THE RISE OF THE POTTERY INDUSTRY. 



155 



No considerable progress was made in the manufacture of por- 

 celain in the United States until William Ellis Tucker, of Phila- 

 delphia, began his experiments. From 181G to 1819 his father, 

 Benjamin Tucker, had a china shop on the south side of Market 

 Street, at No. o24, then between Ninth and Tenth Streets, near 



Fig. 5.— Tucker & Hemphill's China Factory. Philadelphia, 1832-'38. (From a vase 

 owned by Mrs. Thomas Tucker.) 



where the new post-office building now stands. During this 

 period Mr. Tucker built a small decorating kiln in the rear of his 

 store for the use of his son, who employed much of his time in 

 painting the imported white china and firing it in the kiln. These 

 attempts were at first only partially successful. He then com- 

 menced experimenting with different clays, which he procured in 

 the vicinity of the city, to discover the .process for manufacturing 

 the ware itself. These experiments resulted in the production of 

 a fair quality of opaque queen's- ware. He then directed his atten- 

 tion to kaolin and feldspar, and finally succeeded in discovering 

 the proper proportions of these ingredients, in combination with 

 bone-dust and flint, necessary for the production of an excellent 

 grade of natural or hard porcelain. Having secured a translucent 



