Beautiful Made-in-Zanesville Pottery Returns Home

The newest addition to the Zanesville Museum of Art brings a variety of treasures back to the place where they were made over a century ago. The Weller Pottery Co. began in the Muskingum County village of Fultonham in 1872, and within a decade moved to Zanesville, once known as the Clay City due to all the potteries that operated there. 

“The Mark and Marie Latta Collection: Featuring Weller Pottery Co.’s Hudson Ware,” which goes on display July 5, highlights 77 pieces of Weller Pottery Hudson Ware, known for its pastel colors and detailed decoration. Dating to 1917, the vases in the collection showcase beautiful floral and landscape designs.

“What really characterizes and makes these pieces so unique is that they’re hand painted or decorated by primarily women [after] the turn of the century, which was a unique occupation for women during that period,” says Laine Snyder, director and curator of the Zanesville Museum of Art.

Mark and Marie Latta started their collection with pieces from Roseville Pottery in nearby Roseville and grew into collecting other Muskingum County works. Except for a few that are especially dear to them, the Lattas have donated their Weller Pottery Co. pieces to the Zanesville Museum of Art to serve as a reminder of the city’s rich pottery history. The works will become part of the permanent collection in the American Art Pottery Gallery. The Lattas are traveling to Zanesville from their home in Muscatine, Iowa, to dedicate the collection named in their honor with a celebration at the museum on July 14.

“[It is] the perfect place to have it on display and to show off what their history and culture was,” says Mark Latta. “We think it belongs there; that’s where it came from.”

620 Military Rd., Zanesville 43701, 740/452-0741, zanesvilleart.org