Harrison McIntosh and the story behind our story

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Among the e-mails we received in response to an article about architect John Bertram’s and actress Ann Magnuson’s life in Richard Neutra’s 1939 McIntosh house: a note from Catherine McIntosh, daughter of celebrated Southern California potter Harrison McIntosh. She sent the black-and-white photograph, above, circa 1942. Her father was 25 when the house was built for his empty-nest parents. They hired Neutra to design the house, Catherine wrote. The Modernist architect was paid $450 for the design, and the house cost $4,500 to build.

‘Harrison suggested the use of redwood, stained all the lumber and used Neutra’s specified aluminum paint on the window frames,’ she wrote. ‘After they moved in, he and his father built all the mahogany furniture following Neutra’s design. I recall many Easter egg hunts and Christmas mornings in this wonderful little house. The garage was designed to include a workspace with windows where Harrison first started doing ceramics using a small electric kiln. This started his 65-year career as a ceramic artist.’

A retrospective of Harrison McIntosh’s work will open Sept. 12 at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona.

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credits: left, the McIntosh family collection; right, Christina House / For The Times