Union Porcelain Works

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Object Label

This highly decorated water filter is an example of the entrepreneurial creativity of Thomas Smith, the owner of UPW. The filter was produced in conjunction with the Gates City Stone Filter Company, with whom Smith formed a partnership, on the Greenpoint premises of the pottery.

Caption

Union Porcelain Works 1863–ca. 1922. Water Filter, Patented November 28, 1882. Porcelain, Overall: 20 x 12 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (50.8 x 31.8 x 29.2 cm) (a) Height of Base: 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm) (b) Height of Filter Section: 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Marie Bernice Bitzer, by exchange, 1995.143.1a-c. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.143.1a-c_overall_PS22.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Water Filter

Date

Patented November 28, 1882

Medium

Porcelain

Classification

Vessel

Dimensions

Overall: 20 x 12 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (50.8 x 31.8 x 29.2 cm) (a) Height of Base: 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm) (b) Height of Filter Section: 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)

Markings

Printed on underside of base (a): in red "UNION / PORCELAIN / WORKS / GREENPOINT / N.Y." within urn, "9 88" below urn; and in green, "U.P.W." above head of an eagle Painted in black on underside of middle (b) near edge: "16"

Credit Line

Bequest of Marie Bernice Bitzer, by exchange

Accession Number

1995.143.1a-c

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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