Volkmar Pottery

The pottery was established by Charles Volkmar, an American ceramicist who trained in France with the Haviland firm. He brought French underglaze painting techniques to the United States, producing decorated earthenware there from the 1870s.

After early work in the New York area, Charles Volkmar and his son Fred operated the pottery chiefly in Metuchen, New Jersey, from the 1890s into the early 20th century. The firm is generally known to collectors as 'Volkmar & Son' from that period.

Look for hand-painted underglaze decoration, often landscapes, birds, or barbotine-style floral work in muted naturalistic colors, frequently signed 'Volkmar.' Because the output was small compared to contemporaries like Rookwood, documented pieces are relatively scarce and worth authenticating.

It bridges French Barbotine techniques learned at Haviland with the emerging American Arts and Crafts movement of the late 1800s. Volkmar's work helped introduce painterly underglaze decoration into American ceramics before 1900.