John Bell was born in Hagerstown, Maryland on April 20, 1800. He was the eldest child of Peter and Mary Ziegler Bell. He was trained by his father and influenced by other immigrant potters in Hagerstown. He worked from his father's shop until the family moved to Winchester, Virginia in 1824. He moved to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania between 1826 and 1828, and in 1833 he moved to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, where he established his own pottery.

With their bright green glazes, these flower pots are distinctive of John Bell, and were produced as a result in a reduction of atmosphere. Bell liked to experiment with glaze recipes, and often exchanged notes with his brothers Samuel and Solomon, who jointly owned a pottery in Strausburg, Virginia.