Home and Garden Chat

Franciscan Pottery started as an American firm, and in 1875  exceptional clay deposits were found in Lincoln, California. Three businessmen staked a claim, bought the land and began plans to use the clay for a new business venture. They promptly established the Gladding McBean Company and began making money by the production of sewer pipes. This part of their history is amazingly similar to the English firm, Royal Doulton, with whom they were to become linked to in history 125 years later as both firms were bought out by Wedgewood.

In 1928 an innovative ceramic material was patented as “Malinite” and was to be use in the ceramic body of tile. By 1932, experimental work had started at the Lincoln plant aimed at producing a pottery line using the “Malinite” body. The dinnerware and art ware were to be made in solid colored glazes. Originally, the dinnerware line was sold as Franciscan Pottery and included solidly colored, bright earthenware in the casual style of Mexican folk pottery.  The name was altered to Franciscan Ware in the late 1930’s to allow for a more upscale and broader image. Shortly thereafter, the company introduced raised relief, hand painted patterns that proved hugely successful. Two of these, Franciscan Apple and Franciscan Desert Rose are the only continuously produced Franciscan patterns, and remain in production today. Franciscan Desert Rose has become the most sold American dinnerware of all time. Other hand painted patterns such as Ivy, October and Fresh Fruit became quite popular during this time. One of the most desirable and difficult to find Franciscan patterns for collectors is Wildflower, a hand painted and many colored tribute to the flora of the American west. It was produced for no more than three years.The entry of Gladding, McBean & Co into the dinnerware market was made possible in part by the arrival of Frederic and Mary Grant. Frederic was a ceramics engineer and previously had been president of the Weller pottery in Ohio. Mary was a successful stylist whose designs drove the first two decades of production at Franciscan. A number of other artists created designs and modeled shapes but the Grants worked together in their successful control of Franciscan products.In 1954 designer George James created an art ware line for Franciscan called Contours. It used fine china forms, two tone colors and fluid, graceful shapes to create bowls, covered dishes, trays, candlesticks and more. The contours line was very “new” for Franciscan in the 1950’s quest for modernism.

Franciscan introduced their Fine China line in 1942. This was marketed as Franciscan Masterpiece China after 1958 and production continued in the United States until 1978. The Franciscan name appeared on fine china from around the world after that time, but will bear a back stamp indicating the country in which it was produced.

The 1950s marked the departure of the Grants and the arrival of other design influences for Franciscan. The Eclipse “American Modern” shaped patterns of 1954 included Starburst. Starburst would prove a radical departure from prior tradition and used an irregular shape and abstract radiant stars resulting in a very modern earthenware pattern. Today it is collected as some of the best design work from the Modern 1950’s. 

Some of the best of the Grants influences can be seen in their Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York’s Thirteenth Exhibition of Contemporary American Industrial Art in 1934. Two objects designed by the Grants appeared in this exhibition as Gladding, McBean products: a large satin gray bowl and a lemon yellow vase. In the same exhibition of 1940 “a bowl and platter designed by Mary K. Grant: made by Gladding, McBean & Co.” was again honored. This acclaim for Mary’s work continued in 1951 when an exhibition called Good Design by the Museum of Modern Art, New York selected the Encanto shape for exhibition. Encanto shapes went into production as fine china and sold with great success throughout the 1950’s. Extensive advertising and numerous new patterns on the shape kept the classic shapes alive and vital in the market place.

Franciscan pottery rose into the limelight of fame when in 1961 order by Jacqueline Kennedy for Masterpieces China to be used on Air Force One and the 1969 selection by the Richard Nixons of Franciscan Masterpieces China for service aboard the Presidential yacht. Other orders for special services for royalty from around the world were also filled.

By the 1960’s and 1970’s “casual dinnerware” made of earthenware was very popular and surpassed the sales of fine china of all types. Franciscan followed this trend, successfully marketing various patterns on their Hacienda shape in ’60’s colors of harvest gold and avocado green. In the ’70’s informal earthenware lines such as Franciscan Madeira and Picnic rose to popularity.

Franciscan survived the competitive ceramics market and the entry of plastic onto Americans dinner tables by having production of china made in Japan beginning in 1960. The Japanese Cosmopolitan fine china and earthenware Whitestone lines were marked changes for this historically California based producer.

In April, of 1935, the first catalog containing photographs of Franciscan Pottery was published. By the end of the year, the Glendale plant pottery department had 283 different shapes in regular production. By 1939, the prolific Glendale plant had produced at least fifteen patterns of dinnerware and nine lines of art ware. Marketing indications suggested a new dimension in dinnerware. The company moved quickly to design, produce and market a totally new line of embossed, hand painted, dinnerware. This concept was a complete departure from anything previously produced by GMcB Co. pottery department at the Glendale Plant. Complete lines of art pottery, colored tableware and kitchenware were to be produced. The trade name of Franciscan Pottery was chosen for the line in order to honor the padres who helped to settle California.  

In 1976, Interpace sold the former Gladding, McBean & Company’s Lincoln plant to Pacific Coast Building Products and in 1979 sold the Franciscan Ceramics division in Los Angeles to Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Ltd. In 1984, the Franciscan Ceramics division in Los Angeles was closed down and production moved to England.  In the Johnson Brothers division of Wedgwood. Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Ltd. would merge with Waterford becoming Waterford Wedgwood. Today, the Franciscan trademark is still in use, however collectors prefer to collect the “Made in USA” Franciscan Ware.  Gladding, McBean is still in business in Lincoln, California producing sewer tile, terra cotta for architectural projects, and terra cotta garden ware. 

Be sure to visit our Franciscan Pottery Shop where you will find a large selection of Desert Rose and Apple pottery.