The History of Ugly Face Jugs

Bonnie Gilmour, a longtime member of the SCC has been recently focusing on a new line of work: face jugs. These jugs have a fascinating history, which adds to the charm of these works of art. There are many differing stories concerning the history of these ceramic jugs, known throughout history as ugly jugs, voodoo jugs, devil jugs, or simply face jugs.

The first account of the history of these jugs is that they were created by African peoples who were enslaved in the United States in the 1800s. These jugs were found around North Carolina and Northern Georgia, dating back to the 1840s, throughout the Underground Railroad, and in gravesites in areas with high populations of enslaved people. It is said that the daunting faces were meant to scare away the devil and other evil spirits, so that the souls of the departed could go to heaven. The creators of these jugs obviously had a strong spiritual connection to them, considering how often they appear in their history. Enslaved Africans were often not allowed to have tombstones, and so some theories suggest that these jugs functioned as grave markers because of this.

Another account of the jugs is in the United States is from people abducted from the Caribbean for the purpose of slavery, where belief in voodoo was common. The jugs were said to have been used in voodoo ceremony and the style of ceramic vessel was brought to the U.S. by these artists.