Vintage Harding Black Ashtray, 1959

Harding Black was born on a farm in Nueces County between Ingleside and Aransas Pass and moved with his family to San Antonio in 1916. There, he graduated from Brackenridge High School and attended San Antonio Junior College (1929–30). In 1931, Black joined an archaeological expedition to the Big Bend area sponsored by the Witte Memorial Museum. Initially a painter, he was taught by Rudolph Staffel in 1933 to make wheel-thrown pottery and in the same year began to teach children's ceramic classes at the Witte. Between 1937–39, Black directed ceramic installation in a San Antonio reconstruction project sponsored by the National Youth Administration and the Works Progress Administration art program. In 1955, he retired from teaching and devoted his time to ceramics. Black became a well-known ceramist from his research, innovations, and writings in the field.