Susan Frackelton's manual on ceramic arts, 1886

About this record

Wisconsin ceramic artist Susan Frackelton first gained national recognition as a leader in the world of china painting. She taught classes, operated a retail store, developed her own line of paints, patented a gas-powered portable kiln, and published an instructional manual for amateur china painters. That manual, Tried By Fire: A Work on China-Painting (New York: Appleton, 1886), is given here in its entirety. It totals more than 100 pages and includes 15 color plates, numerous illustrations in the text, and several pages of advertisements.

A collection of Frackelton's manuscripts and a brief memoir by her are also included at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. Images of her pottery can be viewed in our Curators' Favorites and Wisconsin Historical Images collections.  Twelve pieces by her can also be viewed in the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database.