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There are two books that have been written recently about Red Wing artware. Please refer to the References section of this site for a complete bibliography and ordering information.
The Reiss book is 241 pages. It contains hundreds of color and black and white photographs. A separate price guide, the latest issued in 1997, is indispensable in learning about Red Wing artware.
The Dollen book is 141 pages with about 180 color photographs of Red Wing artware. Prices of pieces are given with most photos.
From a historical standpoint, large quantities of Red Wing artware were produced from 1931 until the plant closed in 1967. Dinnerware and artware were the major company products after about 1940.
The Reiss book has a chart on pp 234-236 that shows the various lines and the years of production. On pp 232-233 a shape number reference chart is given, notice some numbers were used more than once. When studying these two charts in conjunction with the price guide, it is sometimes possible to estimate the value of an unlisted piece. As a collector, make sure someone has not used the price of an older, more expensive piece to value a newer one with the same shape number.
Another important consideration for collectors would be the glaze, both the interior and exterior, used on a particular piece. The color charts given by Dollen for the 20s and 30s (p 38), the 40s (p 56), the 50s and 60s (p108), along with those in the Reiss book, shows the extensive possibilities. Examining the Reiss price guide shows how the value of a piece is often greatly affected by the glaze.
On page 22 of the 1997 Reiss price guide, he emphasizes the blue ink stamp pottery shown on pp 126-127 of his book. This grouping, along with brushware, are really the start of the artware era for the potteries. The color photos of some of these items in his book are a must see.
Much has been written about George Rumrill. He came to influence the production of artware by Red Wing potteries around 1933. Essentially, the potteries made artware with his mark, he did most of the marketing.
If you examine the black and white photos on pp 129-143 of Reiss and the descriptions on p 16 of Dollen you can find information on nineteen groups of RumRill artware. They are:
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In the late 30s Rumrill, in apparent dispute of some kind, went to other sources for his pottery pieces. These are not considered to be Red Wing collectibles.There is a Rumrill collectors group that could furnish you with more information on these post-Red Wing pieces.
After the split with George Rumrill in the late 1930s artware pieces made by Red Wing usually had their own stamp (see pp 111-118 of Reiss). The Dollen index (pp 140-141) gives an idea of the variety of different pieces produced:
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In addition to those listed above, many specialty items can be found.
The list below shows the continuous effort by the pottery to offer a variety of lines or groups over the years. Two designers, Belle Kogan and Charles Murphy, are given credit for many of the designs. Some of the artware designed by Belle Kogan have their piece numbers preceded by a B, some by Murphy by an M.
| Year of Production | Description |
| 1920s, 1930s | Brushware, blue ink stamp |
| 1938 - 1939 | Belle Kogan 100 |
| 1939 | Terra-Kraft(Kogan) |
| 1940 | Magnolia Group(Kogan) |
| 1941 | Figurines(Murphy) |
| 1941 | Sgraffito |
| 1950 | Tropicana(Kogan) |
| 1950 | Textura(Kogan) |
| 1951 | Classical |
| 1951 | Deluxe |
| 1954 | Oxford |
| 1957 | Garden Club |
| 1959 | Decorator Line(Murphy) |
| 1960 | Doric |
| 1960 | Chromoline |
| 1960 | Birch Bark Line |
| 1961 | Floraline |
| 1962 | Prismatique(Kogan) |
| 1963 | Belle Line(Kogan) |
| 1965 | Bronze Line |
| 1966 | Monarch |
Prior to the publication of the artware books mentioned earlier, it would have taken years of individual study to comprehend the vast array of possibilities for Red Wing artware collecting. Thanks to the authors, it is now possible to be much more confident about the distinctiveness of your Red Wing collection.
Happy Hunting!
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