Undated
MONMOUTH POTTERY CO.
Name without a leaf; this cow figure dates to about 1893–1906.
impressed · stoneware · Monmouth, Illinois, United States
The maker field distinguishes the original company from the later retained Monmouth name.
Pottery & porcelain
Monmouth Pottery marks
Monmouth Pottery marks include a label reading “MONMOUTH POTTERY / WILL NOT LEAK” on stoneware in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.
- Active years
- c. 1892–1906
- Country
- United States
- City / region
- Monmouth, Illinois
- Products
- storage crocks, jugs, butter churns, figural stoneware, artware vases and jardinieres
- Marks
- 5
1892 incorporation / 1893 organisation in a reproduced contemporary biographical account; 1906 merger ends the independent company. Monmouth-named products continued under Western Stoneware.
What to look for
- Read the entire leaf: MONMOUTH POTTERY CO., MONMOUTH ILL USA and WESTERN STONEWARE CO. are different inscriptions.
- Separate a gallon number above the leaf from the maker name. On artware, check for a paper label as well as an impressed base.
Dated marks & timeline
5 marks
Undated
MONMOUTH / ILL / USA / OVENPROOF
Diagonal name and separate OVENPROOF line differ from the broad three-line impressed-leaf format.
moulded · stoneware · Monmouth, Illinois, United States
The maker field distinguishes the original company from the later retained Monmouth name.
Undated
MONMOUTH / ILL / USA
No POTTERY CO. wording; broad leaf surrounds the shorter MONMOUTH ILL USA text.
impressed · stoneware · Monmouth, Illinois, United States
The maker field distinguishes the original company from the later retained Monmouth name.
Undated
MONMOUTH POTTERY CO. / MONMOUTH, ILL. [with 12 above]
The full POTTERY CO. name separates this from later MONMOUTH ILL USA leaf stamps.
printed · stoneware · Monmouth, Illinois, United States
The maker field distinguishes the original company from the later retained Monmouth name.
Undated
MONMOUTH POTTERY / WILL NOT LEAK
Printed WILL NOT LEAK label appears on artware rather than the clay-impressed leaf.
label · stoneware · Monmouth, Illinois, United States
The maker field distinguishes the original company from the later retained Monmouth name.
About Monmouth
Monmouth Pottery Company was established in Monmouth, Illinois, in the early 1890s. Its large industrial works made stoneware for household and commercial use, including storage crocks, jugs, jars and butter churns. A contemporary account describes vessels ranging from small packages to very large containers. The company used its name on impressed marks and on printed maple-leaf devices, with separate numbers indicating vessel capacity.
In 1906 Monmouth joined six other pottery businesses in the formation of Western Stoneware Company. The Monmouth works continued within the larger organisation, and the Monmouth name also remained on later products. Artware included vases, bowls and jardinieres in coloured glazes, while utilitarian stoneware continued alongside decorative shapes. Some artware carried paper labels rather than a permanent clay stamp.
The surviving marks reflect this changing business history. The original MONMOUTH POTTERY CO. name differs from later leaf stamps reading MONMOUTH, ILL and USA. A Monmouth place-name on a Western Stoneware piece records a production centre or retained trade name rather than the independent pre-merger company. The regional pottery industry also included Weir Pottery and later Maple City Pottery.
Also known as: Monmouth Pottery · Monmouth Western Stoneware (successor branding) · Monmouth Pottery Company
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Western Stoneware Company →
Western retained the maple leaf after the 1906 merger. Read the company wording inside it; a leaf alone does not establish independent Monmouth manufacture.
Monmouth pottery in Maine or Monmouthshire
These places have separate pottery histories. The Illinois company’s marks specify ILL, ILLS or MONMOUTH POTTERY CO.; a town name by itself needs its full place context.