American,
b. 1922
California Art Tiles
circa 1930
Earthenware
15.68 x 3.84 x 1 in.
Museum Purchase with the Charter Member Endowment Fund
1994.23.1-2
Between 1910-1940, California was the leading producer of architectural terra-cotta tile (bathrooms, kitchens, fireplaces, etc.) in the United States with more than 40 companies. California Art Tiles are distinctive because they are not brightly colored or highly glazed. They have subdued colors and earth tones resulting in a mellow informal or “soft” look as seen here. This was consistent with the handmade look that characterized the Arts and Crafts movement. Tiles produced by this company are among the premier examples of artistic tile produced during the California arts and crafts period. Terra cotta tile has remained a constant in California since the Spanish colonists, but it experienced a revival after the popular 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego.
From Scotland, James White Hislop (1860-1932) and his two sons founded the California Art Tile Company. His father and grandfather were also noted clay crafts workers in Scotland. Hislop came to California in 1884, working at Gladding McBean in Lincoln, California, which manufactured sewer pipe and architectural elements, but not tile at that location. After 17 years there, and another 20 years working in brick and pottery companies in Stockton, California, Hislop settled in Richmond, California. He opened his own company with his sons in 1922, which was first called the Clay Glow Tile Company.
Billie Sessions, PhD.
Keywords
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hills
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landscape
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river
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sky
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tree
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water
- A liquid made up of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen (HO2). When pure, it is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. It exists in gaseous, liquid, and solid forms; it is liquid at room temperature. It is the liquid of which seas, lakes, and rivers are composed, and which falls as rain. Water is one of the most plentiful and essential of compounds. It is vital to life, participating in virtually every process that occurs in plants and animals. One of its most important properties is its ability to dissolve many other substances. The versatility of water as a solvent is essential to living organisms. The term "water" is typically used to refer to the liquid form of this compound; for the solid or gaseous forms, use "ice" or "water vapor."
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