California pottery includes industrial, commercial, and decorative pottery produced in the Northern California and Southern California regions of the U.S. state of California. Production includes brick, sewer pipe, architectural terra cotta, tile, garden ware, tableware, kitchenware, art ware, figurines, giftware, and ceramics for industrial use. Ceramics include terra cotta, earthenware, porcelain, and stoneware products.

Key milestones in the history of California pottery include: the arrival of Spanish settlers, the advent of statehood and subsequent population growth, the Arts and Crafts movement, Great Depression, World War II era and the post-WWII onslaught of low-priced imports leading to a steep decline in the number of California potteries. California potters large and small have left a legacy of tableware design, collectibles, art, and architecture.

History Tile has been a favorite building material in California since the early Spanish settled the area and brought with them the tradition of using brightly colored tiles in architecture. Helen Stiles, author of numerous books on the history of pottery, noted that Spanish, Mexican, and Chinese design of the 17th and 18th centuries all influenced the decoration of tile and other pottery in California.

As people moved into California after statehood in 1848, the demand for ceramic products grew exponentially. Buildings needed roofs, floors, and sewer pipes. The ceramic industry grew as the demand increased. The "Golden Era in tile making" and art pottery, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, was around 1910. Architect Julia Morgan used tiles to adorn her buildings, including the Hearst Castle in the 1920s.

The most active period for the production of household ceramics including tableware, kitchenware, giftware, and art ware was from the 1930s through the 1960s. The major area of U.S. household ceramics production was in the Los Angeles Basin. Around Los Angeles there were over 300 producers of figurines. Next in size was the Trenton area, followed by East Liverpool, and a few in the middle west, such as Ceramic Arts Studio, Red Wing Pottery and Haeger Potteries.

The period around World War II saw the greatest growth for the U.S. ceramic industry. With imports cut off from European and Asian markets, small family-owned and larger potteries stepped in to fill the need for ceramic giftware and tableware throughout the United States. By 1948, "the peak year for the industry, over eight hundred ceramic concerns were in operation throughout California." With sunlight year round, an abundance of raw materials, and relatively inexpensive natural gas, California became competitive with centers of ceramic production such as the "Pottery Capital of the World" East Liverpool, Ohio, and Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.

In the 1950s, favorable trade agreements toward Asian countries contributed to a flood of competitively priced ceramic wares entering the United States market. Only a fraction of California potteries survived this competition through the early 1960s. As of 2023, only a few are still in business.

"Big Five" California potteries The "Big Five" California potteries, from the 1930s to the 1960s in reference to the range of products and output, were Vernon Kilns, J.A. Bauer Pottery, Metlox Potteries, Pacific Clay Products, and Gladding, McBean & Co. All of the "Big Five" potteries operated production facilities in the Los Angeles Basin. Gladding, McBean & Co. grew from one factory manufacturing sewer pipe and architectural terra cotta in Lincoln, California, to factories throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. Vernon Kilns closed in 1958, J.A. Bauer in 1962, and Metlox in 1988. The former Gladding, McBean & Co.'s Franciscan tableware and tile factory in Los Angeles was bought by Wedgwood from the Interpace corporation in 1979. Wedgwood closed the Franciscan Ceramics plant in 1984, moving production of the Franciscan tableware brands to England. The former Gladding, McBean & Co.'s Lincoln factory was purchased by Pacific Coast Building Products in 1976 and continues to produce sewer pipe, architectural terra cotta, and terra cotta garden ware. Pacific Clay Products discontinued manufacturing tableware, art ware, and figurines in 1942. Pacific Clay Products continues to manufacture sewer pipe.

Big Five potteries table To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order. Pottery Location(s) Dates Tradename(s) / Products J.A. Bauer Pottery Los Angeles 1909–1962 Flower pots, crocks, jugs, tableware, garden ware, & art ware Gladding, McBean & Co., Lincoln plant (Interpace after 1962 and Pacific Coast Building Products after 1976)) Lincoln 1875–present Sewer pipe, roof tiles, architectural terra cotta, paver tiles & garden ware Gladding, McBean & Co., Glendale plant (Interpace after 1962, and Franciscan Ceramics, Inc. after 1979) Los Angeles 1923–1984 "Franciscan" "Catalina Pottery" tableware, kitchenware, art ware & "Hermosa" tile Metlox Manufacturing Company Manhattan Beach 1927–1988 Tableware, giftware, kitchenware, cookie jars, figurines & art ware Pacific Clay Products Los Angeles 1916–present Sewer pipe. From 1932 to 1942: "Pacific Pottery" tableware, kitchenware, art ware & figurines. From 1943–present: brick & pavers Vernon Kilns Vernon 1931–1958 Tableware, art ware, & figurines

Potteries of California

Northern California

Geographically, see Northern California.

To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order. Pottery Location(s) Dates Tradename(s) / Products Arequipa Pottery Fairfax 1911–1918 Art pottery Billie Vier Berkeley 1940s Figurines California Art Tile Company (Cal Art) Richmond 1923–1964 Tile California Faience (The Tile Shop before 1924) Berkeley 1915–1959 Art pottery & tile California Pottery Company Oakland, Niles, Merced 1873–1929 Pipe, roof tile, utilitarian pottery, crockery, & garden ware California Ra-Art Richmond 1930s Art ware & figurines Camp Del Mar Pottery Capitola late 1940s-early 1950s "Campo" tableware & art ware Carnegie Brick and Pottery Company Pottery plant Tesla, California 1903-1911 Figurines, art pottery, vases, urns, clay pipes Mosier, Dan L., and Williams, Earle E., History of Tesla, A California Coal Mining Town, Mines Road Books, Fremont, CA, 2002. Chase Originals (Adele Chase) Berkeley 1930s-1950s Art ware & figurines Environmental Ceramics, Inc. San Francisco 1960s Kitchenware Evans Ceramics Inc. Healdsburg 1974- Art ware & cookware Garden City Pottery Company San Jose 1902–1979 Crockery, tableware, art ware, garden ware & kitchenware Gladding Ceramic Insulator Company, Inc. San Jose 1924- Tile. "Gladco" insulators after 1964 Heath Ceramics Sausalito 1948–present Tableware & art ware Handcraft Tile (San Jose Tile before 1931) Topanga 1926–present Tile Hans Sumpf Company Madera 1939–2006 Garden ware & architectural wall surfaces Homer Knowles Pottery Company Santa Clara 1923–1937 "K.T.K" "K.T. and K." Art ware, restaurant ware, figurines & novelty giftware Jade Snow Wong San Francisco 1950s-1960s Art ware Jam Ceramic Design Sacramento 1975-mid-1980s Artware, tableware, figurines & giftware Jane Fauntz Berkeley 1940s Figurines Jessie Grimes San Francisco Bay area 1940s Figurines Kay the Potter (Kay Kinney) Berkeley 1930s Figurines & art ware Lagunita Oakland 1940s Figurines Laurel Pottery and Manufacturing Company Stockton 1938–1962 Flower pots, art ware & tableware Monterey Pottery Carmel Valley 1948-unknown "Monterey Jade" art ware, figurines & giftware Mudflat Pottery Alviso 1974-unknown Cookie Jars, giftware, tableware & utilitarian ware Muresque Tiles Oakland 1925–1935 Tile Panama Pottery Sacramento 1914–present Utility ware, flower pots, garden ware & art ware Pond Farm Pottery Guerneville 1953–1980 Art pottery Ransgil Glass Co. Oakland 1940s-50s Gold-encrusted china and glassware Red Doat Berkeley 1930s Figurines Redlands Pottery Redlands 1902–1909 Art ware Richenda Stevick Redwood City, then Berkeley 1930s Figurines & art ware Roblin Art Pottery San Francisco 1898–1906 Art pottery San Carlos Pottery San Carlos late 1930s-late 1940s Artware & figurines San Jose Tile (Handcraft Tile after 1931) San Jose, California 1926–1931 Tile Sierra Vista Ceramics Sierra Vista 1942–1951 Giftware, cookie jars & kitchenware Solon and Schemmel Tile Company (S&S) San Jose 1920–1936 Tile Sorcha Boru San Carlos 1936–1950 Art ware, giftware & figurines Stockton Terra Cotta Company (Stockton Art Pottery after 1896) Stockton 1890–1895 Firebrick, sewer pipe & stove pipe & art pottery Stockton Art Pottery (Stockton Brick and Pottery Company after 1901) Stockton 1896–1900 Sewer pipe, brick & art pottery Stockton Brick and Pottery Company Stockton 1901-1902 Sewer pipe & brick Stonelite San Jose unknown Tile Strictly Stoneware Capitola unknown Tableware Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company (TEPCO) El Cerrito 1922–1968 Walrich Pottery Berkeley 1922–1930 Art pottery, figurines & tile Washburn Berkeley 1930s-1940s Art ware West Coast Porcelain Manufacturers Millbrae 1920s Sanitary ware & "California Porcelain" art ware Woolenius Tile Company Berkeley 1927–1941 Tile

Southern California

Geographically, see Southern California.

To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.