James Carr was born in Hanley, England in 1820, and by age 10 was working in English potteries. He can to America in 1844 and found employment at the American Pottery Company of Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1853 James Carr, in partnership with a Mr. Morrison, opened the New York City Pottery.

In 1871, the partnership of Carr and Morrison was dissolved. Carr specialized in in stone china and sanitary wares, both decorated and undecorated, but he continued his experimentation on the process for majolica making. By the time of the American Centennial Exhibition of 1876, he and his staff were ready to enter an exhibit of their wares, including a large collection of his majolica. Included were pitchers, match boxes, vases, sardine boxes, comports and table center pieces. His outstanding shell and seaweed pattern gained him the rightful recognition as his work rivaled both the quality of the English Wedgwood line and the famous American Etruscan rendition of the same pattern.

In 1878, Carr was honored by the American Institute in New York for his excellence in the manufacture of pottery and he also entered a collection of his wares in the Paris World’s Fair, Exposition Universelle, which included his majolica Cauliflower teapot in traditional greens and creamy whites.

Most of his pieces were unmarked, but you can find some examples carrying a J over C monogram.