1932–1937
RumRill / 514
Widely spaced narrow letters with tall R forms; name lies near the rim above a separately enclosed shape number.
moulded impressed · glazed pottery · United States
Pottery & porcelain
RumRill Pottery marks
RumRill Pottery marks include moulded impressed “RUMRILL / [partly obscured code] / USA” on glazed pottery in United States.
- Active years
- To 1943
- Country
- United States
- Products
- art pottery, vases, bowls, planters, candleholders, figurines
- Marks
- 5
Brand production began in the early 1930s; the Red Wing phase ran from August 1932 to December 1937. February 1943 trade report announced cessation. Earlier organizational dates differ among references.
What to look for
- Read the name together with the shape code. Three-digit numbers generally identify Red Wing production; letter-and-number codes commonly belong to the later Florence range.
- Compare the lettering and layout: a rim-side narrow name, compact rounded name, underlined block name, and name with USA are different formats. A new shape number alone does not create a new signature.
- Check the sides for a surviving silver paper label as well as the underside for a moulded name.
Dated marks & timeline
5 marks
1932–1937
640 / RumRill
Compact rounded mixed-case name in a shallow arc below the shape number; no underline or country wording.
moulded impressed · glazed pottery · United States
1938–1941
RUMRILL / J-40
Angular block letters sit above a long underline, with letter-and-number shape code below.
moulded impressed · glazed pottery · United States
Undated
RUMRILL / [partly obscured code] / USA
Large capitals form a high arch above a separate code and broad USA lettering; no underline.
moulded impressed · glazed pottery · United States
Undated
RumRill / Made in USA
Silver-coloured scalloped label carries the brand name in dark letters on the side of the vase.
printed paper label · glazed pottery · United States
About RumRill Pottery
RumRill was a pottery brand organized by George D. Rumrill, a salesman based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before establishing his own line, he sold wares from Arkansas potteries including Camark and Niloak. RumRill’s vases, bowls, candleholders, planters and figures were produced by existing factories in other states. The name therefore identifies a marketing enterprise whose manufacturing partners changed over its short history.
Red Wing Union Stoneware in Minnesota began making Rumrill pottery in 1932. The partnership expanded the factory’s artware business through new forms and glazes as well as existing shapes. After their separation at the end of 1937, Red Wing continued producing related designs under its own name. Rumrill next arranged production in Ohio, and Florence Pottery at Mount Gilead was supplying his line by the winter of 1938–39.
Lawton Gonder managed Florence’s production. A fire destroyed the factory in October 1941, but surviving moulds allowed manufacture to continue briefly at Gonder’s new Zanesville pottery. Trade reports announced the end of RumRill’s operations in early 1943, during Rumrill’s final illness. The resulting wares range from Red Wing’s three-digit shape series to Ohio pieces commonly carrying letters with their shape numbers.
Also known as: Rumrill · Rum Rill · George D. Rumrill · RumRill Pottery Company
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Red Wing after the RumRill agreement
Red Wing continued related forms under its own name after the partnership. An identical shape with a Red Wing name or label is not automatically a RumRill-marked example.
Gonder Ceramic Arts
Gonder briefly made RumRill before marketing pottery under his own name. Compare the actual signature and factory characteristics rather than attributing every similar Ohio vase to RumRill.