As
members of EHAG, we have a special
appreciation for the whimsical and
unique. I am going to share with you
one of my many wonderful interests in
the world of arts and crafts, my love
of face jugs. Face jugs are something
every Halloween enthusiast should
check out.
I
remember my first face jug encounter
fondly. I, a native to Michigan, was
waiting for my luggage at the
Raleigh-Durham airport. My husband and
I had flown down to check out the area
since his job was taking us there. I
was looking over a rack of tourism
pamphlets and one for a craft gallery
caught my eye. I opened it and staring
back at me was something that
intrigued me. I had never seen
anything like it in Michigan or any of
my travels. It was a jug, one I’d
think was for storing moonshine in,
and it had an ugly face on it.
Captivated I made sure to make it out
to the craft gallery. Unfortunately
the object of my affection was long
gone. But I did learn it was a “face
jug” also known as an “ugly
jug.” Face jugs have been a Southern
tradition since the early 1800’s.
They are made out of native clay. The
jugs were made ugly to discourage
children from getting into the
substances they contained (like
moonshine). The jugs come in a wide
variety of personalities ranging from
funny to downright scary. Part of the
character of many face jugs is their
crude style that a folk art fan will
love.
Also
related to face jugs are “snake
jugs” and “spider jugs.” My
favorite snake jug potter is Otis
Norris of South Carolina. There’s
not a lot of his work on eBay (or
online for that matter), but he’s
worth searching for. Snake jugs
feature snakes wrapped around the jug,
often breaking through it. Spider jugs
usually include 3D spiders sitting on
webs carved or painted on the jug.
I
encourage you to search for “face
jugs,” “spider jugs,” and
“snake jugs” on eBay. Maybe you
will catch face jug fever too! They
make a fantastic addition to any
Halloween collection.
Picture
caption: Both brown snake jugs are by
Otis Norris of South Carolina. The red
jug is by AV Smith of North Carolina (http://avsmithpottery.com/).
