Overbeck Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Overbeck Sisters were four women potters and artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement
who worked in Cambridge City, Indiana
, from 1911 until 1955.
The group included Margaret (July 3, 1863-August 13, 1911), Hannah Borger (March 14, 1870-August 28, 1931), Elizabeth Gray (October 21, 1875-December 1, 1936) and Mary Frances (January 28, 1878-March 20, 1955). Sisters Ida and Harriet and a brother Charles were not involved in their sisters' artistic pursuits. The family spelled their name "Overpeck" until 1911. The last of the sisters died in 1955.
The sisters were known initially for their Arts and Crafts-style pottery, watercolors and distinctive matte pottery glazes. Margaret and Mary Frances studied with the influential designer Arthur Wesley Dow
. In later years, the sisters produced pieces of more modern styles with shiny glazes and small grotesque figural pieces of people and animals. A number of Overbeck oil paintings, mostly of birds, are also known to exist. A number of their early designs were published in Keramic Magazine.
Overbeck pottery is widely collected and the Indianapolis Museum of Art
mounted an exhibition of Overbeck work in 2007. Significant collections of Overbeck work is found at the Richmond Art Museum
and in the Cambridge City Public Library whose core collection was a gift of Overbeck scholar Kathleen Postle. In addition, outstanding pieces are found in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
and other museums and private collections. A collection of Overbeck pottery was featured on the 2006 episode of the Antiques Roadshow
from Houston, Texas
.
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
who worked in Cambridge City, Indiana
Cambridge City, Indiana
Cambridge City is a town in Jackson Township, Wayne County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,870 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Cambridge City is located at ....
, from 1911 until 1955.
The group included Margaret (July 3, 1863-August 13, 1911), Hannah Borger (March 14, 1870-August 28, 1931), Elizabeth Gray (October 21, 1875-December 1, 1936) and Mary Frances (January 28, 1878-March 20, 1955). Sisters Ida and Harriet and a brother Charles were not involved in their sisters' artistic pursuits. The family spelled their name "Overpeck" until 1911. The last of the sisters died in 1955.
The sisters were known initially for their Arts and Crafts-style pottery, watercolors and distinctive matte pottery glazes. Margaret and Mary Frances studied with the influential designer Arthur Wesley Dow
Arthur Wesley Dow
Arthur Wesley Dow was an American painter, printmaker, photographer, and influential arts educator....
. In later years, the sisters produced pieces of more modern styles with shiny glazes and small grotesque figural pieces of people and animals. A number of Overbeck oil paintings, mostly of birds, are also known to exist. A number of their early designs were published in Keramic Magazine.
Overbeck pottery is widely collected and the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
mounted an exhibition of Overbeck work in 2007. Significant collections of Overbeck work is found at the Richmond Art Museum
Richmond Art Museum
The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana. Artist John Elwood Bundy was instrumental in the founding.- Permanent Collection :...
and in the Cambridge City Public Library whose core collection was a gift of Overbeck scholar Kathleen Postle. In addition, outstanding pieces are found in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
and other museums and private collections. A collection of Overbeck pottery was featured on the 2006 episode of the Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
from Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Sources
- Bowman, Leslie Greene American Arts and Crafts-Virtue in Design: A Catalogue of the Palevsky Collection and Related Works in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Boston: Bullfinch Press/Little, Brown and Company, 1990
- Postle, Kathleen R. The Chronicle of the Overbeck Pottery. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical SocietyIndiana Historical SocietyThe Indiana Historical Society is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". Housed within the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, it is located at 450 West Ohio St...
, 1978 - Newton, Judith Vale and Carol Ann Weiss. (2004) Skirting the Issue: Stories of Indiana's Historical Women Artists, Indiana Historical SocietyIndiana Historical SocietyThe Indiana Historical Society is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". Housed within the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, it is located at 450 West Ohio St...
Press, Indianapolis. ISBN 0-87195-177-0