Dr. Goldberg will look at a selection of stoneware vessels spanning a 125-year period of the country’s history, from the Revolution to about 1900. The images on many of the vessels expressed the potter’s patriotism and devotion to the country. One of the earliest examples was by Captain James Morgan, who at the beginning of the Revolutionary War wrote patriotic mottos on his vessels such as Liberty and 1776. Images of the American bald eagle became a popular part of the patriotic iconography, and at one time were the most common theme. These images, along with others are viewed as a social and art historical representation of American culture and heritage.

Dr. Goldberg has a long-standing interest in American ceramics. An exhibition of selections from his historical collection of American stoneware was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1985. He has lectured before the American Ceramic Circle on various aspects of American stoneware and art tiles. For the Tile Heritage Foundation, he was curator for an exhibition of Arthur Osborne’s Plastic Sketches made at the Low Art Tile Works. Recent publications include “Highlights in the Development of Rockingham and Yellowware Industry in the United States - A Brief Review with Representative Examples” and “Beneath his MagicTouch: The Dated Vessels of the African-American Slave Potter Dave”. Dr. Goldberg is a trustee of the Museum of Ceramic Art/New York, and a member of the American Ceramic Circle and the Tile Heritage Foundation.