The papers of ceramicist and educator Mary Chase Stratton measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1846 to 1959. The collection provides scattered documentation of Stratton's career through artwork including a lithograph signed by Gwen Lux; an award to William Stratton and an honorary degree to Stratton; correspondence from Stratton's father and a few others; personal photographs of Stratton, family members, and photographs of works of art; and a photograph of Charles Lang Freer by Edward Steichen. Also found are printed materials including a brochure for Pewabic Pottery, and several writings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of ceramicist and educator Mary Chase Stratton measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1846 to 1959. The collection provides scattered documentation of Stratton's career through artwork including a lithograph signed by Gwen Lux; an award to William Stratton and an honorary degree to Stratton; correspondence from Stratton's father and a few others; a partial license to dig for gold in the Colony of Victoria; personal photographs of Stratton, family members, and photographs of works of art; and a photograph of Charles Lang Freer by Edward Steichen. Also found are printed materials including a brochure for Pewabic Pottery, and several writings.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Mary Chase Stratton (1867-1961) was a ceramicist and educator, and a founder of Pewabic Pottery in Detroit, Michigan.
Stratton was born in Hancock, Michigan, to Dr. William Walbridge Perry and Sophia Barrett Perry. Stratton and her mother moved to Ann Arbor after the murder of Dr. Perry in 1877. Stratton's artistic interests were encouraged by her mother who hired art teacher Lily Chase to instruct her. The family later moved to Detroit where Stratton became a prominent figure in the art world. She co-founded Pewabic Pottery with Horace J. Caulkins around 1903 and after a few years in business they found a permanent home for the pottery studio in a Detroit building designed by William Stratton, who would become Stratton's husband in 1918.
The studio, now a National Historic Landmark, created architectural tiles found at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Kingswood School for Girls in Cranbrook, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit, and numerous other public buildings. Stratton taught at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan where she established the ceramics department.
Stratton died in 1961.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Pewabic Pottery records, 1891-1973.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent by Mrs. Ella Peters, secretary to Stratton, for microfilming on reel 593 including a 144-page unpublished autobiography of Mary Chase Stratton. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Mary Chase Stratton in 1961. Some material was lent for microfilming in 1973 by Mrs. Ella Peters, secretary to Stratton.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
