George E. Ohr Mural

George E. Orh Mural on Mary Mahoney Resturant in Biloxi Ms.

George Edgar Ohr (1857-1918), the “Mad Potter of Biloxi”, was an artist with a vision that was ahead of his time. Although active from 1879 until around 1910, it was not until his pottery was rediscovered half a century after his death that Ohr began to enjoy the reputation he felt he deserved. Ohr studied under Joseph Fortune Meyer, of Newcomb College Art Pottery, and moved freely between New Orleans, Louisiana and Biloxi, Mississippi for much of his career. Through his association with Meyer and extensive travels to attend fairs and expositions, Ohr was exposed to some of the best work of the Arts & Crafts movement and the American Renaissance. His work, however, would evolve technique in a way that set him apart from his contemporaries.