John Gardner Low

Background

John Gardner Low was the son of John and Hannah Gardner Low, of Chelsea, Massachusetts. His father was a surveyor and a prominent citizen.

Education

The younger Low was sent by his father in 1858 to Paris where he had three years at the ateliers of Thomas Couture and Constant Troyon. According to tradition he was somewhat wild as a student but he acquired a sound professional technique. His interest in pottery is said to have been aroused during his stay in France.

Career

Low was engaged for several years in scenic and other decorative work. In 1866 Alexander William Robertson started at Chelsea, where clay is abundant, a pottery for manufacture of artistic wares. At this plant Low served an apprenticeship, learning all he could about glazing and firing, and conducting experiments of his own. About 1877, in partnership with his father, Low inaugurated a manufactory under the style of the Low Art Tile Works. Picturesquely situated under Powderhorn Hill the plant exemplified in architecture, fixtures, and output its founder's conception of a combination of utility and beauty. Some of Low's processes in tile making were original, as when by use of a specially devised screw he pressed upon unburnt clay leaves, grasses, ferns, and laces, which left their impress on the finished product. The works employed as head designer Arthur Osborne, an artist, whose creative ingenuity was similar to Low's.

A kiln of tiles was first successfully fired at the Low Works in May 1879. The output of the Low Tile Works was extensive for about twenty years. It included, besides tiles and plastic sketches (the latter being ceramic portraits, figure compositions, and landscapes in low relief), such objects as paperweights, inkstands, clock cases, candlesticks, and especially, tiling for soda fountains. In time, however, the activities of the Low Tile Works gradually lessened. In the last ten years of his life John G. Low resumed his painting in which his attainments were respectable.

Achievements

• John Low was a principal founder of the J. & J. G. Low Art Tile Works and producer of the highly decorative tiles, with patterns developed from bits of real nature. In September 1880 he won a silver medal at Cincinnati Industrial Exposition. The same year Low tiles were entered in competition with the well-established English potters at the Crewe, Stoke-upon-Trent, Exposition, held under royal auspices and were awarded the gold medal. In 1882 by invitation, an exhibit of Low tiles and plastic sketches was held at the rooms of the Fine Art Society, London. It was visited and commended by members of the royal family, by Sir Frederick Leighton, and by many other members of the Royal Academy.

Religion

In religion Low was a Unitarian.

Membership

Low was long a member of the Chelsea park commission, and he held offices in the Allston and Paint and Clay clubs of Boston.

Personality

Low was temperamentally an intense, positive man, but he was also constructive and public-spirited.

Connections

Low's son, John F. Low entered the family business.

Father:

John Low

Mother:

Hannah Gardner Low

Son:

John F. Low

References

• The Pottery and Porcelain of the United States: An Historical Review of American Ceramic Art From the Earliest Times to the Present Day (Classic Reprint)
• Goods for Sale: Products and Advertising in the Massachusetts Industrial Age
• Plastic Sketches of J. G. and J. F. Low