Ep. 40 Gendered Politics with the Doctor & Potter

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In season’s 2 last episode, Milena & Megan cover American artist-potter and china painter Adelaide Alsop Robineau and the world-weary surgeon Dr. James Barry

Adelaide Alsop Robineau

Keeping with tradition, the last episode of the season becomes Megan’s opportunity to geek out on a ceramic artist. Today’s episode features Adelaide Alsop Robineau who was a leading ceramic artist of the early 20th century. Initially working with china paints (what’s that, you ask? Well give a listen & find out), Adelaide went on to involve herself in every aspect of the ceramic creative practice.

Today we cover her studio practice, the gendered politics of ceramics and how the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial World Fair kicked off a China Mania.

The Good Housekeeping article mentioned this episode can be seen HERE

Selected Works
Behold! The Scarab Vase – made in 1910, story goes it took over 1000 hours for Adelaide to finish. Considered one of, if the, best example of 20th century American art pottery
Adelaide worked in various style of form and color in her studio – experimenting most with carving and glaze formulations
Featured are assorted vases with various crystalline glazes
More examples of Adelaide’s surviving pottery. If she didn’t like a piece, she smashed it right out of the kiln. Only about 600 pieces made it through her trials
Example of the numerous china painting designs that Adelaide would include in the monthly ceramic publication she edited, Keramics Studio

Dr. James Barry

Where to start….today Milena is taking us on a dozy of a story, from late 17th century Ireland to the far reaches of the British Empire with Dr. James Barry. Studying at a early age for medicine, James became a doctor and ranking government official all while still a teenager. In the last episode of season two, Milena covers the doctor’s rise to prominence, the gross medical hygienic practices of the 1800’s and how we’re all under achievers by writing crappy teenage-angst poetry instead of becoming licensed physicians.

Left – a 1862 of the Dr. with servant John and dog Psyche. Right – a god awful painting c. 1815 of the Dr. Painted without their consent and with good reason – look at those eyes

As always, music by EeL