John Gardner Low’s Art Tiles

In 1877 the father and son team of John and John Gardner Low founded a ceramics firm under the name of J. and J.G. Low Art Tile in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The pair began to experiment with tile manufacturing that combined artistic design with mass production. Many different varieties of Low Art Tiles are installed throughout the house, including the frieze featured above the round fireplace in the small parlor. The “Cobweb Frieze” is featured in the 1884 “Illustrated Catalogue of Art Tiles Made By J.G. and J. F. Low, Chelsea, Mass. USA”

1884 J. & J.G. Low Art Tile Catalog, Cobweb Frieze, from the collection of Historic New England

Low Art Tiles are famous for their unusually artistic designs and brilliant glazes. The Low firm received numerous awards from art shows where they exhibited their ceramics. The firm dissolved in 1907 after the death of J. F. Low.