essential part of the arts and crafts interior of modern dwellings, so perfectly is its spirit attuned to the spirit of the times.” Teco ware appeared in the pages of The Craftsman and House Beautiful, as well as in houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his followers.
Gates worked with missionary zeal to popularize Teco pottery. “It is my earnest desire to put in each and every home a vase of my make…,” he wrote in one brochure, “that I can so feel that I have, in this way, done something lasting, and have contributed to the homes and happiness of my generation.” To keep prices low enough for ordinary people, he applied the same mass-production methods that he had used successfully for architectural terra cotta. Each piece was sculpted in clay, then cast in a mold for accurate duplication. A minimal amount of hand finishing was required after the piece was removed from the mold, including joining smaller pieces such as handles to the larger forms and smoothing seams from the mold’s join. Glaze was then applied with a sprayer to assure fast and even application.
Many of the smaller pieces of Teco pottery were so modestly priced that the average American worker could afford to own at least one. A simple pansy bowl could be had for 50 cents. Most vases were priced between $2 and $5 (equivalent to $40 to $100 in 2008 dollars), while those of lamp-base proportions sold for $7 to $20 ($140 to $400 today).
Teco pottery retailed exclusively through one dealer per city. Fifty different “selections,” each averaging 16 pieces in varying price ranges, were offered on consignment to dealers, who paid the Gates Potteries as the pieces were sold. One such retailer was Pebbles & Balch, a decorating firm operated by Frank M. Pebbles, Jr. and Oscar B. Balch in Oak Park, Illinois. Remodeled in 1907 by local architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the shop’s simple interior served as an elegant showcase for the Teco ware displayed among Arts and Crafts style wallpaper and fabrics. Teco pottery also complemented the interior of the Prairie-style house Wright designed for Balch in 1911.
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Collecting Vintage Teco
Vintage Teco is routinely available on eBay, where prices are often quite high: a simple three-inch vase averages $300. Large or elaborate vases sell in the $2,000 to $25,000 range, with a few unique pieces selling for between $50,000 and $150,000. Hard-to-find lamps with Teco bases and art glass shades carry price tags as high as $75,000. Teco can also be found at 20th-century decorative arts galleries and auction houses.
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