Much of the information presented here is from a 1937 Dedham Pottery catalog. I used to sell reprints on eBay but decided to make the information available here for free. Should anyone desire a printed copy I have a few left and will make them available for a small charge. Contact information coming.
James Robertson, the fourth in line of a family of Scotch Potters, arrived in this country on the old sailing vessel, "Lord Mulgrave," in 1833, at what was then known as. Roundabout, New Jersey, now SayreviIIe. With him came his wife, daughter and three of his four sons, Alexander W., George, and Hugh Cornwall Robertson. The latter being the founder of Dedham Pottery.
The father after working for a short time in a pottery at Roundabout, brought his family to East Boston, Mass., where he entered partnership with a Mr. Nathaniel Plympton, the firm being known as Plympton & Robertson Pottery Co., and the plant located on Condor Street. Their product was white or yellow crockery made from a clay brought from New Jersey by boat. The records of the Ninth Exhibition of The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Ass'n, in September 1860, state that the firm was awarded the Third Prize for their teapots and tableware and the judges commented that the ware compared well with Bennington ware.
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Prior to 1866, Alexander Robertson started a pottery in an old varnish factory at the corner of Willow and Marginal Streets in Chelsea. This location was chosen because of its close proximity to quantities of red clay, most of it coming from the Old Carey Pit, near Powder Horn Hill. The type of ware made from this clay was mostly flower pots, ferneries and bean pots. Little or no decoration being used at first.
In 1867 Hugh joined his brother Alexander, and they operated under the title of A. W. & H. C. Robertson, and from that time on painted or glazed decorations were applied to the ware. Desiring to produce a type of ware with more artistic appeal, they copied the early Greek, Roman and Egyptian vases, similar to those of the Cesnola Collection, in the red bisque with black decorations and with modeled decoration in high relief.
Their next advanced step was in the production of ware that became known as Chelsea Faience. It was a glazed ware with decorations modeled in relief, which also included hand-hammered and applique types, after the order of Limoges.
James Robertson retired from the firm of Plympton & Robertson in 1872 and joined with his sons in the Chelsea Pottery, where besides continuing the Faience ware, he produced what is believed to be the first pressed clay tiles, made in the United States, to which the Faience glazes were easily adapted. In 1878 they were awarded First Prize at the Mass. Charitable Mechanics Ass'n Exhibition in the name of James Robertson & Sons. The firm name at this time was Chelsea Keramic Art Works, Robertson & Sons. Many of the decorations on the vases and tiles were from the hand of John G. Low, a young Chelsea artist, who later started the Low Art Tile Works on Broadway, Chelsea.
James Robertson died in 1880, and in 1884, Alexander went to California to engage in pottery making, Hugh continuing alone on further experiments, one of them, the production of a fine apple green.
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