The first Jazz Bowl (location unknown) was commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt around 1930 when her husband was governor of New York. She allegedly requested a design that reflected the exciting nightlife of New York City. Ralph Cowan gave the task to a young Schreckengost, who had just begun his design career at the Cowan Pottery Studio in Rocky River, Ohio. Cowan liked the design so well that he produced a small edition of similar bowls.
The bowl's design was created by scratching through a thin covering of black clay (slip) to reveal the white ceramic underneath. After the piece was fired once, it was then covered with a rich glaze of Egyptian blue and fired again.
