Created by
Hadley, Mary Alice, American, 1911 - 1965
Manufactured by
Hadley Pottery Company, American, founded 1940
Owned by
Sinclair, Clayton, American
Sinclair, Hazel, American
Subject of
Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976
Date
1942-1965
Medium
ceramic, metal and rubber
Dimensions
H x W x D (Overall): 11 15/16 × 12 3/16 × 10 13/16 in. (30.4 × 31 × 27.4 cm)
H x W x D (2011.12.34a): 11 7/16 × 12 3/16 × 10 13/16 in. (29.1 × 31 × 27.4 cm)
H x W x D (2011.12.34b): 1 × 8 7/16 × 8 7/16 in. (2.5 × 21.5 × 21.5 cm)
Description
M.A. Hadley Three Gallon Water Cooler with lid from the Rock Rest Tourist Home.
2011.12.34a: A large ceramic M.A. Hadley Three Gallon Water Cooler from the Rock Rest Tourist Home. The vessel is primarily off white with a rural motif painted in blue, green and red. The front depicts a farmer standing next to his wife. The farmer is holding a rake upright in his proper right hand. He is wearing a white shirt with green dot accents, white pants, brown shoes, and a wide brim hat. A green kerchief is tied around his neck. On his proper left side is his wife. They are standing side by side with her proper left arm linked through his proper right arm. She is depicted wearing a white dress with a ruffled collar and a pleated skirt with red accents around the edge of the ruffle and the bottom of the skirt. She also has a red bow tied in her hair. The pair are standing in a grassy field with a pig, flowers, birds, and a tree in the background. The interior of the cooler is off-white and is signed by the artist at the bottom in blue paint that reads [M.A. Hadley]. The silver toned spigot at the base of the cooler is metal with a black rubber gasket.
2011.12.34b: A ceramic M.A. Hadley Three Gallon Water Cooler lid from the Rock Rest Tourist Home. The cooler lid is round in shape with a round, button handle at the top. It is primary off-white with thick bands of blue, gray, and dark blue around the lip of the lid. The bottom of the cooler lid is off-white and is signed by the artist around one edge in blue paint that reads [M.A. Hadley].
Place collected
Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
Place made
Louisville, Kentucky, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
The Rock Rest Tourist Home Collection
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Type
water coolers
Topic
Black Enterprise
Black interiors
Business
Cooking and dining
Craftsmanship
Design
Domestic life
Ornamentation
Recreation
Segregation
Travel
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
Object number
2011.12.34ab
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown – Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d81f44c7-83ba-46a0-aea5-5551d7779e20

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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