The Anna Pottery Liberty Monument
Discover the story behind a remarkable symbol of 19th-century craftsmanship, now part of Winterthur’s collection.
Liberty Monument (1873) by Anna Pottery (1859-1896), Cornwall Kirkpatrick (1814-1890), and Wallace Kirkpatrick (1828-1896)Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
The Anna Pottery Liberty Monument is a 150-year-old stoneware sculpture crafted by renowned American ceramicists and brothers, Wallace (1828–96) and Cornwall Kirkpatrick (1814–90) at their pottery in Anna, Illinois, which they owned and operated from 1859 to 1896.
Over its nearly 40-year history Anna Pottery was held in high esteem by residents of the town of Anna who appreciated the unique ceramics the firm produced. But the brothers were best known for their large-scale satirical and political wares like the Anna Pottery Liberty Monument.
Jug, Anna Pottery, The Metropolitan Museum of ArtWinterthur Museum, Garden & Library
Vocal about their socially progressive views, they often commented on events and politics through their work. One of their most well-known political and satirical works is the sculpture now known as the Anna Pottery Liberty Monument that Winterthur acquired in 2021.
Liberty Monument (1873) by Anna Pottery (1859-1896), Cornwall Kirkpatrick (1814-1890), and Wallace Kirkpatrick (1828-1896)Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
The monument depicts the Colfax Massacre, a racially and politically motivated incident that took place at the Grant Parish Courthouse in Colfax, Louisiana, on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, following the much-contested 1872 election.
Anna Pottery, DetailWinterthur Museum, Garden & Library
This ballot box is inscribed "Kellogg," for pro-Reconstruction politician William Pitt Kellogg. A majority of Black Republican citizens voted for Kellogg given his advocacy for Black civil rights. Violence ensued when mostly Black Republican militiamen took occupation of the courthouse.
Liberty Monument (1873) by Anna Pottery (1859-1896), Cornwall Kirkpatrick (1814-1890), and Wallace Kirkpatrick (1828-1896)Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
The Black figures shown here respond in fear to the armed white figures. Despite surrendering to an angry white Democrat mob, composed mostly of Klu Klux Klan (KKK) members and former Confederate soldiers, as many as 153 Black militiamen were killed at the Colfax Massacre.
Anna Pottery, DetailWinterthur Museum, Garden & Library
One figure holds his hand against his head in despair over the deadly and violent massacre. Of the almost 100 white Democrat men identified as participants in the attack, only nine perpetrators were named; eight faced trial. All eight were acquitted.
The Kirkpatricks placed a plaque below the group of five figures proclaiming, "Our protection under the Civil right Bill," a sarcastic reference to the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a federal law designed to protect the rights of all United States citizens, including Black Americans.
Liberty Monument (1873) by Anna Pottery (1859-1896), Cornwall Kirkpatrick (1814-1890), and Wallace Kirkpatrick (1828-1896)Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
A Black woman ascending a tower, is likely an allegory for the difficulties Black Americans faced during the Reconstruction era voting system. However, the woman’s ascent can also be understood as an attempt to reach an even greater goal at the sculpture's apex: Liberty.
Anna Pottery, DetailWinterthur Museum, Garden & Library
A figure climbing a ladder above a white family, identified by the inscription "Colfax" on his leg, represents Republican Vice President Schuyler Colfax (1823–1885). A strategically placed plaque, through which Colfax is stepping, reads, "got his foot in it / Credit Mobelier."
From 1872 to 1873, stockholders in the Union Pacific Railroad formed a construction company called Credit Mobilier to build a transcontinental railroad. Credit Mobilier overcharged the construction by $44 million, which went to Union Pacific executives. Colfax was also involved.
Anna Pottery, DetailWinterthur Museum, Garden & Library
On the reverse side of the monument are several plaques. One distills the Kirkpatrick brothers' view of the Civil War with "the great show/COST/ 3 000 000 000/ Dollars." Describing the war as a "show" and listing its exorbitant price revealed the brothers' stance that the war was ineffective.
A final yet equally important artistic detail is found on the very top of the sculpture, a figure representing Lady Liberty. Crowning the sculpture, Liberty, who gives the sculpture its name, stands for the symbols of democracy and freedom for all United States citizens.
Four wheel-thrown match safes (match holders) indicate that this sculpture’s design was valued for more than its decoration. They may also be a reference to the fire set to the courthouse that drove Black protestors into the street where they were massacred.
Liberty Monument (1873) by Anna Pottery (1859-1896), Cornwall Kirkpatrick (1814-1890), and Wallace Kirkpatrick (1828-1896)Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
Stories revealed through objects like the Anna Pottery Liberty Monument allow us to better understand America’s complex past, present, and future through material evidence.
Overall view of Anna Pottery Liberty Monument
Winterthur is grateful to the Zipp family of Crocker Farm for recognizing the importance of this ceramic and for sharing their scholarship in this video.
Bibliography
1. “A Short Overview of the Reconstruction Era and Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency.” National Park Service. Accessed May 6, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/a-short-overview-of-the reconstruction-era-and-ulysses-s-grant-s-presidency.htm.
2. "Anna Pottery”. Illinois State Museum. Accessed May 6, 2025. https://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/art/htmls/hh_anna_hist.html.
3. Ballantyne, David T.. "Remembering the Colfax Massacre: Race, Sex, and the Meanings of Reconstruction Violence." Journal of Southern History 87 (2021): 427-466.
4. Bash, Dana, and David Fisher. America's Deadliest Election: The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History. (New York: Harper Collins, 2024).
5. Berlinkski, Nicolas, Margaret Doyle, Andrew M. Guess, et al. “The Effects of Unsubstantiated Claims of Voter Fraud on Confidence in Elections.” Journal of Experimental Political Science 10 (2023): 34-49. doi:10.1017/XPS.2021.18.
6. “Civil Rights Act of 1866, “An Act to protect all Persons in the United States in their Civil Rights, and furnish the Means of their Vindication”.” National Constitution Center. Accessed May 6, 2025. https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/civil-rights-act-of-1866-april-9-186.
7. “Instances of Sitting and Former Presidents & Sitting Vice Presidents Who Have Testified Before Congressional Committees.” United States Senate. Accessed May 6, 2025. https://www.senate.gov/committees/SittingPresidentsVicePresidentsWhoHaveTestifiedBeforeCongressionalCommittees.htm.
8. Lewis, Danny. “The 1873 Colfax Massacre Set Back the Reconstruction Era.” Smithsonian Magazine, April 13, 2023. Accessed May 6, 2025, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1873-colfax-massacre-crippled-reconstruction-180958746/.
9. McGreevy, Nora. “Five Things to Know about the 1876 Presidential Election.” Smithsonian Magazine, January 5, 2021. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/confusion-voter-suppression-and-constitutional-crisis-five-things-know-about-1876-presidential-election-180976677/.
10. “Reconstruction.” Britannica Dictionary. Accessed May 6, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconstruction-United-States-history. “Winterthur Acquires Recently Discovered Anna Pottery Liberty Monument.” Winterthur Musuem, Garden and Library. Accessed May 6, 2025.
11. Tolson, Franita. "Parchment Rights." Harvard Law Review 135 (2021): 525-536.
Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library
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