Multi-Element Characterization of Early Nineteenth Century Edged Pearlware from Native American and Euro-American Sites

Summary

Edged Pearlware, a type of refined earthenware imported from England, is found at many early nineteenth century Native American and Euro-American sites in North America. Due to the small size of sherds and the lack of sherds with maker’s marks, it is currently difficult to identify the date, location, and manufacturing process for Edged Pearlware. This poster compares sherds from three sites occupied during the first half of the nineteenth century: Pokagon Village, a Native American site; Collier Lodge, a Euro-American site; and McCartney’s Cabin, a Euro-American/Metis site. Utilizing micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) to determine composition both of whole sherds and of particular pigments allows us to compare the chemical composition of various sherds and their pigments and thus to classify the changes in the manufacturing process over time. Our results indicate differences in chemical composition for sherds of the same pattern, suggesting the possibility of dating sherds based on chemical composition, as well as difference in pigment composition, suggesting that the sherds differ in their manufacturers. Our project indicates that micro-element characterization has the potential to improve information about dating and manufacturing processes not only for edged pearlware, but for other nineteenth century earthenwares as well.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage