July 2021
by Lin Romberg
Shawnee Tales
Arizona is breaking records with the heat and also more fires across the state - tragic the evacuations in the northern part of the state. This is a year like none we have ever seen with fires, many caused by lightening strikes and in areas inaccessible to firefighters. The Valley has seen temps of 118°-122°.
Doug has a great article of information on Rudy Ganz this month.
For those of you following the Great Northern shakers on Ebay here is additional information from a long time collector!
Congratulations to the winning bidder of the rare Dutch boy and girl Great Northern salt and pepper shakers. There are a few sets known to exist and definitely highly sought after.
Great Northern - According to Pam Curran's book, the Great Northern Company of Merchandise Mart in Chicago IL, was a large distributor of private label lines such as Great Northern. Shawnee produced some items for Great Northern such as the Dutch Boy and Girl Cookie jars, along with a grease jar and Dutch Boy and Girl shakers. You may find other pieces of pottery that are marked Great Northern. It has not been determined if other pottery companies produced merchandise and also stamped the pottery Great Northern or if Shawnee produced it. There are several variations of the Great Northern Dutch Boy and Girl along with the more common set that can be easily found. Here are two Great Northern cookie jars that are harder to find. Here is also a small planting dish, or possibly covered sugar minus the lid. The piece is clearly marked Great Northern and was purchased about 20 years ago with a grouping of Shawnee pottery. Happy Hunting!
From Doug - Somewhere in the back of my mind this piece rang a weak bell. Here's what I found -
Another interesting sale on Ebay was a gold tulip Smiley base with a gold Winnie lid - what a combination but great piece if you have the correct matching pieces!!! Always surprising to think of these pieces lasting through out the years!!! Remember though it is a gamble that the pieces will fit - often they do not!!!
Doug's Corner
She thought the pictures she sent may be Shawnee. As we know now they were not production Shawnee pieces. Holly says Rudy was a designer for a number of other potteries. One being Niloak and to my eye the eyes of the dogs have a Niloak look. More of his collection at the bottom of this article.
I know that he worked at Shawnee, I believe he did work at Frankoma (we have a number of Frankoma pieces, and I can't imagine why we would, otherwise!), and I've heard that he worked at Niloak, which makes some sense if Niloak produced Rumrill. I have several of those pieces, as well - my dad has one of the Athenian nudes holding a bowl on their feet. These can be seen at the link below.
Holly sent a link to this page with an in depth history of Rumrill pottery. Just when one thinks
they know something they learn the rest of the story. This page is worth the read -
Rudy Ganz eventually went to work for Perry Rubber Company in Massillon, OH.
He was on the Board of Directors of United Industrial Corp. He developed a process to make disposable latex surgeon's gloves (until then, latex gloves were expensive and had to be reused and re-sterilized, which meant they were likely to develop small pinholes or cracks). He designed the porcelain forms and much of the machinery on which they were made.
I have several glove molds, one in its "natural" state, one with glossy cobalt glaze and gold trim (my name in gold, no less), and we have Dr. DeBakey's hands (oh, that's another story for another time...) Picture below.
I always thought of him as my grandfather first and foremost, and the man who invented disposable surgeon's gloves second. "Inventor" was the word that came to mind before "artist," though I knew he had artistic talent. I'm not at all sure my grandfather EVER lived in Indiana OR finished a college education. He was a stonemason in his home town of Tauberbishofsheim. Though I knew he had artistic talent. He built the keystone arch and white marble fireplace in our house in Ohio.
Part of our conversation was about the Gingham Dog and Calico Cat associated with California Pottery and designer Brayton. Apparently Ganz and Brayton were acquainted. --- designs created by the design department under the direction of Rudolph V. Ganz. Apparently there are questions about the designer of some pieces. I guess when you're the boss, you can sign anything you want.
Mmmm. You can, but that wasn't my grandfather's style. He was a hard-driving workaholic who seemed to inspire fear and admiration and devotion in equal measures, but wasn't one to take credit for others' work, and was - as far as I'm aware - quick to give credit where it was due.
I should take a picture of the mold my grandfather created for the clay dog I made in 7th grade art class. I can assure you, the copies are long gone and the location/existence of the original is seriously in question. But I guess I still have the means to make another (if it doesn't matter that the tail always breaks off when trying to get it out of the mold).
Rudolf Valtin Ganz, born on Nov. 14, 1910, arrived in the United States in Jan.1929 on the SS Columbus. He lived to the age of 68.
Our conversation encompassed much more, but this is Rudy Ganz's "the rest of the story".
I thank you Holly for sharing an inkling of your grandfather's life. Holly's website -
Twenty or so years ago I had a conversation with Rudy Ganz's granddaughter, Holly. I ran some of her pictures from Rudy's personal collection on the Odds & Ends website.
First though, Pam Curran let me use her biography of Rudy Ganz from her book - Shawnee Pottery The Full Encyclopedia. Following this will be the rest of the story.
Rudy was hired in 1938.
The pieces below were in Rudy's home. Some definitely designed by him, plus a couple nobody can say for sure.
Interesting he had the Potter Wheel Bookend. His creation?
The family thinks he designed this Madonna, 10-12 " tall. Holly thinks one of the Trenton, NJ porcelain companies of the era made a similar one.
Porcelain forms for custom surgical gloves.
Below is part of one of the at least six Patents granted for the disposable glove process through the early 60's.
Just something to think about during your next visit to the doctor :-)
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Happy Fourth of July! I just recently got a jar I have liked for many years - the Metlox Uncle Sam Bear - symbolic of the holiday! Hope everyone stays safe! We need to celebrate this country we live in!
It sounds like there will be a Pottery Festival in Zanesville this year.
For information -
