Roswell Gleason (1799-1887)
Roswell Gleason of Dorchester, Massachusetts, began pewtering about 1830 and like the Boardmans in Hartford, Connecticut, he must have carried on the making of pewter and Britannia ware more after the manner of modern business than after that of an earlier craft. Lamps, candlesticks, communion sets (including flagons, patens, and baptismal bowls, chalices are not recorded as produced), tea-pots, coffee-pots, coffee-urns, water pitchers (with covers), mugs, syrup jugs and cuspidors, are all found bearing his marks. These exhibit all degrees of taste, from the beautiful to the hideous; and all qualities of metal, from fine pewter to lower quality Britannia. His finer pieces are so excellent that examples of them have in several cases been selected to illustrate their type in the general part of reference documents.
Gleason utilized a variety of marks to identify his many wares. On arge pieces, such as urns, pitchers, patens, and the like, the incised “ROSWELL GLEASON” was touched. On the bottom of earlier lamps, candlesticks, and so on, he utilized the period touch of letters (R. GLEASON) in relief upon a sunken panel. On later works touch marks of letters(R. GLEASON) on flat surface may be found. A comparatively rare mark bearing an eagle and stars is known and believed to be found only on lamps and candlesticks. This particular mark’s design is very similar to one of the touches of the Philadelphia pewterer J. B. Woodbury.