Lotus Ware

It is thought that the name may have originated from a comment made by the owner, Isaac Knowles, asserting that the glaze of the pieces resembled the glossy sheen of lotus blossom petals.

Before KT&K's efforts, another East Liverpool potter, John Burgess, and his son-in-law, Willis Cunning, had briefly attempted to produce bone china.

Their operation was short-lived, shuttered by East Liverpool City Council, which declared the odor of calcined bones to be a health hazard.

An Englishman named Joshua Poole had arrived in East Liverpool after having worked for the Belleek pottery in County Fermanagh, northern Ireland.

Joshua Poole's training as a ceramic engineer was a considerable aid to Knowles' search for the ideal blend of beauty and strength.

He had experience as a decorator, or "fancy worker" in late 19th-century pottery slang, having worked at the renowned Meissen factory in Germany.

Moorish and Persian influences were also evident, including ornate arched shapes, stylized swirls, and an excess of minute detail such as netting, fish-scale patterning, and tiny enamel-like dots, which appear like inset jewels on the ware's surface.

Schmidt used a technique called tube-lining, in which thick slip was applied via what was essentially like a large, sturdy pastry bag.

Fundamental Lotus Ware forms were produced only in three colors: pure white, celadon and a deep shade of olive green, which was extremely popular in Europe in the late 19th century.