise McLaughlin

Mary Louise McLaughlin was the first American to develop a technique for decorating ceramics under the glaze. She completed her first successful piece in January 1878, when perhaps two or three potteries in the world could produce such work. Her underglaze work, esteemed in both New York and Paris, set Cincinnati apart from all other national ceramic centers and secured its position as the cradle of American art pottery.

In 1898 McLaughlin became the first artist to produce studio porcelain in the United States. Despite McLaughlin's influence on the history of American ceramics, this is the first study dedicated exclusively to her accomplishments. Anita Ellis depicts the many challenges McLaughlin encountered in pursuit of her career.

Not the least of these was her rivalry with the formidable Maria Longworth Nichols, fellow Cincinnatian and founder of T he Rockwood Pottery Company. Another was being a woman in the arts: McLaughlin's primary goal had been to paint portraits on canvas, but Victorian society did not afford opportunities in what was then considered a male sphere. Replete with historic photos and color illustrations of many of McLaughlin's works, The Ceramic Career of M. Louise McLaughlin is a tribute to an esteemed woman artist who rose to one of the highest positions in her field.