The Morgan Long Family
The Long Family Potters
Dorothy Long was one of the leading craftsmen in the area of early American folk pottery. In 1975, Dotty and her husband Alton began a study of all forms of 17th, 18th and early 19th century folk pottery in order to create quality reproductions for use in living history programs planned for the Bicentennial celebration. They eventually developed the appropriate clays, glazes and techniques to produce the redware pottery so prevalent in colonial and Pennsylvania Dutch kitchens and farms in the 1700s.
Dotty and Alton learned the basics of glaze making and pottery at what is now Carnegie-Mellon University where they both received degrees in chemistry. After graduation, Dotty pursued her interests both as a teacher and craftsman, specializing in all forms of pottery (earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain). She had a continually active business since 1955. Her first business was DEL Ceramics in New Jersey and in 1963, she started Old Eagle Studios in Wayne, PA. This was followed by Long Family Potters which grew to Long Family Potters & Associates, both in her studio in Phoenixville, PA.
The Long’s traveled to England and Germany to study the roots of redware and buffware pottery. They also traveled extensively in the U.S. studying folk and Native American pottery, archaeological collections and museums, state and national parks, and other contemporary American folk potters. During these travels, Dotty also became interested in old English Delftware and later began making reproductions of it, known for its blue on white designs.
In 1992, Dotty and Alton combined their love of the Southwest and their interest in historical pottery by going to Santa Fe, New Mexico and learned how to make blackware pottery directly from the famous artist, Blue Corn, at the San Ildefonso Pueblo.
While doing some family genealogical digging, they learned that Alton is a 10th generation potter. The Long Family Potters originated in Glasgow, Scotland, emigrating to this country in the early 1700s. It was amazing to learn that the past generations had made similar redware and other pottery forms in Scotland, England, Maryland, South Carolina, and in Georgia, the Long potters were founding partners of the Georgia JugFest, still held to this day, and are honored in the Potters’ Hall of Fame.
Our Long family pottery has been displayed at many museums and parks, including: Philadelphia Independence Mall & the Museum of Art, the San Francisco De Young Museum, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of American Folk Art in New York.
It can be currently seen on display at Valley Forge National Historical Park, Washington’s Birthplace National Historic Park, the Brandywine Battlefield, the Ephrata Cloisters, Longwood Gardens and many of the colonial locations of the Chester County, PA Historical Society.
Using techniques dating back to colonial time, the Long Family Potters and Associates worked in the Phoenixville studio which was located in an old IOOF building, an association of which Dotty’s father was a member. Phoenixville is a historical pottery area known for the manufacture of Etruscan Majolica in the late 1800s. The Long studio artisans’ hand-crafted decorative museum quality pieces for the home, made out of native clay and glazed with a variety of authentic colors, ranging from pale buff to lustrous metallic black. Most pieces were authentic re-creations of colonial and Pennsylvania Dutch antiques. All of their products are dishwasher, microwave and oven safe.
Long Family pottery is sought after due to its high quality of reproducing the original materials and designs.
Folk pottery was the specialty of these artisans, who captured traditional designs of colonial times in wares that were practical for today’s household. Long Family Potters and Associates all worked in their own areas of artistic specialization.
The Long Family Potters:
Dorothy (Dotty) Long: She was the studio owner and master potter of redware, sgraffito and slipware and other folk pottery.
Alton (Al) Long: A 10th generation potter who made slip trailed plates and platters.
Margie Long: Specializing in sgraffito and making plates.
Charles Long: Specializing in intricate combware and marbleized designs.
Mary Anne Long Powers: Specializing in slipware and making plates.
Betsy Long: Assisted with sgraffito and combware plates.
Mom & Dad at a historical related event teaching
folks about early American pottery.
The cover to Mom's old order form for her redware pottery.
Dotty with Blackware artist Blue Corn at her oven.
Our sister, Margie Long, at the Phoenixville pottery Studio.
Intricate combware by our brother, Charles Long, a well-known sculptor and tenured Art professor at UC Riverside.
Example of Sgraffito - redware plate glazed with buff , brown and green, and letters and designs are carved out so the red ware base shows through.
Holiday Event celebrating 35 years of being in business; illustrations by Mom.