Manufactured by the Weller Pottery company around 1903, this vase is a unique work of art that speaks both to the popularity of golf in America during the turn of the 20th century, and notably the experience of Black golfers during that era. Samuel A. Weller started his company in 1872 as a small, one-person operation, and by 1905 the company had become the largest manufacturer of art pottery in America.
Weller was known for manufacturing multiple thematic collections featuring different techniques, colors and subjects. The vase pictured here comes from the Dickensware II collection which was designed by Charles Babbock Upjohn and produced by Weller Pottery from 1900-1905.
The pottery in the Dickensware II collection was loosely based on the work of Charles Dickens and is characterized by Upjohn’s use of bright colors and pastoral subjects, including golfers. Upjohn was the creative director of the line, but each piece was produced by individual artists who drew a scene approved by Upjohn in the soft surface of the clay with a needle before it was painted and fired in the kiln.
This piece and others in the line featuring golfers are especially of note because they were mass produced and sold less than a decade after golf experienced its first major "boom" in the United States. The inclusion of golfers in the Dickensware II line of pottery is evidence of the widespread popularity of the game among Americans around the turn of the century.
This particular vase has historical importance to the experience of Black golfers because the figure on the vase appears to be a Black woman. Weller was producing art pottery on such a large scale that the intent behind this piece is lost. We may never know if Weller was ahead of his time or if he was simply interested in appealing to a larger customer base to maximize his profits.
Either way, when the Weller Pottery company decided to sell this vase featuring a member of such a marginalized group, they were shedding light on a segment of the golfing community that remains on the fringes today yet has long participated in the game.
Black golfers have a recorded history of playing golf since the late 19th century. Evidence of this early involvement can be found in the accomplishments of Dr. George Grant and John Shippen. Dr. Grant, a Massachusetts-based dentist and the first Black professor at Harvard, invented and patented a wooden golf tee in 1898, 20 years before the more popular Reddy Tee was invented by another dentist, Dr. William Lowell. Shippen, a Black golfer, competed in the 2nd U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. in 1896. Although Black stories in early golf history are still largely untold, this vase adds to our understanding of this demographic in early golf history.
Kylie Garabed is the USGA Museum’s junior curator of collections. Email her at kgarabed@usga.org
