Hannah Borger Overbeck
American, 1870 – 1931
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Hannah Borger was one of The Overbeck Sisters, four women potters and artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement who worked in Indiana
Hannah initially studied photography with her older sister, Ida, before attending Indiana State Normal School (present-day Indiana State University) in Terre Haute, Indiana. After her graduation from college in 1894, Hannah taught school for a year in Clinton, Indiana, but ill health forced her to return home.
Hanna was a skilled sketch artist, who also painted with watercolors. From 1904 to 1916 she contributed designs to Keramic Studio. At the Overbeck pottery studio Hannah and her sister, Mary Frances, were primarily responsible for the pottery's decorative designs. Her original design motifs were inspired from nature. She also made hand-formed pottery without the use of a potter's wheel. Chronic neuritis during the final years of her life made it difficult for Hannah to hold a pencil and draw, but she continued to work on designs until her death on August 28, 1931.
