Images(4)

Oyster Jar

Date1800-1807

Maker Thomas W. Commeraw (alternate spellings - Commereau, Commerau) (1797 - 1819)

OriginAmerica, New York, New York City, Manhattan

MediumSalt-glazed stoneware

DimensionsOH: 5 3/8"; OD: 3 7/8".

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Edna G. Tucker and Ms. Wendy S. Tucker in memory of Edward Bolton (Teddy) Tucker, M.B.E.

Object number2024.900.1

DescriptionOyster Jar: cylindrical body with flat wire trimmed base; the top with a circular opening surrounded by a circular depression. The side impressed “D · J · AND · CO No 24 / LUMBERSTREET / N · YORK” for New York oysterman Daniel Johnson, the letters and numbers filled with cobalt.
Label TextThomas Commeraw was among the most prolific of several Manhattan potters to supply New York City’s oystermen with stoneware jars for preserving and shipping the pickled or brined crustaceans. Sometimes oyster jars were stamped with the names of the oystermen’s businesses and their addresses, such as this example, 2024.900.1. But many surviving examples like 2024.900.2 were left undecorated or branded by their makers. Impervious to liquids and a long-time standard container for food storage, stoneware provided the perfect durable material for the vessels destined to contain preserved oysters.

Commeraw sold pottery to businesses along the Manhattan waterfront, many managed by other free Black men and women. This oyster jar made to hold and preserve pickled oysters is stamped “D · J · AND · CO No 24 / LUMBERSTREET / N · YORK” for New York oysterman Daniel Johnson. While networking in the Black community, Commeraw actively campaigned for the abolition of slavery and the establishment of rights for free Blacks. In 1820, after losing his business in a series of court battles, Commeraw and his family emigrated to Africa with the American Colonization Society. Disillusioned after the death of his wife, he and his children returned to America in 1822.

InscribedThe side of the body impressed with “D · J · AND · CO No 24 / LUMBERSTREET / N · YORK” for New York oysterman Daniel Johnson.