| During the late 1880’s, there was a movement toward American made, hand decorated art ware. Not to be left behind, the Homer Laughlin China Company began producing a series of beautiful, one of a kind vases, perfume jars, medallions, etc. Some of these wares are described in 1886 issues of Crockery and Glass Journal. November 4, 1886 issue Crockery and Glass Journal:
“Mr. Laughlin’s art pottery will create quite a stir in ceramic holiday trade. He is getting out some beautiful things in slip figure decoration, china on china, never before attempted on this side of the Atlantic, and in fact, at only two places in the whole world. I found there two perfume jars, twenty inches high, one with cupid resting on the bough of a tree, and the other showing a celestial messenger, en transport winged flight, bearing a long trailing misty streamer. Both of these are creamy china over a French blue background, with just a few grasses clustering around the neck of the jar. There are three other vases, thirteen inches high, with Japanese handles resting on the heads of jesters on either side, the entire body back with Mr. Laughlin’s new blue underglaze color. Trailing from the necks of the vases is an infant winged cupid, bearing a basket of flowers; on another a Bacchanalian group of cupids “reveling in the dance”; the third eclipses the lot, representing a trio of wine gods laden with clusters of grapes on their shoulders, going to the feast of Bacchus. I wish the reader could see the figures and the facial expressions reproduced in these crops of china—no brush, no coloring, but the clay modeled with the hand in a way that suggests Galates—the beautiful woman that Pygmalion chiseled into life from Greek marble. On another vase, the potters give us a reproduction of Millais’ “Sower,” which is a wonderful piece of ceramic execution. The vases are real gems, and I cannot help but wonder what will be their reception in Gotham when Mr. Laughlin places them on exhibition in New York, for there is nothing of like class to be seen in any collection of china in this country.”
November 11, 1886 issue of Crockery and Glass Journal:
“Homer Laughlin has out another fine lot of vases in vitreous china, slip decoration-new figures over a shade of Oriental blue which are marvelous. I do not know anything more desirable than a selection from the Laughlin art vases, medallions, tripods, perfume jars, etc. They will stand a test in any ceramic collection.”
December 1886 issue of Crockery and Glass Journal:
“Mr. Homer Laughlin has just fired another beauty vase on which is raised a figure personating the child Jesus listening for voices. The Nazarene is represented alone on the plains with a dog for a companion, and is copied from an engraving in Harpers Magazine for December of this year. The clay artist has conveyed to the figures much of the expression secured in the engraving and has certainly opened up a wide range of possibilities in this new art pottery, which will go out from East Liverpool Ohio as the first and only production of the kind on the American Continent.”Photo #1 from the collection at the Museum of Ceramics East Liverpool OhioPhoto #2 from book “Homer Laughlin A Giant Among Dishes” by Jo Cunningham | 
