Lonhuda: Early American Art Pottery from Steubenville, Ohio

Lonhuda Pottery was a short-lived but historically significant American art pottery established in 1892 in Steubenville, Ohio, by William A. Long, W.H. Hunter, and Alfred Day (the name "Lonhuda" being a combination of their surnames: LONg-HUnter-DAy). The pottery produced slip-decorated ware in the brown-glazed underglaze style that was pioneered by Rookwood and became the dominant American art pottery aesthetic of the 1890s. Though Lonhuda operated for only a few years before Long moved on to other ventures, its pieces are valued by collectors of early American art pottery.

Identification and Marks

Lonhuda pottery can be identified by several marks:

• "LONHUDA" impressed: The factory name impressed into the base, sometimes in an arc
• Indian head mark: A profile of a Native American head, either incised or stamped
• Artist marks: Some pieces bear the incised initials of individual decorators
• Shape numbers: Impressed numbers identifying the vessel form
• Body and glaze: Standard mahogany/brown slip-painted ware with naturalistic floral decoration (similar to Rookwood Standard glaze)

After Lonhuda closed, William Long moved to Denver, Colorado, where he founded Denver China and Pottery (later Denaura), and subsequently to Zanesville, Ohio, where he worked briefly at Weller (helping develop the Louwelsa line) and J.B. Owens (developing the Utopian line).

Styles and Decoration

• Underglaze slip painting: Floral subjects painted in colored slips under a high-gloss brown glaze, similar to Rookwood Standard
• Floral subjects: Roses, pansies, clover, berries, and wildflowers predominate
• Forms: Vases, pitchers, mugs, jardinières, and ewers in classic late-Victorian shapes
• Glaze palette: Rich brown grounds shading to amber and yellow, with painted subjects in naturalistic colors

Auction Price Ranges

Condition Factors

Lonhuda pottery, like most late-19th-century American art pottery, is stoneware or earthenware with a relatively durable body. The high-gloss brown glaze is generally stable but can show crazing (fine crackle) and occasional flaking. Chips to rims and bases are the most common damage. Because the pottery's value is primarily in its decoration, damage to the painted area is more detrimental than damage to undecorated surfaces. Check for hairlines by tapping the piece gently; a clear ring indicates integrity, while a dull thud may indicate a crack. Some pieces show kiln imperfections (glaze drips, stilt marks) that are original manufacturing characteristics.

Collecting Tips

Lonhuda is collected primarily by American art pottery specialists who appreciate its place in the history of the American art pottery movement. Its close relationship to Rookwood Standard, Weller Louwelsa, and Owens Utopian makes it part of a broader collecting narrative of brown-glazed underglaze slip decoration. Lonhuda pieces are considerably rarer than Rookwood or Weller, as production was limited to a few years. William Long's subsequent ventures (Denver/Denaura, Clifton) are also collected, and having examples from each phase of his career creates a compelling collection narrative. Because of low production volume, fine Lonhuda pieces appear infrequently at auction and may be underrecognized. Specialist art pottery auctions at houses like Rago, Treadway-Toomey, and Cincinnati Art Galleries are the best venues. Authentication relies on the distinctive marks and the characteristic brown-ground decoration style.