The Arthur E. Baggs Archives

Published by the Two Red Roses Foundation, August 29, 2014

The Two Red Roses Foundation is most fortunate to have received a significant donation of archival and personal papers, letters, business and technical notes, books, periodicals, photographs, catalogs, bulletins, pencil sketches and watercolors belonging to Arthur E. Baggs (1886-1947), widely recognized as a leader of the American Arts and Crafts movement's regard for and the growth and popularity of pottery and ceramics. As a talented but inexperienced 18-year-old studen, Baggs was hired by Dr. Herbert J. Hall in 1905 to teach pottery at a Marblehead, Massachusetts, sanitarium for patients with nervous exhaustion. Baggs's pottery classes were part of an innovative craft therapy program Hall called the Handcraft Shops. What began as a summer job evolved into a full-time career as Baggs's talent and dedication to the shop were recognized. By 1907 "Marblehead Pottery," as it came to be known, was accepted in important Arts and Crafts exhibition in Boston, New York and Chicago. Then, as now, major examples of Marblehead Pottery were highly regarded.

This priceless collection of archival materials spanning more than 3 decades is the generous gift of Mr. Baggs' granddaughters, Ms. Laura Bretas and her sister, Sarah Saleh to whom the Two Red Roses Foundation is forever grateful. This large and varied assemblage of materials was painstakingly organized for the Baggs family by Ms. Susan Montgomery, Ph.D., in Massachusetts and then delivered to Rago's Auctions in Lambertville, NJ. The auction house selected some of this archival material, primarily drawings and watercolors, to be auctioned off in their March 2008 sale. TRRF made a commitment to reunite the material being offered for sale with the rest of the archives and purchased at auction all these lots. The archives are now complete.

This archival material provides a dramatic backdrop for TRRF's outstanding collection of Marblehead ceramics which includes fourteen vases and more than a dozen tiles, many designed and executed by Baggs.