The Visionary of Black Ware: The Life of Cordelia A. Bushnell Plimpton In the grand tapestry of American art history, few figures possess the quiet, transformative power of Cordelia A. Bushnell Plimpton. Born in 1830 in Palmyra, Ohio, Plimpton emerged during a period of profound transition in the United States, a time when the raw energy of a growing nation began to seek refined, aesthetic expressions. While many of her contemporaries were preoccupied with the traditional landscapes and portraits of the era, Plimton turned her gaze toward the tactile, the elemental, and the enduring medium o…