Camark Pottery

Camark Pottery was a pottery company based in Camden, Arkansas that became known worldwide.

The Camark Pottery Company, which was established in Camden, Arkansas in 1926, was started with an ambition to profit from the booming pottery industry that started in Ohio. Through the years that the company operated, changes in artists, production technique, style trends, and economical trends led to drastic changes in the pottery produced, and Camark is known for its perseverance to accommodate the industry of pottery.

 

In late 1926 jack Carnes, John Lessell, and Stephen Sebaugh collaborated with the Camden Chamber of Commerce to organize the Camden Art Tile and Pottery Company, and after a short time the company, now focusing on pottery, adopted the name Camark, which comes from the first three letters of Camden and Arkansas. Jack Carnes was the force behind the company, and being an Ohio native, he knew very much about the pottery industry. For, Zanesville, Ohio was the beginning of this industry. John Lessell was formerly employed as an artist at the Newark Art China Company and was known for trademark luster and iridescent finishes. Stephen Sebaugh was a friend of Jack Carnes and had worked with Carnes at many pottery companies. Jack Carnes provided the capital for the equipment to found the company, while the Camden Chamber of Commerce donated the land for the plant. Since John Lessell was residing in Ohio at the time, Jack Carnes shipped clay from the Camden area to Lessell for testing. Lessell was satisfied. This would be the start of the production of the pottery that would soon be known around the world.

 

Tragically, John Lessell died shortly after the beginning of production of Camark Pottery, but he left a mark on the company. Being the first artist of the company and the art director, Lessell left trademark styles and finishes at the company. The first pieces ever produced by Camark were designed by Lessell; these pieces with luster and iridescent finishes were signed "Lessell" and are most valuable to collectors. (The remainder of the Camark can be read in the research paper.)

 

This web site is devoted to the Camark Pottery company and contains the following: a photo gallery, a research paper by Patrick Reynolds, a teacher's guide page, a related internet sites page, and a bibliography page.

[Main][Photo Gallery][Research Paper][Teacher's Page][Related Sites][Bibliography]

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at reynoldp@asms1x.dsc.k12.ar.us