About Ima Hogg Ceramic Circle
The Ima Hogg Ceramic Circle is an educational, non-profit 501(c)3 organization that was started in May 1976, just nine months after Miss Ima Hogg (1882-1975) died. Bernice Smith, a local Wedgwood collector, spoke to Miss Hogg before her death about establishing a group that would meet regularly to study different types of ceramics. To honor her legacy, Bernice and the founding members named the organization IMA HOGG CERAMIC CIRCLE.
Miss Hogg, a Legend
Miss Ima Hogg, Robert C. Joy, American, 1971, Oil on canvas, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B.71.132 © Estate of Robert Joy
Miss Hogg was a famous philanthropist, civic leader, art collector, and musician who assembled one of the greatest American-made furniture and decorative arts collections in the country. While she liked ceramics and glass and bought some pieces of both, it was not until shortly after World War I, that she became a serious collector of Americana. Her purchases started in 1920 when she began buying American antique furniture.
Tucker porcelain, made in Philadelphia, was her first acquisition of antique ceramics. In her later collecting, she made major purchases of blue and white Worcester porcelain of which she was very fond.
Pair of Pitchers, William Ellis Tucker Factory, American, c. 1826-1838, Hard-paste porcelain with enamel and gilding, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B.22.6.1,.2
Chestnut Basket and Tray, Worcester Porcelain Manufactory, English, c.1770-1785, Soft-paste porcelain, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Katharine Prentis Murphy, B.56.59.1,.2
Jar (Olla) with Parrots, Unknown North American, Pueblo Ácoma, 1920-1930, Earthenware with slip, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, 44.13
Miss Hogg collected Native American pottery and prehistoric artifacts from tribes in the Southwest and contributed her 166 pots to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) in 1944.
In the 1950’s she decided to donate her home in the River Oaks area of Houston to the MFAH. That decision prompted her to expand her purchases to make the period rooms spanning from 1620 to 1870 historically accurate.
Her History of Collecting
Devoted to the arts and historical preservation, Miss Hogg oversaw the transformation of her home. In 1966, Bayou Bend opened as a historic house museum, featuring a full complement of American decorative arts.
Throughout her life, Miss Hogg continued collecting. Her interest in ceramics included English types that were imported for use in Colonial America including tin glazed earthenware such as delft, salt glaze stoneware, Whieldon, and Texian Campaigne transferware. She was fond of Chinese export and blue and white “Dr. Wall” Worcester porcelain. She also bought many pieces of early American-made Bennington and Tucker porcelain.
Tobacco Jar, Unknown Dutch, 18th century, Tin-glazed earthenware (delftware) with brass, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B.69.71.A,.B
Soup Tureen, Unknown English, c.1755-1770, Salt-glazed stoneware, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B.57.64.A,.B
Basket, English, c.1755-1765, Lead-glazed earthenware, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B.60.22.2
Pair of Wall pockets, possibly Thomas Whieldon, English, c.1755-1775, Lead-glazed earthenware (creamware), The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B.56.111.1,.2
Punch Bowl, Unknown Chinese, c.1815, Hard-paste porcelain with enamel and gilding, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by “One Great Night in November, 2018”, B.2018.62
Platter, from the “Texian Campaigne” pattern, possibly James Beech, English, c.1837-1856, Lead-glazed earthenware with transfer print, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B. 69.309
Pitcher, Unknown American, Bennington, VT, c.1849-1858, Rockingham-glazed earthenware, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg, B.57.48
Founding of IHCC
A small group of ceramics collectors held their first organizational meeting of the IHCC in the Bayou Bend Winedale Cottage on May 17, 1976. Speakers in the first couple of years made presentations on: Pre-Columbian Pottery, Early Greek Pottery, Southern Ash Glaze Pottery, Chinese Porcelain, Royal Bayreuth China, Delft, Meissen Porcelain, Sevres Porcelain, Contemporary Ceramics, Early English Creamware, Staffordshire China, Hand-made Texas Pottery, and Worcester Porcelain. Now that a new education facility has been built, monthly meetings for members continue; they are now held at Kilroy Education Center on the Bayou Bend campus
Reciprocal Sharing
IHCC has hosted numerous local, national, and international organizations at their request or by invitation. Professional associations visiting Houston have included the American Ceramic Circle and Wedgwood International Seminar. Arrangements are made for visiting scholars to see The Bayou Bend ceramics collection and the European porcelains at Reinzi (another MFAH house museum). In addition, IHCC speakers are provided with the opportunity to see MFAH’s permanent collection and sometimes the ceramics collections in member’s homes. Once a year, IHCC sponsors a field trip to a member’s home so everyone can see the ceramics collected by the host.
Scholarship and Resources
Today, continuing Miss Hogg’s commitment to education and preserving material culture, IHCC meetings feature nationally renowned ceramics experts, including museum curators, university professors, and private collectors from across the country. Members study ceramics from all eras. To honor past presidents, the IHCC has donated 43 ceramics reference books to the Kitty King Powell Library and Study Center at Bayou Bend, MFAH. IHCC records most lectures and has made 121 videos of past presentations available for viewing in the Library as well. The most recent video recordings are available here on this website.
Throughout the year, members are provided with many opportunities to view presentations made by international speakers. For the purpose of continuing education, IHCC has created educational study materials to help familiarize docents with the ceramics in the Bayou Bend Collection (BBC). Periodically, the IHCC provides funds to enhance the Bayou Bend ceramics collection. From its inception 44 years ago to today, IHCC has purchased 11 ceramic objects of historical and cultural significance. Visit this link for more details about these gifts.