This hand-thrown lid for a stoneware crockery vessel was excavated from Bonniebrook, the estate of American illustrator, cartoonist, artist, writer, and suffragette Rose O’Neill, who is best-known for her invention of the Kewpie doll character.  Several years after O’Neill’s death in 1944, her house at Bonniebrook burned to the ground, and curious local people sometimes visited the ruined estate to look through the ruins. When the Bonniebrook Museum and Homestead was established in the late 20^th century, many of these objects were donated back to the museum, and many still await reconstruction and identification. This heavy crockery object has a thick rim and the remains of a handle, and it was decorated very simply with a dark slip and a clear glaze for durability. All together, these features indicate that this was likely the lid for a simple, everyday vessel for cooking, serving, and storage of food.

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu