HENNESSEY & TUTT MARBLEHEAD ART POTTERY VASE, five-color decoration of stylized trees with green leaves, yellow fruit, and light brown stems on light grey stippled ground, outlined in darker grey. Impressed ship mark flanked by "M" and "P" to base, hand-brushed "H T" mark for designer Arthur Irwin Hennessey (b. 1882) and decorator Sarah Tutt (1859 - 1947). First quarter 20th century. 4 1/2" H, 3" D rim.
Undamaged.
Literature: In the world of Marblehead Pottery, pieces marked with the initials of "HT" have been commonly attributed to Hannah Tutt. However, recent scholarship has revealed that those initials are actually for the designer Arthur Irwin Hennessey and decorator Sarah Tutt. In the 2008 article "Marblehead Revisited: The Myth of Hannah Tutt" by Jonathan Clancy and Martin Eidelberg, the authors describe how confusion arose surrounding the identity of a "Mrs. E. D. Tutt", one of the named staff members listed in a 1908 article written by the pottery’s founder, when early scholars assumed that "Mrs. E. D. Tutt" was a certain "Hannah Tutt" living in Marblehead, MA during the time.
According to census records, Hannah Tutt was born in 1860 and had an older brother named Edward D., as written in the 1870 U.S. Federal census for Marblehead, MA. Census records lists her occupations as "Works seed house" in 1880, "Bookkeeper" in 1900, "Bookkeeper" for "Shoe factory" in 1910, "Clerk" for "Seed House" in 1920, and "Secretary" for "Historical Society" in 1930. She appears to have had no direct connection to the pottery, and it is entirely coincidental that her initials are "HT" and her last name is "Tutt".
The real "Mrs. E. D. Tutt", according to census information, is Sarah W. Tutt, originally Sarah W. Main, a native of Marblehead. Massachusetts marriage records show she married Edward D. Tutt in Marblehead on Oct. 20, 1891. In U.S. Federal censuses, Sarah’s occupation is noted as "None" in 1910 and "Art Decorator" for "Pottery" in 1920. A Marblehead City Directory in 1936 lists her under "TUTT" as "Sarah W (wid Edw D) clk Marblehead Potteries h11 Circle".
Regarding artist marks on Marblehead pottery pieces, a mark can include the first letter of the designer’s last name next to or above the first letter of the decorator/craftsman’s last name. For example, the initial "T" also appears after other designer’s initials such as "A" for Annie Aldrich and "M" for Maude Milner, indicating those pieces were also decorated by Sarah Tutt.
The present example, marked "HT", represents an artistic collaboration between two of Marblehead’s most important figures, chief designer, Arthur Hennessey and long-serving decorator, Sarah W. Tutt.
Provenance: From the estate collection of William A. Litle, Garden Grove, CA.
Catalogue Note: Born in Washington Co., Pennsylvania, Dr. William Albert Litle (1934-2018) was a graduate of Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After a brief stint teaching at MIT in the 1960s, Dr. Litle joined the School of Engineering faculty at The University of California, Irvine and later California State University at Fullerton. A talented individual with diverse interests, Dr. Litle was also recognized as a master grader for the Professional Stamp Experts (PSE), where he helped to develop a standardized stamp grading system and later served as president of the organization. A true collector, Dr. Litle's careful and informed attention to detail regarding rarity and condition when considering an acquisition is particularly noteworthy. The array of fine objects from the Litle Collection offered in the present sale attests not only to Dr. Litle's instinctual eye for beauty but also his careful, studied approach when selecting a piece for the collection. We are proud to represent the Litle family in offering some of Dr. Litle's most treasured possessions.

Undamaged.